We stayed in the clarion, lif valley for one night and had a very negative experience. The hotel lacks any charm, ambience or character. We found a number of problems:

- From the moment we entered the hotel we developed a very negative impression, the reception staff were slow, inefficient and we were left waiting for at least 20 mins, far too long

-Road works were going on right outside the hotel and no-where was there a sign to apologise for the noise and inconvenience to customers.

-On walking to our ground floor room, the hall-ways had breakfast trays strewn across the floor at 3 in the evening! Not only was this a safety hazard while trying to carry bags it also must be seen as a health risk for mice and other rodents

-Our room while clean, had 2 doors either side obviously with the option of a family room. this was very dis-pleasing as we could get the smell of smoke from the room next to us at 7 in the morning, as non-smokers we found this horrible to wake up to. Surely the management should organise the hotel into smoking and non-smoking sections.

-The food in the resturant was the most disappointing. The service was poor, the menu very limited and pricey,and the portions tiny. we were also over-charged for our meal. The restaurant lacked character, atmosphere, even some music would have helped

-Some of the waiting staff wore heels in the marble floor restaurant, so the constant noise of clicking shoes was again very irritating

overall a very un-pleasant stay i would not recommened this hotel for any purpose

Just returned from a 2 night break at the Clarion. Travelled from the air port by a bus into the city centre then a bus to the hotel, bus stop about a 5 min walk from hotel. When we checked in I tod them we were celbrating my 21st birthday (which we were) and they upgraded us to an executive suite! Staff were very kind throughout the whole trip, would always do what they could to help you out. First morning we had breakfast at the Arc across the car park from the hotel, it is cheaper than breakfast at the hotel, but staff were miserable an breakfast was not that great. The second morning we had breakfast in the hotel and it was a lot better. Room was gorgeous, huge very comfy bed, well decorated. We were woken up at 6am on the first morning by wake up call that we did not request and an hour later woken up by construction works outside the hotel, this is my only negative point about the hotel, we complained to reception and they did not even apologise! I would definetly come back to this hotel but would hire a car, as although the bus only takes about 20-25 mins, and the stop is a 5 min walk, its just a litte bit of a hasse. Swimming area and gym were nice.
All in all very good!

In contrast to the previous reviewer I would just like to point out that breakfasts at the Clarion are quite the worst known to humanity and should be avoided. I stay here regularly and always book room only. Breakfast, at 20euro per head, is how this place makes its money. A coachload of pensioners, a thousand euro a pop.

This hotel is almost good, and its failings are a bit frustrating. It is actually rather stylish, especially for the money (internet deals often to be had at 70euro p.n.). When you get to your room, your first reaction will be pleasant surprise.

The problem is lack of air-con in the rooms, exacerbated by tiny-openings on the windows. It's just stuffy stuffy stuffy. The designer went for it - looks and feels like 4-star in the bathroom - but perhaps the money ran out when it came to air con.

Also beds and bedding flatter to deceive and I don't always get athe best night's sleep here.

Now my other gripe - the bar. It's generally fine. Come about 11 or 11.30, they evict you from the main bar into the adjoining 'snug' bar. Tedious, your whole party gets up and decamps 5 yards. Don't settle too long though. An hour later, they evict you again to the lobby. Various partition doors slam shut during this daft performance. Bit by bit, they chase you across the hotel, until you reach your bedroom. The night porter is not allowed to bring you any snacks, but he is allowed to take snacks to your room. Well you can always order from the lobby, run up to your room, and bring it back down to the lobby.

One workaround for breakfasts is to avoid the organised breakfast (disgusting packet eggs, vile coffee), and nip to the coffee shop next door where they have a proper coffee machine. With the odd tip/buit of charm they may even nab you a croissant too from next door.

The apartments are really nice and if the hotel is full you may get a lucky upgrade. In fact these are probably a better bet at an average rate of about 130euro.

It was a bit of a trial getting to the hotel from the airport, our hire car developed a puncture before we left the airport environs! We arrived on a Sunday and the traffic was horrendous, the whole of Dublin must have been on the move. With loads of motorway works also going on we crawled most of the way to the hotel.
The good news was that the hotel exceeded our expectations, there was always a cheery hello from staff, although the receptionists took themselves rather seriously. We were very pleasantly surprised with the standard of the hotel, the service and the facilities, although it was rather difficult getting served at the bar as there were not enough staff on.
In retrospect, we should have stayed in the city, it would have been easier to get and see everywhere by foot or bus. Whilst the food at the hotel looked perfectly ok, it was a tad expensive and we wanted to sample more traditional fare in Dublin. Equally, go for breakfast at the pub next to the hotel, or the Deadman's Inn which is pretty close. It's a lot less expensive and excellent value for money.
The hotel is pretty well next to an exit off the motorway, with major roadworks going on above, and on the surrounding slip roads, be prepared for delays if you're venturing on them. It took us one hour to get from the hotel to the slip road on our way back to the airport, a distance of around half a mile. then, you have toll booths some 1000 metres on from the slip road entrance.
A very good hotel but not best placed for what we needed.