From fine food to cult films, The Devlin has it all

Last year, we packed our bags and made the short journey across London for a staycation at The Standard. In the capital’s Kings Cross area, we found the hotel to be a bold-coloured, confidently designed and head-spinningly exciting take on your usual accommodation. Unlike normal hotels, it offered more; several restaurants, a handful of bars and even a library on site. It was quite the stay.

And the wider tourism industry appears to be taking note. Across in Ireland, Dublin’s The Devlin hotel is dripping in the same collected, chic cool as The Standard — as we discovered when we jetted across the Irish Sea for a flying visit.

So what can you expect at The Devlin? Found in the Irish capital’s uber-hip urban village Ranelagh, there are four types of ingeniously designed room types on offer — we’ll get to them later — and much more on top of that. Up on the roof, you’ll find Layla’s; a restaurant flooded with light that cooks up specials including Seared Pork Loin with Truffle Red Wine Jus and Purple Beetroot Gnocchi. They’re as tasty as they sound.

Layla’s is also the best spot in town for breakfast. With unbeatable views out across the south of the city, we’d recommend ordering the Buttermilk Pancakes with Toasted Pecans, Mascarpone & Salted Caramel Sauce if you’ve got a sweet tooth — or the Eggs Benedict with Sausage & Kelly’s Black Pudding if you’re more of a savoury man.

And that’s not the only culinary offering The Devlin has to impress you with. Downstairs, the sweeping dark wood of the Americana Bar brings a touch of old school US glamour to Ireland, where another menu of delicious dishes gives way to a nightlife of palpable energy. Behind the bar, The Devlin have assembled a crack-team of the best mixologists in the country to shake, stir and concoct cocktails including the tropical Dealbreaker, fiercely fruity Milk Punch and Irish whiskey-based Hellfire Club No.2.

On a side note, if you take a trip to Ireland and stay sober the entire time, you’re doing it wrong. Not only does The Devlin have a huge range of Irish whiskeys ready for you to sip and sample, but there are plenty of distilleries and breweries to check out, too. Obviously you should head to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour, but why not hit up Jameson’s Bow St. base, the Teeling tourist centre or even the smaller Liberties Distillery?

But back to the hotel. Even if you don’t have the time to unfurl your napkin and relax with a long morning breakfast, there’s a great little coffee hatch by the entrance called DIME. They’ve got some finely roasted cups on offer, a stack of freshly baked pastries and — very strangely, but even more welcomely, 99 ice creams.

But surely the crowning glory of the Devlin — aside from the rooms, which we promise we’re getting to — is The Stella Cinema. In the basement of the hip hotel, The Stella is a real step back in time — a taste of the American vintage theatres of the 1950s. There’s a swish bar, a popcorn machine and big sumptuous chairs to relax in while you watch a range of Hollywood blockbusters, cult classics and arthouse favourites. With a focus on Irish films, it’s also the ideal place to immerse yourself in local culture.

And so we come to those rooms. There’s your usual double and super doubles to choose from — but we’d suggest booking yourself into a bunk room. True, it may be a little smaller than your usual hotel digs, but it makes up for in charm and quirks what it lacks in floor space.

A single bed is suspended above the double, creating a padded nest of sorts that will have you drifting off as soon as you’ve thrown down your suitcase. And that’s not all; each of The Devlin’s rooms is masterfully appointed to ensure you have the best, most comfortable stay possible. There’s a Dyson hairdryer ready to be fired up, a Marshall amp speaker to get you up in the morning and a Munchies Box full of local Irish treats. Never heard of Tayto Crisps? You just wait…

Aside from all the amenities, The Devlin also feels like a community. The perfect example of this burgeoning, emerging trend in the industry, it is a hotel that — like The Standard — has brought together all you need in a holiday under one roof. There are surprises, entertainment, excellent food — and then a plump, white cotton pillow on which to comfortably and calmly call an end to your day.

Looking for more European escapes? Take a trip to the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc…