Hands up who's guilty of doing the same things with their mates over and over again? Pub - check. Brunch dates with the gang? Every. Single. Weekend.
And sure look, it's a bitta fun and all, but let's face it, it can get pretty boring after a while. And while we all love a good moan about how there's "never anything good happening in Dublin", the truth is, well, that it's just not true.
There's loads of deadly things to do in this city. Case in point: a Crystal-Maze style adventure in one of Dublin's newest and most exciting escape rooms, 5 Quests.
If you've never tried an escape room before then you're in for a treat - escape rooms are games played by teams of people who have to “escape” from a room filled with challenges and puzzles within a time limit, in this case 60 minutes.
And if you have played before? We guarantee it's nowhere near this level.
I had tried my hand at another escape room before (and no, I didn't escape in time, much to my annoyance), but whereas that one was simply clues leading to combination code after combination code, 5 Quests' rooms are seriously interactive.
I grabbed five of my brainiest mates (I wanted to get out in record time, okay?!), and half of us hopped on a bus from town to go the short distance to 5 Quests in Cornelscourt, while the other luckier half drove out and were chuffed to see there's free parking right outside the door.
There's two games to choose from here, and we did 'em both because we are lean-mean-brain-buzzin'-machines. Well, kind of.
Here's how we got on in each room...
Pharaoh's Tomb
This room is suitable for 2-6 players, and brings you on an Indiana Jones style adventure deep into the long lost tomb of Khufu. Decoding hieroglyphs, figuring out musical notes and mysterious sounds and basically using your brain in a different way to what you're used to.
I LOVED this room. Some people (AKA my mates) might say that it all got too much for me in here and I became the queen of death stares when a stupid suggestion was thrown out into the room, but other people (me), say that I was the true leader of this Egyptian themed room and singlehandedly solved each and every clue to defeat the ancient curse and escape.
This is definitely one for the explorers out there.
Jungle Quest
If you were an avid Jumanji watcher as a kid, then this animalistic board game is right up your street.
Suitable for groups of 2-8 (another two brainboxes wouldn't have gone amiss in our group here), this room will have you running from side to side, rummaging through the leaves and using different tricks and tools to figure out your next move.
The animals here "hold the key", and there are LOTS of them. Teamwork on this one definitely makes the dream-work, and if there was ever a good activity to bond with your mates and find out if you can really rely on them it's right here in this jungle themed room.
"Victory is ours!"
We made it out with a few minutes to spare, and let me tell you, there has never been a more triumphant group of people in the Dublin 18 vicinity.
Working out at as little as €20 per person for a game, it's waaay cheaper than an evening spent in the local, and way better craic too. When's the last time you can say you and your crew did something so exciting that you headed home feeling refreshed and re-energised?
A 5 Quests experience would be the perfect work night out too - way more fun than sitting around a table talking about office gossip.
There's also the added bonus of plenty of yum restaurants nearby too, so you can debrief after your intense escape experience.
Just remember, there's no 'I' in T-E-A-M, okay? If you're looking for something extra fun to do this weekend, you'll find it at 5Quests.
