Hotel-wise, I'd agree. Food-wise though, there's plenty of places to eat in for under the €10 mark (less so after 6pm). You can even fill up on a full plate of stuff from the Hare Krishna lads for €7 just off O'Connell Street!I stayed in Smithfield in a hotel recently, that's not to far from there. That part of Dublin is very much on the up and up. And there's a tram line running along there all the way to O'Connell street. I found Dublin very expensive, for hotel and food.