The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
With many popular cultural attractions and historical landmarks, Ireland's capital city Dublin is a charming destination for a weekend away. It's also a place where there's plenty of top hotels to enjoy a good night's sleep after a good night's "craic". One such spot is The Westbury Hotel, which sits on a quiet street in central Dublin and offers both comfort and luxury.
Why come here?
One of The Doyle Collection's eight hotels, The Westbury last year underwent an €8 million (£6.9m/$8.6m) transformation of its fifth and sixth floors, which features 18 new signature suites, including two with expansive outdoor terraces. Other highlights include the new P.V. Doyle Suite, which is named after the hotel founder.
As someone who loves outdoor space, I was excited to stay in the hotel's terrace suite. Inside, the suite has three rooms – the lounge gives you access to the terrace, and a large bedroom leads on to a bright and airy bathroom. Running parallel to the suite, the terrace has everything you could ask for including overhead heaters. This means you can sit back and savour the moment while taking in views over Dublin's rooftops and listening to the sounds of the city's lively streets below.
It takes just over an hour to fly from London to Dublin, which means it is perfectly situated for a weekend break. Plus, the hotel can organise chauffeurs to transport you in style from the airport to the city.
Inside the hotel, you walk up a grand staircase and all around there's a sense of excitement with guests checking in for their stays, stopping for afternoon tea, or making their way to WILDE, the main restaurant where we later enjoyed an incredible dinner and delicious Irish breakfast. Down the hall, there’s also The Sidecar, a popular 1930s-style cocktail bar with outdoor terrace.
The terrace suite
Like the hotel's main entrance, the suite was warm and welcoming. The front door (with its own doorbell) leads straight through to the lounge where you'll find a sofa, coffee table with interesting books about Ireland, a hotel-branded candle, and Butlers Chocolates, a Dublin-based company known around the world for creating Irish chocolate treats.
It wasn't long before we heard the doorbell ring too. A staff member was waiting with a bottle of champagne so we filled some Irish crystal glasses and headed out onto the terrace where luckily enough the sun was shining. With comfy cushioned furniture, heaters and an awning overhead, you can enjoy the terrace come rain or shine. The extra thought that's gone into the outdoor space is appreciated.
The bedroom is tranquil and I loved the added touch of the well-kept orchid, which brought the outside in. On the beds, there's cosy sheets and the softest throws, plus in the mini-fridge you can find hotel-branded sweet and chocolate mixtures in jars. They're so cute you'll want to take them home as souvenirs. The bathroom is also a highlight as it has shutters looking out over the terrace, a huge bathtub and shower, marble-esque heated floors, and deliciously scented MALIN+GOETZ products.
There are other suite and room options, too. The P.V. Doyle Suite located in a secluded part of the hotel is ideal for business meetings with a vast table, bar, iconic art and views towards rolling hills in the west. Families are also well-catered for with the option to connect rooms, and the standard rooms are painted in the prettiest tone of pink.
Eating and drinking
WILDE restaurant is elegant at any time of the day. In the evening, it oozes glamour, and at breakfast there's a relaxing atmosphere. It has a perfect setting for special occasions and showcases Irish produce with a varied European menu. The sommelier kept the wine flowing and shared details about each one and where it was from in the world.
The verdict
Dublin is charming and so too are the staff at The Westbury. In the most luxurious of ways, you feel at home at this hotel. The atmosphere is formal yet friendly with spacious communal areas perfect for impromptu meet-ups, quality time spent with friends, family or even for business trips. A generous midday check-out time also adds to the relaxing stay.
Kaye O'Doherty was a guest of The Westbury and The Doyle Collection. A standard room at The Westbury starts from €420 (£364/$460) per night, the terrace suite starts from €1,205 (£1,043/$1,318) per night and The P.V. Doyle Suite starts from €4,500 (£3,897/$4,925) per night. Balfe Street, Dublin 2, D02 CH66, Ireland; doylecollection.com
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