For our second Weekend Warrior getaway, JOE’s resident petrol head Oisín Collins took his missus on a romantic weekend in the capital.
When the lads in the office said there was a romantic weekend for two coming up alarm bells started ringing. “The girlfriend’s birthday is coming up,” I thought to myself, so maybe this could work out in my favour.
I was thinking we’d get a nice break down in some far reaching part of the country away from the stresses of the city, somewhere that was a far from home. Then I was told the romantic weekend for two would be on my doorstep… in Dublin.
In fairness, you never really do discover your own city unless you actually plan it out properly and I have to say, after our romantic weekend for two in the capital, I have a whole new appreciation for the city.
The weekend kicked off on Friday when we booked into the luxurious 4* Clontarf Castle Hotel. As soon as you walk in you’re greeted by two huge limestone lions and two full suits of armour. No messing around here then.
We were greeted by the lovely Denise at reception who sorted our out room and told us when breakfast/lunch/dinner was.
As we made our way to the top floor of this gorgeous and historic hotel we wondered if we would be getting ‘the best room in the house’. Well, lets put it this way; we had our own private dinning room. ‘Nuff said.
Sitting on the table in front of the TV was a box of Butlers Chocolates and a bottle of Champagne and needless to say, neither lasted very long.
After a seriously tasty dinner in the Fahrenheit Grill it was back to the room for a few romantic drinks followed by… well, that’s for me to know… The next morning, after the hangover passed, we made our way down to breakfast where all the usual trimmings were on offer.
The hangover, which actually hadn’t subsided (for me at least), demanded that I stuff my face with the greasiest bacon I could find, but little did I know this would be a fairly big mistake.
“A mistake? Why would filling yourself with good Irish bacon be a mistake,” I hear you ask? Well, after breakfast we were told to head out to Dun Laoghaire where the www.gosailing.ie team would be taking us on a tour of Dublin Bay in their 54-foot yacht. I could already feel the seasickness setting in.
Thankfully we got to set sail – quite literally – on what had to be one of the clearest days of the year so we were delighted. The water was nice and calm and there was a slight chill in the air so there were no worries of seeing my breakfast for a second time. The only thing I forgot to bring which seriously would have helped was a pair of sunglasses.
The boat itself was stunning. Teak and cherry wood lined every nook and cranny of the boat and it was clear that the boat itself received a lot of care and attention from its crewmen.
We were given an in-depth tour of Dublin Bay down as far as Killiney Bay and Dalkey Island by Bref Kennedy and Phil Connor who obviously knew the area better than the back of their hands. Sailing on Dublin Bay isn’t something that you’d instantly think of as an idea for a date, but lads, the missus loved everything about! So keep that in mind the next time you want to surprise her with something that’s not a trip to the movies followed by McDonalds (or Eddie Rockets if it’s a special occasion).
After we docked back at dry land, the missus and I headed for a leisurely walk around the harbour itself and we found ourselves having a light lunch in Milano’s near the sea front. It was light, tasty and put us right in the mood for the next part of our trip – cocktail making and dinner at the Koh Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge.
Once lunch had settled it was back onto the DART where we saw some stunning views of the coast along the Rock Road and of Blackrock Park.
We got off the DART and contemplated on getting the LUAS right to the door of Koh, which can be found beside the Jervis LUAS stop, but we decided instead to take a nice leisurely walk through the city – mainly because we had time to kill.
After taking in the sights and sounds of the city – which is truly beautiful from a tourist’s perspective – we made our way to the Koh Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge located in the Jervis Street Millennium Walkway.
Once we entered we were brought straight over to the bar where we met barman Paul from West Limerick (he made sure to put an emphasis on the ‘West’). It was clear from the offset that Paul knew his sh*t. He began by telling us what cocktails we’d be making (a Cosmopolitan and a Mojito) and by giving us an in-depth history of the two cocktails we were about to make. I learned quickly that there’s much more to being a barman than pulling pints.
Both cocktails were absolutely delicious. Again, this is something that you wouldn’t usually think of doing with your girlfriend as a date, but it was a really enjoyable experience and one we’re sure to remember for a long time (plus fire was involved which is always cool!).
After making cocktails in the bar (and downing those tasty b*stards) we were ushered into the dinning room. The menu is packed full of modern Thai cuisine and if you like Chinese or Indian food then you’re sure to love everything on the list.
We were having such an enjoyable experience that we almost missed the start of the final part of our trip – The Dublin Ghostbus Tour. I’ve seen the Ghostbus flying around Dublin City late at night, but I never really put any thought into where it went or what it did. Thankfully, that was about to change.
We were greeted by our bus driver Francis and our tour guide named Jack (presumably after the Ripper) and the blacked out windows of the bus unnerved us straight away. Now, this isn’t your typical jump out from behind the curtains type of ghost tour, instead, Jack tells spine tingling ghost stories that are sure to have your girlfriend (or wife) squeezing your hands with all her might. While it’s billed as a scary tour, it’s also incredibly romantic.
Again, this is something that you’d generally associate with tourists, but learning about the dark and sinister secrets of the capital is something that every Irishman should do at least once. It would be a good idea to book your tour now coming up to Halloween for that extra fright factor.
We made it back to O’Connell Street just in time for the last bus back to the Clontarf Castle Hotel where we grabbed a drink in the bar and then retired to the Royal Suite.
The next morning we were treated to breakfast in bed (along with a glass of Champagne) and it was then off to the Iveagh Gardens to wrap up our romantic weekend. We had a lovely stroll through the rose garden and through the miniature maze, and then we finished things off beside the beautiful waterfall.
Discovering Dublin as a Dubliner was a truly unforgettable experience and it’s one that we’re not going to forget as a couple anytime soon. But the single best part of the whole weekend was that the girlfriend absolutely loved every second of it. And at the end of the day, that’s all that really mattered.
Check out the links below for more information:
Koh Restaurant and Cocktail Bar
