Had a function on in the Hilton which is only a block away. Stayed in the Portobello. Excellent value. Room very clean. Had all the necessities even a hair dryer. Tea/Coffee facility. Needed extra milk following morning and very helpful foreign lady kindly gave me what I needed. Lovely location overlooking the canal. Very quiet.

Stayed here Oct'11.
1.We were met by an extremely arrogant receptionist, he definitely thought he was something he wasn't i.e THE OWNER.
2.Rooms where clean and tidy, but when asked by Housekeeper (foreign Woman) if we needed the room cleaned, we declined but asked for EXTRA towels we were told there was no more even though there was a trolley full of towels beside her (go Figure).
3. The Breakfast was a hearty full Irish which you could not fault, the staff at breakfast where extremely helpful and a delight to deal with.
4. The Bar was basic the staff where very pleasant, The Lunch menu had a good variety and value for money good size portions and very tasty.
5. Overall our stay was made bearable by the friendly Bar staff rather than Hotel Staff

We booked two rooms back in April for 5 nights. I requested two rooms that faced the canal. Valentino Popa confirmed that we would have two canal facing rooms via email. When we arrived, we were prepared for the parking situation. We found street parking right in front of the property.

Upon check in, we were given two rooms on the 2nd floor, directly over the night club, on the busy street side. So much for being booked into the canal facing rooms. I went back down to registration and the gal apologized but said that they had given the canal facing rooms away already.

We got up into the rooms - they were clean and functional but very small. The TV was tiny (probably 13") and was mounted on the wall, close to the ceiling. The windows of the rooms opened about 1 1/2 inches.

The lift is tiny - two suitcases and 2 adults is all that really fits. The hallways were worn and a bit battered. It was faster to use the stairs than use the lift (elevator). Right after we checked in, a team of high school footballers (soccer players) checked in. They were loud and unruly - no fault of the hotel/motel management by any means.

After a family discussion, we decided to see if the Hilton on the canal had availability. My in-laws were travelling with us and we wanted the experience to be one of luxury, not budget. Hilton was booked, but the Conrad had availability so we checked out of the Portobello and moved to the Conrad on Earlsfort Terrace near St. Stephens Green.

The gal understood why we were checking out and did not charge us. We did lose our first night deposit however.

If you are looking for a place that is clean but basic, that is not expensive, then this place is a good choice.

Unfortunately, it did not work for us.

Portobello hotel is o.k. when you are staying in Dublin and ýou don't want to spend too much money on accommodation. The ensuite room was all right. Friendly staff.
Breakfast was reasonable. Parking at the hotel is a problem, paid parking + limited to three hours, so you have to ask the receptionist to fill the meter when you are out. Parking in Dublin is expensive anyway, better stick to public transport. From this hotel you can also walk to the city centre in about 20 minutes.