“Boutique hotel” can often mean different things in different places.
In some cases, it’s a residents only hotel with a limited number of rooms and a cosy enough bar. In others, it’s a stunningly luxurious stay with beautifully detailed rooms, second-to-none service, and a cosy enough bar (yes, one that is open).
The Wilder Townhouse is more akin to the latter, and then some. The gorgeous Victoria era red-brick hotel is new enough to Dublin, opening its doors for the first time in 2018.
Since then, it has become a go-to for travellers, married-couples-to-be and, more recently, Dubliners looking for a quick getaway that’s just a bit closer to home.
Under the country’s current Level 3 restrictions, travel is restricted to within your country, meaning that thousands have likely been forced to postpone their staycations around Ireland until further notice.
I, unsurprisingly, was one of them, left lamenting the fact that my booked October break in the midlands was cancelled due to coronavirus. Little did I know that once I spent the night in The Wilder, having a getaway in Dublin wasn’t all that bad. In fact, it was pretty unreal.
Upon arriving to The Wilder, myself and my guest were greeted by the lovely and entirely helpful Aleena. She informed us of the hotel’s new health and safety rules including hand sanitising stations throughout the residence, keyless room entry, and social distancing measures.
We were staying in the Lady Jane suite, a gorgeously decorated and incredibly sized room that is probably bigger than my entire apartment. The suite (unlike my apartment) included two TVs, a Super King sized bed, a literal sitting room, a faux fireplace, and an adorable golden statue of a sausage dog.
The room was, to put it lightly, one of the nicest hotel rooms I have stayed in during my short 27 years on this earth.
The ceilings were high, the bath was low, and I was infinitely upset that I would have to leave there in the morning.
The Wilder currently doesn’t operate a full restaurant. Rather, a selection of “light bites” are on offer, as well as a handsomely stocked gin bar with a whole host of delicious cocktails.
And yes, you can order yourself a drink without dropping €9 on food. And you can drink it inside.
(Though outside is still a pretty good shout, as the below image would suggest.)
The Wilder’s suites start at €300 per night, but if you were looking for something slightly on the cheaper side, the hotel is currently offering smaller “shoebox” rooms from the very reasonable €129.
Since reopening following the country’s first lockdown, the hotel is also running a selection of getaway packages, most of which are ideal for couples looking for a quiet and very romantic evening away. For real, I don’t think there was a single single person in the entire building during my stay.
Both the ‘Fall on the Wilder Side’ and ‘Together Again’ packages offer guests a stay with a few boujie added extras – the latter including a bottle of Bollinger, a bouquet of flowers, and breakfast in bed.
But honestly, heading down to the restaurant in the morning for some food is worth it, if you can manage to get up. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but at The Wilder you’d think it was the only meal of the day.
We’re talking pastries, we’re talking a medley of brown bread, we’re talking smoothie shots, fruit compote, and orange juice that doesn’t come in those pesky 100ml glasses. And that’s before the actual cooked breakfast menu even comes out.
You won’t be eating for the rest of the day, trust me. And if you are, you’ll be reminiscing of the almost comically large and totally divine breakfast you indulged early that day.
All in all, a Level 3 Dublin staycation hit the spot. It was relaxing, it was luxurious, and it took all of the pain out of travelling halfway across the country to arrive to a gorgeous hotel that I had no intention of leaving anyway.
Covid-19 has temporarily taken away our ability to travel, to see the world, to get far away from the stresses of life for a short period of time. But, as it turns out, getting away from it all is still entirely possible, even if you’re only a mere two kilometres from your home.
You can find out more about Wilder Townhouse and its current rates here.
(*The Wilder Townhouse offered the writer a complimentary stay in exchange for a honest review.)
