Dublin: Fantastic Food, Music & More on A Couple’s Getaway, Dublin, Ireland

Rich and I enjoyed 48 hours of couple time in Dublin, Ireland this summer. It felt pretty sophisticated after 15 years of family vacations and the odd romantic weekend close to home!

You know that you have reached a new stage of family life when your vacation involves rendezvousing with your teenager in Europe after she has spent three weeks on a summer program with other American teens. That’s exactly what we did after our three days of adult-time.

Dublin is a great destination for a kids-free couple weekend. While you can’t see everything, you can get a good feel for the city in three days. And you can take advantage of the excellent restaurants and vibrant pub scene to give your 48 hours a decidedly grown-up feel.

We normally prefer to stay in local hotels but the stylish Morrison Dublin, a Hilton/Curio hotel, is hard to beat for couple time. It’s right across the Millennium Bridge from Temple Bar, which gave us the convenience of a location in the city center without that neighborhood’s noisy nightlife.

This boutique hotel feels urban and cool, while still being comfortable. It has excerpts from Irish literature and music scrawled on the walls and lots of big windows, high ceilings and natural light. Our relatively compact king-bed room had a spacious feel thanks to those details. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).