Best Western Heathrow Ariel T2, 3, 4

Food was a highlight. The restaurant had a great menu, and the dishes were high quality, full of flavour, nicely presented, and served by attentive, friendly staff. Breakfast had plenty of choice too. Our clean, spacious, well-maintained room had all the expected facilities, a comfortable bed, and was quiet enough for a good night’s sleep after exploring Dublin. The location was great, and the hotel provided everything we needed. Staff were welcoming and professional and always ready to help. Check-in and checkout were smooth, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. We really enjoyed staying at Best Western Plus Academy Plaza Hotel, would happily recommend it to anyone visiting Dublin, and would stay again.

The bed and pillows were comfortable, and the breakfast buffet was reasonably good, which is why I’m giving two stars instead of one. The rest of the place felt run down. There were stains on the carpet and bath, and the bathroom sink was broken with rubbish stuck down it. We booked a hotel and parking package, then found a parking fine waiting when we got home. It was cancelled as soon as I phoned, but it sounded like whoever checked us in may not have explained that we also had to validate the parking another way, in addition to filling out the QR code form at reception. We definitely won’t stay again.

We paid £28 for an Uber from Heathrow to the hotel, just 1.5 miles away. We’d booked a room and two weeks of parking, but only needed the room for a few hours that afternoon, since parking was the main reason for the booking. It was comfortable and perfectly fine for that short time, though I think we were lucky. We handed the car keys to reception and got a receipt, with the impression the car might be moved in an emergency. When we returned around 10pm, exhausted after a nonstop flight from Bangkok, our car wasn’t where we’d left it. We went straight to reception, showed our receipt, and got the keys. When we asked where the car was, they said they didn’t know and we’d have to find it ourselves. They said a third party parking company could move cars elsewhere and drop them back, and it wasn’t their responsibility. I was furious, freezing, and shattered, then had to walk around looking for the car. Thankfully the car park isn’t huge, but it still wasn’t made clear when we dropped it off. The car was covered in dried bird poo, which will be a nightmare to get off. From the mileage, it looked like they hadn’t taken it off the hotel car park, just moved it to a less premium space. Maybe staff wanted the spot we’d chosen near reception?

The desk team were warm, welcoming, and helpful with taxis. Having Starbucks there was nice, and the bus stops were easy to reach, though buses can get crowded. Be aware that if there are problems in the terminal tunnel, everything shuts down, so it helps to be flexible. The room had everything we needed, although it was a bit dated, and housekeeping kept it neat. Our main problem was the outside wind noise. Even a slight breeze made a buzzing sound like an Indy track. We didn’t hear the internal noise others mentioned. The breakfast buffet was great, but it’s worth finding out when tour groups arrive so you can go before or after them. I felt bad for the kitchen staff trying to keep up with groups piling their plates high, and waiting in line behind them took patience. The elevator was out when we arrived, but staff offered to carry our luggage upstairs. It was fixed fairly quickly, so no big deal. The beds and pillows were a bit too firm for us, though that’s just personal preference. We were pleased with the accommodation, especially for the reasonable price.