Live the high life at D4 penthouse

DUBLIN 4 RENTAL €5,300 per month:RENTING MAY BE the new black, but the monthly rental on number eight, a two-bedroom penthouse on the fifth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, will put most mere mortals severely into the red.

While house price sales have dropped anywhere from 53 per cent to 64 per cent depending on which research document you read, the rental market has remained comparatively robust. Residence, the penthouse apartments at The Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, remain at the top end of the rental scale.

When they were built, they were the last word in Celtic Tiger-era luxury. Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds bought one and the others have been home to a veritable who’s who of Irish business, many renting while they got the builders in to refurbish their properties on nearby Shrewsbury and Ailesbury Roads.

At the height of the boom, this 175 sq m (2,000sq ft) desirable address would have commanded a monthly rental of between €7,000 and €7,500 per calendar month. It is now on the market for €5,300 per month – a drop of 30 per cent.

According to agent Eoin O’Neill of Eoin O’Neill Property Advisers, it will appeal to the “high-end corporate let, to diplomats and ambassadors”.

The penthouse property has an open-plan living/dining room that overlooks the hotel’s inner courtyard and faces south-west. The room is bookended by two sizeable bedrooms with hotel-style bathrooms. Each has a top-of-the-range fit-out that includes a separate bath and shower.

There is also a large Siematic kitchen, but why cook when you can have room service pay you a visit? You also get full use of the gym, pool and spa. Rental includes all heating and lighting expenses.A fresh towel and sheets service is also available but isn’t included in the fee.

Downstairs in the hotel, the Ice Bar still draws an illustrious crowd. Former celebrity developers such as Seán Dunne and Johnny Ronan may be keeping a low profile, but there’s still plenty of A-listers to spot. Grab a pew and you never know who you might see. Actor Colin Firth and pop stars Brittney Spears, Mariah Carey and Sheryl Crow have all stayed at the Four Seasons. Viewing is by appointment.