The reality of a 'cheap' girls mini break...
The start of January is always a funny time of year. New goals and ambitions, motivation in full swing, so why does it always feel so gloomy? Avoiding the thought of returning to reality after a relaxing break and already counting down the days to the next few days off...not to mention the state of the bank account. Booking a weekend away seems like the perfect solution, but other than 'I want to', there isn't many other practicalities.
BUT... after a long shift in retail and a reminisce about the trips we had taken last summer, all practicalities went out the window!
A quick look on sky scanner for the cheapest flights and we were sold on a few nights in Dublin, Ireland. £30 return flights, no extra luggage, but of course we chose our seats. £70 each to spend Wednesday and Thursday night in Dublin City Centre Premier Inn and £7.50 each for an airport transfer shuttle. YES at this point we were naive enough to think we were going to have a bargain trip.
2 weeks, a rush to the airport and a short flight later, we arrived in Dublin. Blessed with the miserable weather, we decided it was best to pop into pennies(primark) for an umbrella and "we love Dublin" tops, before crossing the bridge to chance an early check-in at the hotel. Luckily for us we were able to get into our room at 11am, leaving the whole day to eat, drink and explore.. or the whole afternoon to nap!
Refreshed and revived, we headed into the city for a light lunch.
*By into the city I mean the noodle bar next door, and by light lunch I mean a £12 chicken and noodle bowl with a side of satay chicken.*
After a walk around the area, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for a classic Irish pub crawl. A bottle of wine getting ready and some classic karaoke, we were ready to go. First..and last pub we visited was Hogans. £25 for two baby Guinness shots and 2 pints of Birra Moretti on a student budget wasn't the best thing to see on your bank the next morning, but in the moment it was no issue. The pub was full, with a loud atmosphere and a traditional setting, with sheltered seating outside and a perfect setting to watch life go by. However, 4 shots later and the view was a little more blurry.
I won't go into too much detail because you can probably guess how the evening ended, every intention of a 'tactical chunder' turned into a less than classy evening over the toilet and a big cleaning job in the morning. Though not the evening we had planned, I would count it pretty successful by the student standard.
The next morning with a major hangover, we payed a trip to the euro store to buy some air freshener and paracetamol, the essentials! Before walking around the city in search for somewhere to have lunch. We stumbled upon Keoghs Cafe, a small cafe just off the high Street. After careful consideration, I ordered a chicken wrap and chips with a chocolate milkshake and can of coke. We sat outside (in the rain AGAIN!) and enjoyed lunch before heading back into town to do a bit of shopping.
Food and shopping complete, we began getting ready for the second night in the city. First thing was first, dinner. We chose to eat in Good World Chinese Restaurant. If you've ever ordered a Chinese in England and thought it was expensive, this was in a league of its own. £16 for a chicken chow mein was not the wisest choice, but it did the job. A small order of prawn toast, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken and prawn crackers for a not so small price. The worst part is it wasn't even close to being one of the best Chineses we had visited.
We took a walk along the bridge and found a few pubs for a quiet drink in. Something to note if you are planning a trip the Dublin is the age restrictions, we were turned away from more than one pub that were 23 and over only, a weird age if you ask me! Eventually we stopped at The Bar With No Name to try our first proper Guinness and a few cocktails. The bar was instagram worthy and had a good atmosphere for a Thursday night, would definitely recommend a visit. As for Guinness, I stand by it being the worst alcohol available.
After a nice evening out, we went back to the hotel and packed ready for the morning.
To end the trip, we went for a quick bite to eat at Smoking Bones, followed by a tub of gelato from Ginos. We enjoyed the ice cream at the park and then took a stroll back to the shuttle stop. The sun was beaming, and the street performers were unmatched, that specific moment of the trip was immaculate.
Overall, I would 1000% recommend a trip to Dublin, maybe with a few months saving in advance!
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