First things first, we would stay at Caroline's place again. Just as we arrived, we were unsure about the area (we knew it was convenient and walkable from the map) based on our first impressions of the area and the entrance/hallway of the apartment building. Then we opened the door to the apartment. It was perfect for our three-night stay. The cleanest--or one of the cleanest--apartments we've stayed at. Then we went for a walk and discovered a vibrant, international neighbourhood of local people (young people, elderly people, students, shopkeepers, etc). We were so close we could walk to pretty much everything we wanted to see and do. There's two tourist information storefronts around the corner on O'Connell (3-4 minute walk) and we got the bus info we needed to take the bus directly to the Guinness Storefront. Caroline was very efficient at communication and the instructions for check-in etc. were explicit...just remember to follow them ;-). Thanks again, David & Anne