We booked our place in Howth with Daragh to be near Dublin and to take the cliff walks as often as possible. We later doubted the booking when an Australian friend asked frequently why we would not stay 'in' Dublin rather than 20 minutes away. But we stayed our ground. I have no regrets. It was spectacular out in Howth. We did not walk the cliffs as often as planned (we were there 6 full days) due to rain but it was perfectly relaxing and full of beauty. And after 4 weeks in Eastern Europe we were missing smiles and cheerful greetings. We were fullfilled in Howth with the kindest of people.
Addressing the room over a pub is important. We heard a bit of talking from below but only once or twice from the bathroom of our over head apartment. We truly could not hear anything from down below in the sleeping area or livingroom area of the apartment.
The pub is the oldest in Howth dating back to 1740 and full of character. The village is scenic with plenty to see and great restaurants. We had fresh lobster one evening and a few other fresh fish dinners. There's an old Abbey from the 13th century out the door around the corner. The bus is just up at the corner and goes to Dublin or you can take a ride to the end and see the entire peninsula. The train is downhill nearby and goes into Dublin frequently. There's a small grocery just down the street in the old town too. There's a coffee maker in the kitchen with coffe pods and a washer/dryer in the kitchen (yes it does both). The bed is a double and we are accostomed to a king but the bed was very comfortable and the linen's soft. All was very clean.
It was nice to slip downstairs into the pub for an evening pint or cocktail before going out walking for a nice dinner. There's a great restaurant just across the stree too. We had coffee and breakfast each morning in the apartment then set out for a walk or a train ride into Dublin.
I'm so glad I stuck to my guns and we stayed in Howth rather than in Dublin proper.