Four of us ladies stayed in the Academy Hotel for 3 nights at the end of April. The rooms were lovely with very comfortable beds and pillows. The power shower was a dream to use - simple and straightforward with plenty of hot water. We had dinner in the hotel bar on 2 nights and the food was tasty and plentiful. The service throughout the hotel was excellent.

However there were a few little things which drew our attention. It was not possible to individually switch off the bedside lights. Our room had a double and a single bed in it so there were 3 bedside lights but if one was switched off all went off and if one was switched on all of them went on. This was very inconvenient if one person wanted to sleep but the other wanted to read.

Next, breakfast time was a little chaotic. The waiters did not have specific tables to look after so everyone was running around everywhere. The food on the self-service hot buffet was not replaced quickly when it ran out and it was difficult to know how to get toast. We discovered from another guest that scrambled, poached and boiled eggs could be ordered from the staff but we did not get this information from the waiting staff. However they were quite willing to get what we required when we approached them.

But I would not let these things stop me from going back. We all agreed that it was an excellent place to stay, a great price and very central to all that Dublin has to offer.

My partner and I stayed here for 2 nights at the end of April. The Hotel is very convenient for Temple Bar - only about 10-15 mins walk. The airport bus (727) takes you straight into Dublin City Centre and stops just up the road from the Hotel - 1 min walk. We had a refurbished room on the third floor and it was lovely and clean, a little small (but who cares), tea and coffee making facilities in the room, flat screen T.V and iron and ironing board (not that we used it). The bed was very comfortable and you could control the aircon/heating in your room. We never ate in the restaurant nor drank in the bar but the prices were very expensive, a half of guiness would have set you back £4.00. The prices in Dublin have shot up since we last visited about 6 years ago - so much so that its not that cheap to go to Dublin anymore. Average prices in Dublin for pint of Guiness was about £4.00-£4.50 and a coke about £2.00-£2.50. Vodka and orange juice cost about £5.50. Food wasnt too badly priced - a sandwich for lunch cost about £4.00-£5.00. Main courses in the evening anything from £7.00 - £12.00 approx. There were loads of places down Temple bar that had music on in the afternoons and evenings - The Arlington Hotel (the other side of the river to Temple Bar) had Irish dancing most nights which was really good. We took a bus trip out of the city to County Wicklow which was really good - you get to see a bit more of Ireland and its very pretty indeed. Loads of bus companies do this trip so just shop around - we booked through the tourist information centre. If you book via the internet in advance you get it slightly cheaper. All in all had a good couple of days in Dublin - wasnt cheap but if you're not bothered about the cost then its a great place to go.

We stayed at the Academy Plaza for only one night only at the end of April. The hotel was LOVELY, the staff very helpful and the room was spacious.
The only problem was having someone knock at the door at half 9 to clean when our check out time was 11.
The staff really were a highlight and my boyfriend did comment that it was the first place in a while that actaully asked us how our stay was!!
Very clean, i would have eaten my dinner off the bathroom floor!

After reading reviews about the growing pains that this hotel went through during its renovation, I am happy to say... it was WONDERFUL. We had a family room with one double and two twin beds, exactly what we needed for our family with two teenage children. The beds and bedding were very comfortable, and the room was exceptionally clean. Flat screen television was a nice touch. The reception area was very impressive, with lots of seating and two beautiful Mac Computers set up across from the front desk for guests to use at will. The front desk staff was very helpful, assisting us with advice on the hop on hop off tours as well as anything else we asked about.

We never ate in the hotel, as there are literally hundreds of choices just outside the door and around the corner. The location was perfect for touring Dublin on foot. We watched a great Man U match at the little pub just adjacent to the hotel called "the living room" and that was loads of fun... probably because Man U won... ;)

My son and husband went and looked at the fitness centre... nothing to write home about, but that wasn't really on our agenda anyways. O'Connell Street was wonderful, and all of the tours as well as the hop on hop off bus stop right outside of this hotel. We walked from the train station when we arrived from Belfast, even pulling all of our luggage along! If you are looking for a nice home base to tour downtown Dublin from with welcoming staff and comfortable and clean rooms... this is the place.