The Drawing Room HourNotebook No 87January 2026
How to stay in the room everyone walks past.
Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective
We recommend you plan three nights at The Shelbourne. Request a room on a higher floor offering views of St. Stephen's Green. This grand hotel is the Dublin address often recognized by American visitors, but few guests genuinely settle into its stately rhythm. Taking breakfast in the Saddle Room provides a tranquil beginning to your unhurried mornings.
Adare
The rituals here are enduring: savoring a six o'clock drink in the Horseshoe Bar, observing the gentle activity of the lobby at dawn, and watching the evening light soften over St. Stephen's Green. These consistent elements shape your time at the Shelbourne, creating a feeling that goes beyond a brief stay.
This esteemed institution, established in 1824, operates with a confidence only centuries confer. Its unwavering poise is compelling.
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.