The Merrion: The Obamas' Hotel Choice in Dublin

We get why the Obamas booked The Merrion on their recent trip to Ireland. The five-star hotel in Dublin is home to Ireland's only Michelin two-star restaurant and the country's largest collection of private art outside the National Gallery. Not only that- the hotel lets guests raid the pantry (so they can take home all the hand-crafted goodies they've tasted on the premises.) Housed in four restored Georgian townhouses, The Merrion also features the Tethra Spa and an in-house pool. A recent article in The Guardian UK posits that the "all-too-brief stay by Barack Obama could position the Merrion Hotel in Dublin at the heart of the map for American tourists." Why brief, you ask? Because after renting out the entire property, the Pres had to leave early-- after a light lunch-- to avoid getting stranded due to a "possible lock down of air space because of the Icelandic volcano."