I booked the Harding hotel following positive reviews on other holiday forum reviews.

The Harding is a 2 star hotel located at the top of Dame Street opposite the Christchurch Cathederal. It is an impressive looking hotel from the outside, with a nice reception area. Part of the old street runs through reception and the hotel has some significant social history attatched to it.

Check in was prompt and friendly, I found most of the reception staff helpful and chatty especially the local staff.

I had booked a single room and was given room 302 on the 3rd floor. There is a lift to all floors and a chair lift for the few steps to the lift. I was pleased with the view from my room of the cathederal. The room was small but clean and comfy. There were only 2 hangers but I had taken a couple. Tv with some Sky channels and a kettle. There was a comfy chair and desk area. The bathroom was a wet room, large for a single room with a good power shower, no shelf for toilitries.

Only problem i had was the hairdryer in the drawer did not reach to the mirror so I just took the long mirror off the wall to use on the desk!

There is road noise form the rooms, and no air conditioning so you have to leave the window open at night - as long as you use ear plugs its fine, Im a light sleeper and slept very well.

Its hard to comment on breakfast, eaten in Coopers bistro, as Im a vegan so could not eat a lot of the food! There was a useful addition to the room a mini fridge so I took my own soya milk and marg and had cereal and toast, it was either a cooked Irish breakfast that looked large or continental with a good selection. One thing I found weird was there was no jam only cheap marmalade? I did ask for beans/tomatoes on toast one day and got a bowl of beans and some toast and a cold tomato! Think that was due to the staff in there not understanding what a vegan was or what I wanted!

There was a juice bar opposite so I found that better for vegan breakfasts!There were lots of excellent vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Dublin that did breakfast/lunch/evening meals my favourites being Juice, Cornacopia, Blazing Salads and Cafe Fresh. Also near to the hotel are many branches of Centra/Spar great for often 24 hour food shopping and hot food plus juice bars (Dublin seems to have as many juice bars as pubs!)Information and reviews of veggie places to eat are on the Happy Cow website.

The pub Darky Kellys was quiet whilst I was there but served traditional food, friendly bar staff.

When I checked out I used the locked luggage store.

I would stay there again, the location is great - just round the corner to Temple bar and on some good bus routes (123 takes you to O Connell Street one way and to Guiness and the jail museum the other way. Tickets are purchased in the newsagents over the road.

I paid