Having never been to Dublin and knowing nothing about the City, I deferred to my trusty Rick Steve's guide and landed at the Harding Hotel. The airport shuttle dropped my pretty much at the front door and when I arrived, my room wasn't ready but the hotel was kind enough to lock my bags away, get me fed and send me on my way. The weather in Dublin was horrible for my three day stay and I'm reluctant to use those hop on hop off tourist buses but there was no choice with the pelting rain (and I'm from Vancouver and love the rain). Fortunately the tourist bus dropped off and picked up right in front of the hotel. The hotel is a block from a walk along the river and is far enough along Temple Bar that you don't get caught up in the noise and commotion of the area. The worst I can complain about is the hourly chimes of the cathedral across the street. Yes the hotel is dated but it was clean and comfortable with a perfectly fine restaurant although I would recommend walking around the corner to the Queen of Tarts for a lovely breakfast or a cup of tea. My only real complaint - the pint sized TV no bigger than a computer screen inside a an extremely large double room. After a days sightseeing I don't mind crawling into bed and see what's on the local telly. It was like watching TV on your Ipod. Otherwise, I would happily return.

I have just booked again to stay in the Harding Hotel. I previously stayed during the Take That concert weekend and found the accommodation to be of a good standard and certainly for the price charged. The hotel is very convenient to the Temple Bar area and all the bars and restaurants you could wish for. It is also close to many of Dublin's attractions and the main shopping area.

Stayed for 2 days between Christmas and New Year. In summary, this hotel is well located and offers adequate accommodation for the price paid, although I would not stay here again due to various issues highlighted below:

Pro's
Decent location - close to Temple Bar area, close to transport links etc
Reasonable price for B&B
Some rooms were spacious
Friendly, helpful reception staff, easy check in

Con's
Room for one was very small and faced entrance to next door's hostel kitchen
No individual control over room temperature - room was so hot I didn't sleep much at all
Room facilities OK (tea/coffee), but basic bathroom and rooms in dire need of updating (furniture, radiator falling off wall, curtains broken, windows mucky, old carpets etc)
Breakfast was not as good quality as I've had elsewhere (although service was good)

Flew in from London and after staying in a room the size of a walk-in closet it was a relief to see such a large room. It was clean and airy. Great view of the cathedral across the street. Convenient to hop on hop off bus as well as airport bus, both less than a block from hotel, yea. Walking to Temple Bar was safe and convenient without staying too close to all the noise. This was my first trip to Dublin and I cant wait to return. The restaurant was the only bad thing about this hotel. Not that the food was bad its just that the restaurant was the most boring and empty place in all of Dublin. The staff was helpful and friendly and I will most likely stay here again on my next visit to Dublin.