Hotel review: This eco-chic hotel is the perfect city retreat for solo travellers 

Dublin’s first carbon-neutral hotel serves up sustainability with verve and style

The room would be a tight squeeze for a couple, but as a solo traveller, we loved our little nest.

Wren Urban Next, Dublin

Our rating: 8/10

Location

A stone’s throw away from Grafton Street, Temple Bar and College Green, you’re in the heart of the city at Wren Urban Nest. Hidden down narrow St Andrew’s Lane, the approach can feel a bit grimy, but this just makes the descent to a basement check-in via a small garden oasis all the sweeter.

8/10

Style and design

The hotel’s restaurant, ALT

This is one hotel that got its name right. The wren is a small bird that can be hard to spot, but its sharp, distinctive cry stands out. It’s easy to see where the inspiration came from. A compact, nine-storey hotel, the humble exterior means it almost disappears into the lane, but once inside, it’s a buzzy first impression.

Natural wood, cosy lighting and plenty of dried grasses make the sustainable statement, but it’s the long, communal table that catches the eye and gives you a sense of the vibe of this place.

Throughout our stay, a mix of solo travellers, couples and groups of friends work, chat and read around this space. A third living and breathing public space – a nest in the heart of the city, if you will – is the real star of the design here, fostering informal social interaction.

8/10

Service

A selection of breakfast dishes at Wren Urban Nest

Friendly, warm and attentive. A special shout-out goes to Ben, our server during dinner at the hotel’s restaurant ALT, who is chatty and helpful without being overbearing. We noticed staff were happy to make conversation with solo travellers and provide recommendations, but if you want peace and quiet, you could easily slip in and out of the space without any small talk. In-person check-in can be skipped entirely, for example.

Prior to arrival, I receive an email with a QR code that can be scanned at a kiosk to secure my keys. An email also lands to let me know exactly when the room is ready (I hadn’t requested an early check-in, but suspect this could be handy if you had).

9/10

Guest rooms

Rooms are branded as snug, cosy and roomy (9.5sq m, 12sq m and 18sq m respectively). Having previously stayed in Cork’s smallest hotel room and other famously compact hotels, I found Wren Urban Nest to be the most pleasant and thoughtfully designed. Still, it takes some head scratching to figure it all out.

A desk pops out of the wall, but there’s no chair in sight – I later find a stool hidden under the bathroom sink. The room would be a tight squeeze for a couple, but as a solo traveller, we loved our little nest.

A separate bathroom and shower room don’t feel claustrophobic in the slightest, and they also haven’t scrimped on a flatscreen TV opposite the bed to indulge in some Netflix. One bugbear is the lack of a plug near the bed’s headboard – I had to leave my phone charging out of reach overnight.

8/10

In-room perks

There’s a real focus on local suppliers here. Coffee comes via Wicklow’s Roasted Brown’s, Dublin organic herbal tea brand Niks Teas are provided with a selection of breakfast, spearmint and green varieties, while The Handmade Soap Company, also Dublin-based, supply the toiletries (in refillable glass dispensers). Water cartons are from Irish supplier Cuilin.

8/10

On the menu

Burger and chips at Wren Urban Nest

Local, seasonal ingredients are at the forefront of the hotel’s ALT restaurant. A ‘wonky veg’ soup is a staple on the menu, and I am told the team works hard to cut waste, from returning packaging to using every part of the ingredients. The restaurant also uses the food waste prevention app Too Good To Go, so surplus food can be sold on. 

We start our meal with the bar’s original Bee’s Knees cocktail. Made with Method and Madness Gin, a handcrafted blueberry and lavender syrup, with organic honey and lemon, it’s a delicious start to proceedings. It’s up from here, with a good wonky veg soup served with homemade Guinness bread, a minced steak burger with a side of chunky chips and wild garlic mayo, and a honey sponge roll served with homemade ice-cream.

8.5/10

Activities and amenities

There’s no gym, pool or spa here, but the welcoming ALT space could certainly be used as a communal workspace.

6/10

The bill

From €179 for midweek stays during the high season.

Room to improve? We’d love to see the cardboard water bottles done away with entirely — there are water refill stations on every floor, why not have a reusable bottle in each room instead? A plug at the bedroom locker would be handy too.

Access for guests with disabilities? A specially designed wheelchair-accessible room is available.

Family-friendly? Rooms are compact with just one bed, so look elsewhere for a family trip.

Dogs welcome? Only certified guide dogs and emotional support dogs are permitted.

EV chargers? No.

Current rates? From €179 for midweek stays in high season.

• Wren Urban Nest, St Andrew’s Lane, Dublin 2.
• wrenhotel.ie

The Hotel Examiner was a guest of Wren Urban Nest.