The Drawing Room HourNotebook No 94March 2026
What the drawing rooms feel like when no one is checking in.
Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective
We find genuine contentment in Dublin's grand hotels when they are not performing for a crowd. The Merrion on a quiet Tuesday morning offers just this feeling; its drawing rooms, refreshingly unpopulated, provide a palpable sense of calm. Fires already glow in the grates by ten, adding warmth to the hushed atmosphere of the space.
Adare
For a true experience of the hotel’s quieter side, we suggest tea in the Garden Room. Afterward, you should meander through the hotel's art collection, taking your time with each piece. Before venturing out from the hotel, find a quiet moment to simply be in the No. 23 bar, a moment of stillness before the day begins.
When our American friends visit Dublin for the first time, seeking a hotel that embodies timeless luxury and impeccable service, we consistently direct them to The Merrion.
The Ireland Edit Way
Cut the itinerary in half, then cut it again. The letter we send before every first visit.
Every hotel change costs you half a day. Luxury, in Ireland, is staying put.
Six questions we apply before booking any room in Ireland. The November test, the dinner-twice test, the landscape-over-room test.
To understand Ireland, stop looking at the castles and start looking at the kitchen table.
From the notebook
Collected notes. A few times each season.