NUMBER 31
Boutique style B&B tucked in a Georgian mews
THINGS HAVE GONE GROOVY in the heart of Georgian Dublin. Look for the ivy-covered wall and discreet brass plate marklng Number 31 down a quiet side street, press the button and step into a green garden oasis.
Number 31 is actually two places masquerading as one. This totally chilled mews-style residence reached via a private courtyard, comprises a former coach house done up in funky modern style, and a tall Georgian townhouse linked via a garden. The result is is one of Dublin's best little finds.
The coach house has been transformed by top Irish architect Sam Stephenson, creating a spacious, open-plan feel. Number 31's friendly owners Noel and Anne (dog Homer is also there to meet and greet) call this place a B&B. We’d say it feels more like a little boutique hideaway. Clock the fabulous sunken lounge with its mosaic floor, Hockney prints, open fire and black leather retro-style banquette sofas on the way in. The complimentary tea and cake served here as you check in definitely hits the spot.
Hit the Spot
Five minutes walk from St Stephen's Green.
Bedtime
Choose your bedtime mood: cool and fresh (coach house rooms) or elegantly Georgian (townhouse).
Be Savvy
For max light and a quieter lie-in, choose the townhouse.
Be Smitten
More luxe for less: cool surroundings and great value.
Stand-out breakfasts
No two rooms at Number 31 are the same. Walls are cream or white with fabrics, wood and stone contrasting stylishly against cool, clean lines. Oriental rugs and original art are strewn around, and some rooms have private patios.
The Dublin townhouse alongside retains its air of shabby-chic elegance, with high ceilings, elaborate cornicing and tall graceful windows. All rooms have monogrammed linen and springy Hastens beds.
There’s a spirit of fun and bonhomie about the place, epitomised by the sunny conservatory, where stand-out breakfasts – served family style – win rave reviews. Delicious eats include mushroom frittata and freshly baked cranberry and walnut bread, not to mention home-made marmalades and granola. Your engaging host and his top-notch friendly staff will happily suggest some good spots for dinner.
Dublin awaits outside the door of this appealing little enclave: you’re minutes from St Stephen’s Green, Trinity College and Temple Bar.
Number 31 was reviewed for Room for Romance by Mairiona Cotter
Number 31 is actually two places masquerading as one. This totally chilled mews-style residence reached via a private courtyard, comprises a former coach house done up in funky modern style, and a tall Georgian townhouse linked via a garden. The result is is one of Dublin's best little finds.
The coach house has been transformed by top Irish architect Sam Stephenson, creating a spacious, open-plan feel. Number 31's friendly owners Noel and Anne (dog Homer is also there to meet and greet) call this place a B&B. We’d say it feels more like a little boutique hideaway. Clock the fabulous sunken lounge with its mosaic floor, Hockney prints, open fire and black leather retro-style banquette sofas on the way in. The complimentary tea and cake served here as you check in definitely hits the spot.
Hit the Spot
Five minutes walk from St Stephen's Green.
Bedtime
Choose your bedtime mood: cool and fresh (coach house rooms) or elegantly Georgian (townhouse).
Be Savvy
For max light and a quieter lie-in, choose the townhouse.
Be Smitten
More luxe for less: cool surroundings and great value.
Stand-out breakfasts
No two rooms at Number 31 are the same. Walls are cream or white with fabrics, wood and stone contrasting stylishly against cool, clean lines. Oriental rugs and original art are strewn around, and some rooms have private patios.
The Dublin townhouse alongside retains its air of shabby-chic elegance, with high ceilings, elaborate cornicing and tall graceful windows. All rooms have monogrammed linen and springy Hastens beds.
There’s a spirit of fun and bonhomie about the place, epitomised by the sunny conservatory, where stand-out breakfasts – served family style – win rave reviews. Delicious eats include mushroom frittata and freshly baked cranberry and walnut bread, not to mention home-made marmalades and granola. Your engaging host and his top-notch friendly staff will happily suggest some good spots for dinner.
Dublin awaits outside the door of this appealing little enclave: you’re minutes from St Stephen’s Green, Trinity College and Temple Bar.
Number 31 was reviewed for Room for Romance by Mairiona Cotter
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Dining in
Only breakfast is served – and Number 31 is justly famous for it. House specialities include poached pears in vanilla syrup, freshly baked soda bread with homemade preserves, smoked kippers and artisan yoghurt. Better still, fill up with the full Irish (everything you’d expect plus potato cake) and you won’t want to eat all day.
Dining out
Champagne and oysters are synonymous with Dublin, so splash out. Chapter One, below the Irish Writers Museum, has a beautifully carved oyster bar and a champagne menu that lets you choose the perfect bubbles to accompany your indulgence. Bewleys Café on Grafton Street serves deli style food and great seafood, and even stages lunchtime theatre and evening cabaret.
Where?
Number 31
What’s cooking?
More-ish mushroom fritatta, homemade granola and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.
Dress the part
Number 31 feels more like a boutique hotel rather than a B&B, so not too scruffy.
Top table?
It’s sociable family-style dining here.
See & Do
Fans of the black stuff should make a pilgrimage to the Guiness brewery, where of course tastings come with the tour. Breathe in some of the city’s history at Dublin Castle or Croke Park, spiritual home of Gaelic Games. Cross leafy St Stephen’s Green (or picnic there), see the ancient Book of Kells in the awesome library of historic Trinity College, see the statue of buxom Molly Malone and stroll through the squares and terraces of Georgian Dublin.
Shop
Explore Dublin’s shopping mile along Grafton Street, or bargain-hunt at Blackrock market, with its stalls selling everything from antiques to fine art. Try Georges Street Arcade for secondhand clothes, fortune telling and memorabilia or Henry Street for department stores such as Arnotts.
After dark
Dublin comes into its own after dark. Get into the swing of things at a ceildh in one of the city’s many great pubs or head off into the trendy bars of Temple Bar to enjoy the craic. Davy Byrnes – one of the city’s best known hostelries – was immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses and lives up to its fame. For more of the same, join one of the nightly Literary Pub Crawls.
Dates
March
Go green for the big St Patrick's Day festival (yes, even the beer is green), with five days of parties, parades and fireworks.
October
See the ghosts and ghoulies at the Samhain (Halloween) parade, complete with parades, street theatre and dancing.
Only breakfast is served – and Number 31 is justly famous for it. House specialities include poached pears in vanilla syrup, freshly baked soda bread with homemade preserves, smoked kippers and artisan yoghurt. Better still, fill up with the full Irish (everything you’d expect plus potato cake) and you won’t want to eat all day.
Dining out
Champagne and oysters are synonymous with Dublin, so splash out. Chapter One, below the Irish Writers Museum, has a beautifully carved oyster bar and a champagne menu that lets you choose the perfect bubbles to accompany your indulgence. Bewleys Café on Grafton Street serves deli style food and great seafood, and even stages lunchtime theatre and evening cabaret.
Where?
Number 31
What’s cooking?
More-ish mushroom fritatta, homemade granola and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.
Dress the part
Number 31 feels more like a boutique hotel rather than a B&B, so not too scruffy.
Top table?
It’s sociable family-style dining here.
See & Do
Fans of the black stuff should make a pilgrimage to the Guiness brewery, where of course tastings come with the tour. Breathe in some of the city’s history at Dublin Castle or Croke Park, spiritual home of Gaelic Games. Cross leafy St Stephen’s Green (or picnic there), see the ancient Book of Kells in the awesome library of historic Trinity College, see the statue of buxom Molly Malone and stroll through the squares and terraces of Georgian Dublin.
Shop
Explore Dublin’s shopping mile along Grafton Street, or bargain-hunt at Blackrock market, with its stalls selling everything from antiques to fine art. Try Georges Street Arcade for secondhand clothes, fortune telling and memorabilia or Henry Street for department stores such as Arnotts.
After dark
Dublin comes into its own after dark. Get into the swing of things at a ceildh in one of the city’s many great pubs or head off into the trendy bars of Temple Bar to enjoy the craic. Davy Byrnes – one of the city’s best known hostelries – was immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses and lives up to its fame. For more of the same, join one of the nightly Literary Pub Crawls.
Dates
March
Go green for the big St Patrick's Day festival (yes, even the beer is green), with five days of parties, parades and fireworks.
October
See the ghosts and ghoulies at the Samhain (Halloween) parade, complete with parades, street theatre and dancing.
GETTING THERE
Location
Leeson Close, Lower Leeson Street Dublin 2
Parking
There is free guest parking.
Trains
Connolly station – ten minutes
Taxis
Around EUR 10 from the station
Airport
Dublin – 10km
Rooms and suites
21 bedrooms
Special features
Every room has an ultra-comfortable Hastens bed and Matteo bedlinen.
Also…
The fabulous sunken lounge, with its wide leather sofas and open fire, is the place for complimentary tea and cake during the day.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
From EUR 150
Open/closed
Open all year
Check-in
Midday
Check-out
Midday
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
Excellent breakfasts are served until 10.30
Room service
No
Children
Welcome
Pets
No
Air conditioning
No
Languages
English and a little Spanish
Wedding license?
No
Your contact
Noel Comer – owner
Location
Leeson Close, Lower Leeson Street Dublin 2
Parking
There is free guest parking.
Trains
Connolly station – ten minutes
Taxis
Around EUR 10 from the station
Airport
Dublin – 10km
Rooms and suites
21 bedrooms
Special features
Every room has an ultra-comfortable Hastens bed and Matteo bedlinen.
Also…
The fabulous sunken lounge, with its wide leather sofas and open fire, is the place for complimentary tea and cake during the day.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
From EUR 150
Open/closed
Open all year
Check-in
Midday
Check-out
Midday
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
Excellent breakfasts are served until 10.30
Room service
No
Children
Welcome
Pets
No
Air conditioning
No
Languages
English and a little Spanish
Wedding license?
No
Your contact
Noel Comer – owner
