Fun meets finesse
Frosty-breathed crowds admire the window displays at Bewley’s and Brown Thomas. O’Connell Street’s Christmas tree is flashing like a pound-shop chandelier. Mince pies are being gobbled, Irish whiskies are being guzzled, and there’s a last-minute grab for gifts on both sides of the river.
And the Dylan? A Christmas tree is sprayed silver in the lobby. Sultry wreaths adorn the walls. There’s a seasonal flourish to the edge and extravagance that have titillated Dubliners for several years. But fashions change. How long can this designer gift keep on giving?
The Dylan certainly does atmosphere. Check the entrance pillars, where a lower case ‘dylan’ is backlit by red light in a steel plaque. Check the refurbished Victorian facade, or the candlelit lanterns guarding the door. Inside, the elevator has a leather-studded ceiling. A chair in the lobby looks like it toppled out of Jean Paul Gautier’s imagination — half torso, half corset.
At the desk stand two slickly dressed receptionists. So far, so super-cool. As I’m absorbing the interiors, however, one of them fishes a registration form from a cheap plastic binder. Then I notice his colleague’s mouse mat — a random, ugly old yoke. There are poky-looking plastic dividers in the bar menus too. Devil in the detail?
The Dylan’s 44 rooms are individually designed, and spilling over with creature comforts.
Checking into Room 101, I find a cordless Bang & Olufsen telephone, underfloor bathroom heating, and a pillow-top mattress with just the right combo of firmness and give.
The design is like an extra personality in the room. A mirror with gilded, sunshine-like fronds sits in a recess over the bed. A furry red “Z” serves as the “Do Not Disturb” sign. “Dylan” branding extends from the towels to the in-room iPod to the two chocolate brownies on the coffee table.
OTT? Absolutely. But it’s sexy too, like a playful invitation to have fun in the city.
Christmas dinner at the Dylan is a three-course set menu pitched at €49. It’s served in a classy, confident room stacked with mirrors, saucily opulent furniture, orchids in tall vases, and everything is broken up by dark wooden dividers that lend tables a bit of booth-like privacy.
I start with a wild mushroom risotto. The mushrooms are sautéed perfectly, laid atop of the rice with a sprinkle of parsley, and there’s a cosy undercurrent of garlic. My main course is venison, served in the form of three little steaks dripping in juniper jus. There’s a bed of spinach, too, and a Bellingham blue cheese gratin that seems dry at first, but gets tastier as the layers peel away.
Service varies. One waiter walks past, asking “Are you okay?” without breaking his stride. Another goes off-menu to find a good glass of wine to match the venison. It works wonders.
The following morning, a continental breakfast in the same space costs €21. That’s a ridiculous price, though I should note that you can upgrade to a full breakfast for just €4. I enjoy lovely Eggs Benedict, with a toasted English muffin, crispy bacon, hot eggs and a tart hollandaise.
The Dylan doesn’t have an on-site pool, spa or playroom. It does have a fitness centre, and a bar terrace that is currently doubling as a Christmas garden — complete with lanterns, Foxford throws and seasonal cocktails like Mrs Claus’s Cosmo (€10.50). Dubliners know it as one of the city’s slickest smoking spaces and, inside, the pewter bar is a fab spot to kick off a Friday night.
The Christmas sales are the obvious reasons to visit the capital over the coming week, but there’s lots of festive fun in Dublin besides. The 7UP Winter Wonderland is in full flow at Kilmainham — it’s free to enter whilst including ticketed attractions like Fossett’s Christmas Circus. If your trip takes in New Year, watch out for NYE Dublin, a three-day festival including brand new markets and a dedicated countdown concert on College Green (see nyedublin.ie for more details).
Christmas dinner, bed and breakfast packages start from €269 per room, and 10% of Christmas gift voucher sales go to the Simon community. Contact 01-6603000; dylan.ie.
Design hotels can age awkwardly. Über-opulence that wowed in the mid-noughties, for example, may not seem so zeitgeisty today. The Dylan is spankingly well-kept, showing virtually no signs of wear and tear, but I think fussy visitors might find more than a hint of Austin Powers to the place. The fun and finesse mix well and they’re carried off with confidence. But for my money, Galway’s g hotel is the more timeless creation.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
