The Regency Hotel & Leisure Centre is a 3 star hotel in the Whitehall area of north Dublin, about 6kms away from Dublin Airport. Although you are a fair walking distance from the city centre of Dublin (3kms to be exact) there are good bus connections available - so you get to experience suburban life with the main sights only a short journey away.

The hotel is set well in off the busy Swords Road (main route to Dublin Airport) so there's no real annoyance from the traffic. From a distance the hotel looks quite ugly but this is due to the extensions built onto the original Georgian property - our advice is: don't let the exterior put you off.

As you walk up the steps into the main hallway you'll be struck by the old manor-house style of the place. There is a real atmosphere of a different era here with loads of antique furniture and paintings so you realise pretty quickly that there is a bit of history to this former residence.

We were really impressed by the drawing rooms and lounges off the main entrance that are available for guests to use - in fact, you feel you're in a stately home what with the wide wooden floor boards, rich drapes and cast iron fireplaces. When you walk in to each of these rooms, keep looking up! Each room has its own unique ceiling design, really impressive.

The Appian Lounge is a good place for a drink while the varied menus of the Shanard Restaurant and the Seasons Restaurant mean you won't have to go far for something to eat.

Put it this way, if you're tired of the bright, shiny, new hotels and want somewhere with a bit of history and character to it then this is the hotel for you.