£3kish for 3 nights in Dublin. Really?

[namechangedyetagain]

That was on booking. Com. 2 adults 3 children October half term.
How the hell do normal people afford a couple of weeks away in the summer?

Our children have never been on a plane (oldest 15). Sounds daft but want to go somewhere cheap just so that we can take them on their first flight! Any ideas for a cheap long weekend, October half term?

I'm a Dub and even though it's insanely expensive that still sounds very high. What types of places are you looking at?
What exactly are you hoping to do in Dublin? If you're looking at spending your time in the city centre you could look at some accommodation options along the Luas (tram) or Dart (train) lines that might be a bit more reasonable. Or you could also look further afield at Kilkenny or Cork - both lovely cities but smaller and tend to be more reasonable. Kilkenny is great for activities if your kids are active.
Bear in mind Halloween is huge here and we get a lot of tourism around that time as a result.

I stayed in Drogheda a while ago and I loved it. In saying that I do live outside Belfast so it wasn't a massive treck.

As per PP, Jersey could work for you? Just did a quick search via Opodo: flying from Southampton (cheaper from Heathrow) on Sat 22nd, return Tues 25th, (don’t know the ages of all kids, but 12+ classed as adults so assumed 4, which would mean 3 rooms) decent hotel with breakfast included = approx £1400 inc taxes etc. The bus network is brilliant, 3 day unlimited family pass (2 adults, 3 kids 15 and under) is £42 or £65 for 7 days.

Definitely worth a look, Jersey is lovely and has plenty of stuff to do - I’ve been loads of times, and cost of eating out etc. no more than London or other cities.

Ok so I've crossed Dublin off the list! We've been before and loved it so sad to hear that it's changed.

I'm off to put in a date and no destination. I don't have a budget in mind but I'd like it to be under 2k ideally. The dc will be going away with school next year so if we don't make it then they'll still get the chance to go away. Just wanted them to have that experience with us first.

Just me feeling a little down and being silly I suppose.

We went to Belfast last November and it was superb - we want to go again! Much cheaper than Dublin and the local version of uber is brilliant and v cheap for getting around. The Titanic quarter is wonderful.

Try Copenhagen it's a superb city

@namechangedyetagain How old are your other 2 kids, and which airports are best for you? And which dep/ret dates are best?

As a Belfast native I highly recommend NI especially at that time of year. Loadssss to do (eg W5, Belfast Giants ice hockey, Ulster Museum etc) and all very walkable. You could easily do it within your budget and jam pack your trip with days out and excursions. Loads of travel lodge/premier Inn/cheaper type hotels in City centre too.
As others have said Derry is the place to go for Halloween but if you did decide to stay in Belfast I would recommend Crumlin Rd Gaol. Very close to city centre (5-10 min taxi) and they do Halloween/paranormal tours of the old Jail which are a lot of fun, especially for teens, but you would be minded to book in advance. If you have littler ones there is usually a fireworks display at titanic slipways which is walkable from city centre. The game of thrones tapestry is returning to the Ulster Museum, which is free and the various North Coast/giants causeway/ GOT tours etc all have coaches from city centre.

There's wander over o in the Dublin. I'd remind flying into Knock/Belfast and staying in Sligo, Donegal or Mayo absolutely beautiful.

Hmmm, not sure that other poster really lives in Dublin.

Dublin has some nice areas. The city centre is a shit hole.

Dublin is shite.

For the PP repeatedly saying that it has problems "like any other capital city/big city" - nonsense! Name a single capital city in Europe that is shitter than Dublin? You can't compare Dublin with Paris, Rome, Madrid, Copenhagen, Prague, Lisbon, Vienna, Sofia, and seriously think Dublin is "just like" these - have you ever travelled?

Another vote for Belfast! Love it. Dublin is nice, but I prefer Belfast

Hotels anywhere in Ireland are extortionate at the moment. Vast amounts of them (no exaggeration) have been leased by the Government for Ukrainian refugees. This has limited the amount of accomodation available and pushed prices to ridiculous levels.

Sensible DH has rightly pointed out that mortgage is up for renewal and energy prices will be going through the roof in autumn. So half term break dreams over. Maybe in the future. I'm lucky to have a roof over my head and food on table so I'll stop wishing for things I can't have.

If you’re going to spend that amount of money it should be on an amazing trip somewhere. There or lots of options that are more affordable and nicer cities

@EarringsandLipstick
’There are issues with Dublin, like any big city. Certainly it can be dirty, at least parts of it, and certain aspects of it (accommodation, car rental) are massively over-priced.’

I can’t think of another destination city as filthy as Dublin, and that the truth. It’s a disgrace they way the councils and govn have let it fester while relying on the money from tourists who don’t know any better.

I'm afraid I have to agree that Dublin is not great. It's a mediocre, not particularly attractive city and its dirty and expensive. I genuinely don't get why its a city break destination, would be like going to Hull or something.

Ye must go up the Antrim Causeway Coast as well as down to Strangford in my county of Down!

Tollymore Forest, Newcastle, Downpatrick and the Mournes are also worth a visit.

The North Down Coast is great too.

No need to trick around with Euros if you go to Belfast :)

If you did want to do Dublin, how about a few miles on the north side of Dublin city centre ?

thegrand.ie ( in Malahide )

marinehotel.ie ( in Sutton )

Both are located by the sea, both have frequent bus service and rail ( 'DART')
to city centre.

Looks like The Grand can offer 'family rooms' for 3 or 4 people
Depending standard of rooms you are after, good chance you would do it for one side or the other of €1k ( still a fair whack ! ) .

Airport is on the northside of Dublin, so Airport Taxi probably not crazy money

Honestly OP, you can get a break far more cheaply than this- Dublin is notoriously expensive.
Have a look at Berlin, Budapest and Lisbon, all great and far more affordable.

Op have you decided where to book yet?

have you considered Isle of Wight? It’s where I live, and if you like - I could even do you an itinerary!

Would strongly recommend Belfast over Dublin based on price for a short stay. What about Edinburgh? That's far better than either of them too IMHO

Nothing cheap about Dublin. At all.

Belfast is great and Cork is fantastic, especially if you explore the coastline.

Why not go away to Europe for a week (or longer if you make it the summer hols rather than October half term)? If budget is up to £2k I bet you would have loads of options and people on here would help you find something great.