Ever checked into a luxury hotel and wished that you could stay for good? If the answer is yes, and if you have £2.5 million (€3.17m) to spare, then a penthouse at the Merrion Hotel, opposite Government Buildings, could be your new home.
A house, within a hotel in the centre of the city, is how the owner of the three-bedroom duplex describes it. She has just refurbished the apartment in stunning style but a change in plans dictates that it now be sold. The furniture - including antiques, paintings and drawings - are to be included in the sale.
Selling agent Simon Ensor of Sherry Fitz-Gerald expects the apartment to appeal to "celebrities, millionaires, even rich widows or widowers - people who want an easily maintained base with all the services of a hotel thrown in".
The price tag - £1,000 (€1,269) per sq ft - makes it one of the most expensive properties in the city, but Mr Ensor points out that part of the cost is down to the rare package on offer.
For an annual service charge of just £1,000 (€1,269) owners will have full use of the hotel facilities, including room service, laundry, the spa and swimming-pool. Their calls can be routed through the reception desk and the hotel's drawingroom can be used as their own. Two parking spaces come with the package.
The apartment is one of just eight built over the hotel when it was developed four years ago. Since then only a couple have changed hands, at ever-rising prices.
At 2,500 sq ft the apartment is as big as a five-bedroom family home. It has generous reception space, and a superb balcony leading off the main bedroom on the top floor. Both the drawingrooom and the bedroom overlook the large communal gardens, which were designed by Jim Reynolds.
The front door opens into a surprisingly large, square hallway, decorated in a bold striped wallpaper. To the left is the spacious eat-in kitchen which has a good range of oak units, and a butler's pantry area that leads on through to the drawingroom-cum-diningroom. This is a strikingly elegant room with a contemorary Oriental feel. Rich red walls, heavy linen drapes and Anglo-Indian and Chinese Chippendale-style furniture create a sophisticated yet warm atmosphere. There is a fireplace fitted with a coal effect gas fire. Also on this level is a large utility-cum-store room and a guest cloakroom.
Upstairs the main bedroom is a large airy room with a four-poster bed and access to a long balcony overlooking the gardens. The bathroom, and those with the remaining two bedrooms are entirely marble lined.
While the penthouse is undoubtedly one of the most appealing properties to come on the market in the centre of Dublin in recent years, only the wealthiest punters will be able to pitch for it in these uncertain times.
For a virtual tour of this property, click on www.ireland.com/property
