InterContinental Dublin, Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

InterContinental Dublin – Five Star Luxury

Our Stay in Photos

InterContinental Dublin is a luxurious Five Star Hotel in the leafy red-bricked neighbourhood of Ballsbridge. Surrounded by landscaped gardens it’s a pretty walk of about 40 mins through old Georgian Dublin to Grafton Street in Dublin City Centre, or about 15 mins by car or taxi.

The RDS is only around the corner, the Aviva Stadium only minutes away and there are numerous public parks to admire throughout the year. If you’re interested in going further afield, Sandymount Train Station is only a five-minute walk away which opens up a whole other adventure of the Dublin coastline.

Last month I had the pleasure of staying there on invite, but I didn’t stay solo because Patrick my husband and Smith, our 11 month old son joined me for an evening of fine dining, relaxing, movie watching and a morning of chilling by the pool.

To give you a feel of what we enjoyed, here is our family stay in photos …

Our Room at InterContinental Dublin

We were blown away by the size of our Family Suite. It was luxurious but comfortable at the same time. A couch to sit and chill, armchairs to relax in when it came to movie time, a dining area for when it was snack and dinner time for Smith, and with the large balcony windows opening up to the hotels manicured gardens and views of Dublin beyond we immediately felt at home. As I said on Instagram at the time: I could easily live there. No lie.

Our bedroom was gorgeous, big is beautiful and so was our bed. The antique vanity table and chair, the wardrobe with hidden flat screen T.V., brought the old with the new.

Again the large window with balcony looked out onto Dublin and the evening as the sun began to set. The turn down service meant we were treated to perfectly fluffed pillows for the night. What really melted my heart though was the attention to detail that was given to Smith’s bed for the night. His cot was carefully dressed and made with crisp sheets. There were toiletries laid out for him, along with his own ‘Baby Sleeping’ door hanger. Very sweet.

The suites bathrooms. Yes that is plural, were fab. The main bathroom had all the trimmings you’d expect from a Five Star establishment, and more …

… twin sinks, deep soaking bath, power shower, floor to ceiling mirrors, separate toilet room, top-notch toiletries and all opposite a grand sized walk-in wardrobe. As I said, I could live there. Easily. No lie.

The kitchenette with Nespresso Machine with a variety of coffees, sink and fridge that allowed us to store and prepare Smith’s dinner and snacks (okay the coffee part was for me) … The high-chair that was delivered to the room for when we fed Smith his dinner before we dined in the Seasons Restaurant later ourselves … The comfy armchair in the bedroom for feeding Smith his last bottle of the day … all made our stay as a family easy and relaxing.

Intercontinental Dublin, Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Being treated to a chilled bottle of Prosecco and chocolate dipped strawberries is always a winner, especially when it’s a surprise gift from the Duty Manager, who was a very thoughtful Bob Spillane during our stay … but I have to say treats aside it was the genuine friendliness of the InterContinental Dublin staff throughout the hotel and our stay that made them the champions of our experience.

Dinner at Seasons Restaurant at InterContinental Dublin

We dined in Seasons Restaurant the night we stayed. We could have dined in The Lobby Lounge or The Reading Room but as the restaurant was quiet at the time, we felt it more suitable plus it gave us ample opportunity to take in the elegant surroundings.

Our host for the evening was Paul Malone (Bar and Lobby Manager) and Eda looked after our dining and wining needs. Both Paul and Eda were a pleasure to meet and talk to. Being parents themselves, they understood the importance of keeping our little man happy and entertained throughout our meal.

The menu offering made it somewhat difficult to decide what to order … only because everything on it read ‘delicious’.

For starters Patrick chose ‘Citrus Cured Organic Irish Salmon – Vanilla Crème Fraiche, Red Peppercorn Dressing, Chicory Salad, Soda Bread Crisp‘ (€14). Patrick’s dish of Organic Irish Salmon from Beshoffs of Howth was fresh and tasty.

I chose, what I later learned to be Seasons Restaurant signature dish, the ‘Seared King Scallops and Dublin Bay Prawns – Salsify and Vanilla Puree, Micro Leaf Salad‘ (€16). My King Scallops and Dublin Bay Prawns were perfectly cooked and delicious – it was easy to understand why it takes its proud place as a signature dish.

In between courses we were treated to palette cleanser of sorbet which went down a treat. As Smith had already enjoyed his dinner in the comfort of his high chair in our suite, we ordered some vegetables for him with the thought that perhaps he’d nibble on them. Good intentions aside and although cooked perfectly his dish of carrot sticks and broccoli florets were more of a play thing rather than a meal, but he was happy and that’s all that matters.

For our main courses, Patrick chose the ‘Taste of Kerry Spring Lamb – Braised Shoulder, Pistachio Crust Loin, Sweetbread Black Garlic, Rainbow Carrots, Lyonnaise Potato Gratin‘ (€35). It all went down a treat and he enjoyed experiencing the three different cuts of meat all in one dish.

I chose the ‘House Smoked Fillet of Irish Hereford Beef – Seared Potato Terrine, Spring Cauliflower Puree, Purple Broccoli, Merlot Jus‘ (€36). My beef was cooked perfectly, medium rare. The puree, the vegetables and that Merlot Jus that accompanied every bite I took was exactly what I wanted from my beef dish. With a glass of Valpolicella my dish was complete.

Smith was starting to get a little tired by the time dessert was due to be served, so to save bedtime complications we decided to retire to our room and asked for our desserts to be delivered to us there (hence the different lighting for the dishes photographed below).

For dessert, Patrick chose the ‘Raspberry Charlotte – Lady Finger Biscuits, Raspberry Mousse, Raspberry Sorbet‘ (€10). I chose the ‘Milk Chocolate Mousse – Macerated Berries‘ which was actually from the Lunch Menu … I have a thing for chocolate mousse and this one did not disappoint. We both enjoyed our desserts with an espresso each.

Our compliments for a great dining experience to the aforementioned Paul and Eda and of course to Head Chef Alberto Rossi and his brigade. We look forward to returning to Seasons Restaurant again for it’s quality dishes and five star service … Oh and as an ‘Afternoon Tea’ Queen, I really should book mine soon!

For more on Seasons Restaurant visit this link.

After Smith was safe and soundly tucked into his cot, we made use of the down time with a movie and a G&T (or two). We all slept soundly that night.

Breakfast at InterContinental Dublin

The next morning it was a fresh and hearty breakfast followed by a leisurely chill and swim in the pool.

Our sincerest thank you to Gill who organised our stay and to all the staff, those who were mentioned by name here in this post and those who weren’t, for making our stay so enjoyable. You really practice what you preach and your family and child friendliness extends far beyond your children’s lunch and dinner menus … Easter Egg Hunts at Easter and Santa Claus at Christmas are to name just a couple.

Patrick and I look forward to staying at InterContinental Dublin again, either with Smith for a family break or without Smith for a ‘Mammy & Daddy’ date.

If my photos of InterContinental Dublin haven’t done it for you, these certainly will (courtesy of InterContinental Dublin). Click to zoom.