Bono and The Edge's The Clarence

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12 FEBRUARY 2004
If you're heading for Ireland's party city of Dublin this summer and are hoping to hang out with the in crowd, then make a reservation at The Clarence, the cool, understated boutique hotel owned by rock stars Bono and The Edge.

Part of the city's cultural scene since 1852, The Clarence was purchased by U2's singer and guitarist in 1992 and, after a major overhaul, reopened to rave reviews in 1996. Since then it has attracted dozens of celebrity guests, including John Travolta, Jack Nicholson, Mira Sorvino, Tina Turner, director Quentin Tarantino and model Kate Moss, while its bar and restaurant play host to numerous star-studded gatherings every year.

Situated on Wellington Quay, on the edge of the trendy Temple Bar area, the hotel is decorated in a mix of the traditional and the contemporary, and features fine materials like American white oak, Italian limestone, leather and velvet. It offers 44 king-sized double rooms and four suites, plus one spectacular two-storey penthouse, complete with baby grand piano and outdoor hot tub, which stars fight to secure.

All the rooms are unique and decorated in one of five signature colours: royal blue, crimson, gold, chocolate and amethyst; they feature Shaker-style furniture and specially-commissioned beds, made up with fine Egyptian linens.

The Clarence also houses its own spa, where it's promised the “therapists will quietly work to make you feel like the Gods and Goddesses that you are”. Then there's the Tea Room, the hotel's award-winning restaurant, which is situated in the building's original dining room. Featuring traditional cuisine with a contemporary twist, and using the best Irish produce available, it's considered one of the city's hottest lunch and dinner venues.

The Octagon bar, meanwhile, with its impressive dome, has been one of Dublin's favourite places to meet for a drink for more than a century, and is where Robbie Williams and a group of friends once saw the New Year in. If you want somewhere quieter and more private to start or end the evening, the Clarence has a guests-only bar called The Study.

For more information on this cool city home away from home to the stars, visit: www.theclarence.ie.