Just got back from a quick (3n stay) in Dublin. I planned this because I was noodling around last fall and found 1 way Delta One cash rates that were (for me) reasonable from DUB-ATL-home and I had discretionary travel funds available. Booked, then built a trip around that flight.
Flight from FL to BOS-Delta (skymiles)
1 night Hyatt Regency Boston (cat V, 20K points) used SUA for a suite
1 "night" Hilton BOS Logan Airport -used FNC for 5 hours because I didn't want to hang around the airport waiting for Aer Lingus check in desk to open
ETA- The Lounge is the lounge used at BOS for business class EI customers in terminal C --it is as dire and gloomy as reported by the travel bloggers-DH mentioned more than once he was happy I decided to use our $36 food & beverage credit from our 5 hour Hilton stay (hooray for being Diamond) to have dinner before we went to the airport-the pickings were...slim in The Lounge, to say the least. A word of caution if you're flying out of C-it's quiet in the Lounge and there is coffee and canned cokes/diet cokes and (possibly) filtered water but not a lot more. Eat before you go!
EI 136 BOS-DUB 200K Avios +$500 (ish) in taxes one way for 2 adults
the Shelbourne Hotel (a Marriott property) paid OOP for a larger room (rooms can be small in this historic hotel!) facing St Stephen's Green booked initially through Marriott, then via a
travel agent participating in Marriott Luminous program
Delta One DUB-ATL-home (cash OOP)
Aer Lingus business class service was very good-much better than I had remembered from Dublin to Orlando in Oct, 2019. The arrivals lounge in Dublin (near baggage carousel 6) was great for a hot shower, quick blow dry and hot beverage before we caught a cab to our hotel.
DH and I have been to Dublin before and didn't have a lot to do on our list for this trip- we were happy to have brunch with our DD in Boston, and enjoy a nice city break in Dublin at one of our favorite hotels in the world. The Shelbourne is a grand old dame (199!) who is elegant, refined and just does the nice touches without being overly stuffy. I saw another set of pages in the Book of Kells, walked around St Stephen's Green while DH toured Guiness and Jameson's and we enjoyed traveling for the sake of travel (and sleeping in-something our 3 rescue dogs don't allow at home). I did use a travel agent who booked us under the luminous program since I was using a cash rate-there were some nice "extras" and I still earned the double EQN and points under the current promotion as well as receiving the luminous stay perks-the price was the same so a free 70 euro lunch and night cap of Baileys and sweets for nothing more than a couple of emails, sure!
Everyone has their reasons for churning and mine is to enhance my travel-not to travel for free, but to enable nicer, more luxurious travel. From business flights to nice hotels, my standard of travel has definitely improved since I've met this community. Thanks, y'all!