Set in a Victorian townhouse, the rooms mix the obligatory hi-tech gadgetry with sensuous luxury, urging you to indulge in a Kama Sutra massage oil kit or candle-lit, rose petal-filled bath.

The main draw is the hotel bar, which plops buttoned-velvet sofas and Murano chandeliers on a lime-green and blood-red background. Here the (Dubl)-in crowd pouts and poses while raising a pinkie over the best Bellini in town.

The restaurant, Still, serves fancy fare, such as assiette of rabbit and salmon gravadlax, in swanky white surroundings – its nouveau riche decor makes it clear that this is Platinum-card territory. Like the hotel, Still is best kept for those occasions when only somewhere one-in-a-million will do.

The Dylan (00 353 1 660 3000, www.dylan.ie) has doubles from £166, room only.

Between Dublin’s Lines

A new series of city guides from Lonely Planet is written by authors living in the cities. We had a sneak preview of the Dublin guide...

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BACKGROUND

• A ding-dong old time in Dublin

• Guided around Dublin the podcast way

• Writers and pubs of Dublin

• Get down to Dublin

• In Dublin's fair city

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Number 31 - ‘Guests come back for the “Full Irish” alone’

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to make you feel at home. So perhaps it’s the owners’ doughy habit – fruit, white and soda go in the oven every afternoon at 1pm – that keeps drawing visitors back to Number 31. Or maybe it’s the open peat fire licking about in the sunken lounge, imbuing the place with a cosy feel and oaky aroma.

The smells are much needed – luring you down an alley with no signpost to Number 31, where owners Noel and Deirdre extend a jovial reception, as if to congratulate you for discovering their lovely abode.

The 21-room property inhabits a Georgian townhouse and a Modernist mews. Rooms are simple but sink-into comfy, with high ceilings, wooden blinds, marble bathrooms and large, handsome beds. A few minutes’ walk from the city centre and the chic neighbourhood of Ranelagh, the location is spot-on for shopping, sightseeing and socialising.

Noel is one of those types born to run a guesthouse, dispensing volumes of local knowledge (and gossip) – which helps explain why every guest seems to be on their umpteenth visit. Most say they keep coming back for the breakfast alone: a lively affair with poached pears, muesli, the ‘Full Irish’ and, of course, plenty of fresh bread.

Number 31 (00 353 1 676 5011) has doubles from £115, B&B.

Best of the rest…

THE SCHOOLHOUSE HOTEL…is a converted Victorian schoolhouse by the canal, with a boisterous bar attached. Doubles from £199, B&B (00 353 1 667 5014, www.schoolhousehotel.com).

BROWNES… has a Georgian theme with looming ceilings and open fireplaces. Doubles from £175, room only (00 353 1 638 3939, www.steinhotels.com).

ABERDEEN LODGE… is a B&B in the chic Ballsbridge area, which garners rave reviews from guests who return time and again. Doubles from £100, B&B (00 353 1 283 8155, www.halpinsprivatehotels.com).

ELIZA LODGE GUESTHOUSE…is within stumbling distance for partying in the hip Wexford St or Temple Bar areas. The best rooms have Jacuzzis and views of the river. Doubles from £100, B&B (00 353 1 671 8044, www.dublinlodge.com).

HOTEL ISAACS… is a large hotel near O’Connell St, with a mix of rooms from regal Georgian suites to business-style twins. Doubles from £55, room only (00 353 1 813 4700, www.isaacs.ie).

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