A Spotless Family-Run Bed Ten Minutes From the Terminal
You can be inside Maya's Lodge with the kettle on about ten minutes after your bag comes off the belt at Dublin Airport. Shanrath Road is a quiet residential street in Whitehall, the kind of leafy Northside address where the loudest thing after dark is a car door, and there is a space on the drive so you can pull straight in and stop thinking about the car. The house is kept immaculately: white bedding pulled tight over a velvet headboard, a lamp on each nightstand, and a tray on the side with proper mugs and a couple of sachets of Barry's Tea.
That mix is the whole reason people book it. Free parking, a bed about five kilometres from the runway, a bus into the city from the top of the road, and a host who looks after you rather than handing over a key card and pointing at a corridor. Guests come back for dawn departures, work trips and Croke Park weekends, and the first thing almost all of them mention is how clean the place is.
Pick Maya's Lodge if you want a calm, spotless room near the airport with a free space on the drive and a proper welcome at the door, rather than a big hotel with a lobby. Look elsewhere if you need a lift, because every guest room is upstairs and reached by stairs only.
What Are the Rooms Like at Maya's Lodge?
Three grades, all on the first floor, all held to the same standard. The doubles are the mainstay: a full-size bed with crisp white linen and a buttoned velvet headboard, a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a seating corner, a wardrobe and a socket exactly where you want it, beside the bed. Most come with their own bathroom, either a bath with a shower over it in soft grey metro tile, or a compact walk-in shower room finished in stone-effect tile and black marble. One grade shares a bathroom on the landing instead, which is the simplest and cheapest way into the house.
The triple is the one families and small groups ask for: a double and a single in the same bright room, its own bathroom, and enough floor left over that nobody is climbing across a suitcase. Every grade gets heating, a hair dryer, free toiletries, towels and fresh linen, and the tea tray is restocked without anyone having to ask. Ceilings are ordinary domestic height, the floors are wood and the windows look out over quiet residential streets, so the whole thing reads as a home you are staying in rather than a corridor of numbered doors.
Breakfast, the Bus and the Pub Round the Corner
Breakfast is the part guests photograph. A full Irish or English plate of sausages, rashers, pudding, mushrooms, egg and a potato waffle, or a vegetarian version if you would rather, served at a linen-laid table with fresh tulips on it and toast, butter and preserves alongside. Cereals and muesli come out of the glass jars on the kitchen counter. It runs to roughly a 07:30 to 10:00 window and it is charged separately from the room, so tell your host the night before whether you want it and what time suits you.
The rest is straightforward. Free parking means the car stops being a problem the moment you arrive, the bus stops on Swords Road are a few minutes on foot with route 16 running into the centre in about half an hour, and the Comet Bar is close enough for a pint and a plate of food without moving the car again. Two things to plan around: the front desk is not staffed round the clock, so message ahead with your arrival time, and every bedroom is up a flight of stairs.
Why Book Maya's Lodge?
Maya's Lodge is at its best for travellers building a trip around Dublin Airport: an early departure, a late landing, a work trip or a match weekend, where a clean bed, a free parking space and a short bus into town matter more than a lobby bar.
Park free, right at the door
The drive takes guest cars at no charge, which is rare this close to Dublin Airport. Ask when you book if you want a space kept for a late arrival.
Clean is the whole reputation
Fresh white linen, tidy bathrooms and a restocked tea tray. Housekeeping is daily, and cleanliness is the thing guests raise before anything else about the stay.
One bus into the centre
Route 16 runs from the Swords Road stops a few minutes away, out to the airport in one direction and O'Connell Street in the other. No changes, no taxi needed.
Breakfast worth getting up for
A cooked Irish, English or vegetarian plate at a linen-laid table, arranged with your host the night before and charged separately from the room.
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Interesting Points About Maya's Lodge
- Every bedroom is on the first floor and reached by stairs only. There is no lift, and no listing says so plainly: the fact is buried in a token list. If you are travelling with a heavy case or cannot manage a flight of stairs, this is the single thing to know before you book.
- The in-room tea tray is stocked with Barry's Tea Gold, the Cork blend most Irish households drink, alongside patterned mugs and a yellow kettle. Downstairs there are Kilner jars of cornflakes and muesli and labelled tea, coffee and sugar canisters on the counter.
- Route 16 is the property's lifeline in both directions. It runs from the Swords Road stops a few minutes' walk away to Dublin Airport one way and O'Connell Street the other, costs 2 euro with a TFI Leap Card or 2.60 euro in cash, and runs roughly 05:30 to 23:00 with no overnight service.
- The pub guests keep mentioning is the Comet Bar at 243 Swords Road in Santry, a few minutes on foot. It is a big local with a full food menu and live music two nights a week, which is why so many reviews talk about a good pub round the corner.
- Omni Park in Santry is the practical rainy-day answer: open since 1991, more than 80 shops over two floors, an eleven-screen cinema and up to 1,400 free parking spaces, a short drive from the door.
- The Eircode D09 NY56 anchors the house firmly in Whitehall on Dublin's Northside. There is an unrelated safari lodge of the same name in Hectorspruit, South Africa, and search results mix the two up regularly.
Rooms & Accommodation at Maya's Lodge
Double Room with Private Bathroom
Up to 2 guests · Double · Private bathroom
The one most couples end up in, and the sensible default if you are landing late and leaving early. A full-size bed with white linen and a buttoned velvet headboard, a private bathroom with a bath or a shower, a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a seating corner, a wardrobe and a socket beside the bed for the phone that has to wake you at four. Heating, a hair dryer, free toiletries, towels and a restocked tea tray come as standard. It is up a flight of stairs, like every room in the house.
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Triple Room with Private Bathroom
Up to 3 guests · Triple · Private bathroom
Three of you, one room, nobody on a sofa: a double and a single side by side with a private bathroom of your own. It is the pick for a family with an older child, for three friends flying out together, or for a pair who simply want the extra floor space to open two cases at once. Heating, a wardrobe, a clothes rack, a seating area, a hair dryer, towels and free toiletries are all there, and the tea tray is topped up daily. Stairs only, so pack with the flight up in mind.
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Double Room with Shared Bathroom
Up to 2 guests · Double · Shared bathroom
The thrifty way into the house, and a fair trade if you are here for one night before a flight. You get the same bed, the same white linen, the same tea tray and the same flat-screen TV as the private-bathroom doubles, plus heating, a hair dryer, towels and free toiletries. What changes is the bathroom: it sits on the landing with a bath and a shower, and it is shared with a small number of other rooms rather than being yours alone. Solo travellers and easy-going couples take it happily; anyone who wants a door of their own should book a private-bathroom grade.
Check PricesAmenities and Facilities
In Your Room
- Free Wi-Fi (up to four devices per room)
- Flat-screen TV with cable channels
- Tea and coffee tray with Barry's Tea and a kettle
- Seating area
- Wardrobe and clothes rack
- Socket beside the bed
- Hair dryer
- Free toiletries
- Towels and bed linen
- Heating
- Not available: Air conditioning
- Not available: Cots and extra beds
Bathrooms
- Private bathroom with bath or shower in most rooms
- Shared bathroom with bath and shower on the landing for one room grade
- Heated towel rail
- Free toiletries, towels and toilet paper
Food and Drink
- Cooked Irish, English or vegetarian breakfast, roughly 07:30 to 10:00, charged separately
- Cereals, muesli, toast and preserves at the breakfast table
- Room service
- Not available: On-site restaurant
- Not available: Bar
Around the House
- Shared guest lounge
- Daily housekeeping
- Luggage lockers
- Non-smoking throughout
- Not available: Lift
- Not available: 24-hour front desk
- Not available: Swimming pool
- Not available: Gym
Parking and Getting Around
- Free on-site parking on the drive
- Bus stops on Swords Road a few minutes' walk away
- Route 16 to Dublin Airport and to O'Connell Street
- Dublin Airport about eight minutes away by car
- Not available: Airport shuttle
Location and Getting Around
Whitehall is one of those quietly practical Dublin suburbs that experienced travellers learn to love. It is residential, safe and calm, all semi-detached houses and clipped front gardens, yet it sits right on the Swords Road corridor that runs to the airport in one direction and O'Connell Street in the other. You trade the noise of Temple Bar for a proper night's sleep and a free parking space, then let the bus do the work. That matters most when your flight time is awkward, because the airport is barely five kilometres up the road and a taxi takes about eight minutes.
The immediate area is useful rather than touristy, which is exactly what you want at the end of a travel day. The Comet Bar at 243 Swords Road in Santry is a few minutes on foot and is the pub guests keep mentioning: a big local with a full food menu and live music two nights a week. Omni Park in Santry, a short drive away, has a supermarket, high-street shops, restaurants and an eleven-screen cinema with free parking, and it is the obvious plan when Dublin does what Dublin does with the weather.
Head the other way and the city opens up quickly. The National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin are about a five-minute drive and cost nothing to walk around, with the restored Turner Curvilinear Range glasshouse and roughly 20,000 living plants under and around it. Croke Park is close enough that a match or a concert night makes this a much smarter base than the city centre. Dublin Castle and Trinity College are under ten minutes by car outside rush hour, and Drumcondra station is around three kilometres away for the Belfast and Sligo lines.
- Whitehall bus stops, Swords Road: A few minutes' walk. Routes 1, 16, 33 and 41 head into the centre and out to the airport.
- The Comet Bar, Santry: A few minutes' walk. Big local pub at 243 Swords Road with a full food menu and live music twice a week.
- Dublin Airport: About 5 km, roughly eight minutes by car. Route 16 also runs there directly.
- Omni Park Shopping Centre, Santry: Short drive. More than 80 shops, an eleven-screen cinema and up to 1,400 free parking spaces.
- National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin: About 2.3 miles, a five-minute drive. Free entry, roughly 20,000 plants and the restored Victorian curvilinear glasshouse.
- Croke Park: About 2.5 miles. Ireland's biggest stadium, home of the GAA, with a museum and the Etihad Skyline rooftop walk.
- Dublin Castle: About 4.1 miles, a nine-minute drive. State apartments and the Chester Beatty collection.
- Irish Whiskey Museum: About 4.4 miles, a ten-minute drive. Independent guided tastings opposite Trinity College.
- Drumcondra station: About 3 km. The nearest rail stop; Connolly is roughly 5 km away.
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: William Murphy, CC BY-SA 2.0
National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
5 min drive
Five minutes by car and free to walk into, which makes it the easiest good morning anywhere near the house. The restored curvilinear range is the reason to go, a long spine of Victorian ironwork and curved glass with roughly 20,000 living plants under and around it. Arrive early and you will have the glasshouses close to yourself.
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Photo: Metro Centric, CC BY 2.0
Croke Park
Two and a half miles down the road, and the reason plenty of guests choose this side of the river. It holds around 82,300 for Gaelic football and hurling, and on a quiet day the GAA Museum and the rooftop Skyline walk take its place. If a fixture or a concert lands during your stay, go: nothing in the city centre comes close that night.
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Dublin Castle
9 min drive
About 4.1 miles and roughly nine minutes by car outside rush hour, or one bus and a short walk. The State Apartments and the Chester Beatty collection sit inside the walls, and the courtyards cost nothing to wander even if you skip the guided rooms. Pair it with Trinity College and Grafton Street for a full day in town.
View on MapHow to Get to Maya's Lodge From Dublin Airport
- Leave the terminal and find the bus stops: Follow the signs for city buses outside arrivals. Route 16 towards the city is the one you want, and it is the cheapest way in: 2 euro with a TFI Leap Card, or 2.60 euro paid in cash on board.
- Ride route 16 to Whitehall: Buses run roughly every 15 to 20 minutes from about 05:30 until around 23:00, with nothing overnight. Stay on for the Whitehall stops on Swords Road, about 15 minutes from the airport.
- Walk to Shanrath Road: From the Swords Road stops it is a few minutes on foot into the quiet residential streets behind. Shanrath Road is signposted and number 37 has the brick frontage and the navy door.
- Prefer a taxi, or driving?: A taxi from the terminal takes about eight minutes and the fare is usually somewhere between 19 and 25 euro. By car it is a short hop off the M1 and the Swords Road, with free parking on the drive when you arrive.
- Tell your host your arrival time: The front desk is staffed limited hours rather than around the clock, so send your expected time ahead of a late landing or a dawn departure. Check-in runs from 15:00 and is usually accepted until about 23:00.
Dublin, One Bus Ride Away
Staying on the Northside gives you a version of Dublin most visitors miss. Get the bus in and start at Trinity College for the Book of Kells and the Long Room, then walk the length of Grafton Street, cut through to Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty, and finish along the Liffey boardwalk. Temple Bar is worth twenty minutes and a photograph, but the pubs locals actually drink in are a street or two back from it.
Closer to home there is plenty that costs nothing. The National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin are free, and the Victorian glasshouses alone justify the trip; the cemetery next door is one of the most interesting hours in the city if you take the tour. Croke Park is the other Northside institution, and if there is a Gaelic football or hurling fixture on while you are here, go: the atmosphere is unlike anything else in European sport.
Two practical things. Buy a TFI Leap Card as soon as you land, because it makes every bus cheaper and saves fumbling for coins. And plan around the last bus: services on the Swords Road stop around 23:00, so a late night in town means a taxi home.
A Look Around Dublin
A walk through the city you can reach on one bus from the door, from Trinity College to the Liffey.
Is Maya's Lodge worth it?
Yes, if your trip runs through Dublin Airport. You get a spotlessly kept room in a private house about five kilometres from the terminal, a free space on the drive, a cooked breakfast if you want one, and a bus into town from the top of the road, with far less fuss than an airport hotel. Skip it if you need a lift to your room, a desk staffed at two in the morning, or a bar and restaurant downstairs.
What Guests Say About Maya's Lodge
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Very Good
Cleanliness is what guests raise first, again and again: spotless rooms, fresh linen and a house that clearly gets looked after. The welcome runs a close second, with visitors naming their host and mentioning small kindnesses like a parting gift at the door. The location quietly does its job, near enough to the airport for a dawn flight and one bus from the centre, and the pub round the corner comes up almost as often as the breakfast. Where people would like more, it is the things a private house cannot offer: a lift up to the bedrooms, a desk staffed at every hour, and hotel-scale facilities.
Found the house immaculate and the room lovely, and said Michelle could not have done more for them. Nothing at all she would change.
Megan
Found the house immaculate and the room lovely, and said Michelle could not have done more for them. Nothing at all she would change.
Rated it spotless and up to date, with tea, coffee and shower gel left ready in the room. Also flagged the pub a couple of minutes away, where both the food and the welcome were good.
Described a house kept spotless and well ordered, with a bedroom that was generously sized and good to look at. Happy to point other travellers towards it.
Picked out an unusually clean room with plenty of space and a comfortable bed, and warm people running the place. Could not fault any of it.
Warm service, tidy and comfortable bedrooms, and a calm, good-looking corner of the city. He liked that a single short bus journey dropped him in the centre, and recommended it without hesitating.
Called it a snug little bed and breakfast where Michelle takes care of you, with breakfast on offer if you want it. Clean throughout and handy for the airport and for town. The only quibble was pillows on the thick side.
Booked it around an early departure and found the position ideal, with an inexpensive taxi in and out of town. She would use it again for another dawn flight or a work trip.
Comfortable, snug bedroom and friendly hosts, who sent them away with a small gift when they checked out.
Good to Know Before You Book
Every bedroom is upstairs
All three room grades are on the first floor and reached by stairs only. There is no lift, and no step-free route to a bedroom has been documented, so pack light or ask your host for a hand with a heavy case.
Send your arrival time ahead
Check-in runs from 15:00 and is usually accepted until around 23:00, and check-out is 11:00. The front desk is staffed limited hours rather than around the clock, so message your host with your expected time, especially for a late landing or a dawn departure.
Parking is free, and worth reserving
There is free parking on site, which is unusual this close to the airport. Spaces are limited by the size of the drive, so mention that you are bringing a car when you book rather than on the day.
Breakfast is arranged, not automatic
A cooked Irish, English or vegetarian breakfast is available in a window of roughly 07:30 to 10:00 and is charged separately from the room. Tell your host the night before whether you want it and what time suits, particularly if you have a flight to catch.
House rules in short
The whole house is non-smoking and pets cannot be accommodated. Children of all ages are welcome but there are no cots or extra beds, the minimum age to check in is 18, and hen, stag and similar parties are not taken. Payment is by Visa or Mastercard.
Cancellation terms follow your rate
Cancellation, deposit and prepayment conditions vary with the room and rate you pick and are set at the time of booking. The exact terms show against your chosen dates before you confirm, so read them there rather than assuming one policy covers everything.
Photos of Maya's Lodge
Frequently Asked Questions
It is about five kilometres, roughly eight minutes by car. A taxi from the terminal usually costs somewhere between 19 and 25 euro, and route 16 runs the same journey for 2 euro with a TFI Leap Card or 2.60 euro in cash. That closeness, combined with free parking, is the main reason people book here before an early flight.
Free parking is available on the drive for guests, at no charge and with no permit needed. The number of spaces is limited by the size of the driveway, so say you are bringing a car when you book and confirm it with your host rather than turning up and hoping.
Breakfast is available and is charged separately from the room. You can have a full Irish or English plate, or a vegetarian version, served at a linen-laid table in a window of roughly 07:30 to 10:00, with cereals, toast and preserves alongside. Arrange it with your host the evening before and agree a time, especially if you are flying out.
Walk a few minutes to the Swords Road stops and take route 16 south, which reaches the centre in about half an hour. Routes 1, 33 and 41 also serve the same corridor. Buses run from about 05:30 until around 23:00 with no overnight service, so a late night in town means a taxi back.
All the guest rooms are upstairs and reached by stairs only, and there is no lift. This is the one thing worth checking before you book if you have mobility needs or a very heavy case. No step-free route to a bedroom has been documented, so plan on carrying your bag up a flight.
Check-in runs from 15:00, with arrivals usually accepted until about 23:00, and check-out is 11:00. The front desk is staffed limited hours rather than around the clock, so send your host an expected arrival time, particularly for a late landing.
Wi-Fi is free throughout the house, with a limit of four connected devices per room. That is comfortable for a couple with phones and a laptop; a family arriving with a device each may need to disconnect something before joining another.
Pets cannot be accommodated. The house is also entirely non-smoking, the minimum age to check in is 18, and hen, stag and similar parties are not taken. Children of all ages are welcome, though there are no cots or extra beds available.
No, they are two unrelated properties that search engines regularly confuse. This Maya's Lodge is a family-run bed and breakfast at 37 Shanrath Road, Whitehall, Dublin 9, Eircode D09 NY56. Maya's Lodge Africa is a safari lodge in Hectorspruit, South Africa, with no connection to this house.
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Ready to Book Maya's Lodge?
A spotless room, a free space on the drive and Dublin Airport a few minutes up the road. Check your dates while the room you want is still open.
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