Small Boutique hotels in Dublin

If the Irish have a reputation for being garrulous and amusing, Dubliners excel at this national trait: little wonder that writer James Joyce found inspiration in the capital's cobbled lanes. In fact, Dublin is a city that has inspired numerous influential writers and the Dublin Writers Museum offers just one of the opportunities to explore this literary heritage.

Originally a Viking settlement on the banks of the River Liffey, today Dublin is a buzzing cosmopolitan city with one of Europe's youngest and fastest growing populations. The Temple Bar area, with its medieval streets and picturesque pubs, is considered the cultural hub with music venues, artists' studios, street performers and the

trendy Cow's Lane Market. St. Stephen's Green is a beautiful city park surrounded by Georgian townhouses, boutique hotels and upmarket shopping streets. Dublin's most emblematic sight is not, however, found in its streets but in its bars: Guinness is brewed at St. James's Gate and the Guinness Storehouse charts the popular stout's 250-year-old history.

Beyond the City: Dublin has much to offer visitors to Ireland but a trip would not be complete without a glimpse of the Emerald Isle. County Kildare is an easy day trip from the capital and offers rolling hills, lush green pastures, ancient woodland and elegant country properties, many of which are now small luxury hotels.