Visiting Dublin, Belfast, and Scotland

A few of us were fortunate recently in visiting Dublin, Belfast, and Scotland. What a trip! Because Glitterati Tours of Beverly Hills and L.A. thrives on outstanding customer service, we like to share the love when we experience it firsthand with other venues.

Dublin

We spent 3 nights in Dublin at the always amazing Westin. This is our second visit to this hotel. Not only is the staff fantastic, but the hotel is incredibly well centered. One is directly across the street from Temple Bar. It’s a lively street with our favorite watering hole, Gogarty’s. Enjoy the main bar downstairs which always has live local music. When done with the pints, stagger upstairs and dine on traditional Irish food.

The Temple Bar Area in Dublin

The Westin Dublin is also next to Trinity College and a short walk to the shopping area of Grafton Street. One has dozens of day trips available, including a bus tour to Cliffs of Moher. This time we opted to take an hour long train ride down to Dalkey. First stop, Finnegans. This is the same spot where one might spot superstar Bono sitting at the bar. Even Michelle Obama and her daughters dined here for lunch while visiting. Afterwards, we went to the charming nearby Glasthule. We were welcomed by friends at a fantastic bar/restaurant with glasses of Prosecco next to Glasthule Gallery. When shopping for art, say hello to Liz!

Belfast

We moved on to Belfast via train after Dublin. We stayed at The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast. We were greeted by a friendly front desk, and were introduced to the concierge named Zi. He was awesome. We literally got our bags into our room and he arranged a Black Taxi tour with the best in the business…a gentleman named Jim. This short 1.5 hour tour was incredibly informative. Its emphasis was on history, but we also got a great feel for the lay of the land. Per our request, Jim ended our tour at a fantastic alleyway full of life and incredible murals documenting Northern Ireland. We opted for the Duke of York Pub, where Snow Patrol once ruled the stage.

Glasgow, and Edinburgh, Scotland

Zi at our Belfast Hotel was kind enough to book our ferry ride to Scotland. We went via Stena Line. Big bang for the buck at approximately 35 Euros per person. This ferry is more like a cruise ship with multiple bars, restaurants, a cinema, game room, and even a small casino with slot machines. The ride to Cairnryan is just over 2 hours. Once in Cairnryan, there is a bus and rail service that can get one into Glasgow. We opted for a private taxi. It took about 2 hours to reach the city center. Price was about 100 Euros. With this option, we were fortunate to have a driver that also pointed out local landmarks along the way.

Dakota Deluxe Hotel in Glasgow

We stayed at Dakota Deluxe Hotel, Glasgow. What a find! It’s a newer hotel with a sleek modern appearance. As with the other hotels, the staff was phenomenal. We purchased the pre-pay with breakfast included each morning. Great selection of hot meals to go along with their continental selections. (Do your research though, and make sure you know what Black Pudding is before ordering—this Scottish favorite isn’t for everyone). This same breakfast spot transforms itself into a romantic hotspot at night, with an incredible menu. Reservations recommended, and do allow enough time to have a signature cocktail in the bar upstairs prior.

Visiting Edinburgh, Scotland

We had 4 nights in Glasgow, and split it up with a day trip to Edinburgh. The train ride is approximately 1 hour, with trains leaving every 15 minutes. We had lunch and wine overlooking the station at the historic Grand Central Hotel, in The Champagne Bar. Once in Edinburgh, we hit the mandatory Edinburgh Castle. They provide a fantastic self-guided audio tour which is very easy to use. Once off the main drag, we discovered a fantastic pub with some of the best fish & chips we had our entire trip (we easily had this meal a dozen times).