Brilliantly located in the heart of Georgian Dublin, The Leinster hit the ground running on its opening early in 2024. With its vivacious yet respectful reinvention of a classic 18th century townhouse, great staff – and the rooftop restaurant, Jean-Georges at the Leinster - it has brought something new to the city.
An impressive modern art collection of over 300 specially curated pieces, mainly by Irish artists based both here and abroad, brings joy to every room and space in the hotel and inspires the colourful botanical designs that are a central theme of the sumptuous interior.
It's a lovely place to stay, within walking distance of so much of the city, including the St Stephen's Green area, Grafton Street for shopping,The National Gallery of Ireland (just across Merrion Square) and the Grand Canal.
With fifty-five bedrooms this is not a huge impersonal property but a boutique hotel with personality, and the guest rooms vary from a cosy little retreat, The Nook, which is ideal for solo traveller, up to the super spacious Rico Suite with its private balcony, separate sitting area and copper bath. But all are thoughtfully furnished to balance style and individuality (including original art) with comfort and have all the expected amenities such as super king-sized beds, rainfall power showers and premium toiletries, Dyson hairdryer, adaptors and all the tech you could wish for including Bluetooth sound dock, complimentary high-speed WiFi, Smart televisions with Netflix... Also both a coffee machine and a kettle, fresh milk in the fridge plus a cocktail shaker and all kinds of treats,including signature batch cocktails and Irish snacks.
So plenty of reasons to stay in your room, but dining and socialising is the main appeal of The Leinster, both in the fine dining destination on the fifth floor, Jean-Georges at the Leinster (the first Irish venture by world renowned chef-restaurateur, Jean-Georges Vongerichten) and The Collins Club (a restaurant, bar and supper club, named after the internationally famed Irish-born designer, David Collins). Jean-Georges was closely involved with the design of his rooftop restaurant and trained up a strong team led by head chef Ross Bryans, who delivers an unusual dining experience reflecting Jean-Georges's trademark way with punchy French and Southeast Asian flavours - which have a focus on quality Irish ingredients, including John Stone meats, Silver Hill duck and Glenmar shellfish. Menus don't give to much away but signature dishes include a starter of warm shrimp salad with avocado and tomato, which is a good choice from the à la carte on a first visit, followed perhaps by charred marinated duck breast with grilled caraflex cabbage, cocnut lime infusioin and sriracha sauce, which is also a good example of the house style. Cocktails curated by sommelier and head bartender, Milan Ormanovic, are quite the thing here, and wine pairings are offered with the tasting menu. A good breakfast is also served in the Jean-Georges, with views of the cityscape making for a bright start to the day.
Drinks and fun are the focus at The Collin’s Club, which is a glamorous destination in itself and, as well as the expected bar bites and snacks, it also offers an all day dining menu, including a casual supper alternative to the Jean-Georges for dinner. Later it becomes more of a club, with a DJ at weekends, and it's also become a go-to daytime spot on the last Saturday of the month when they host a Champagne Cha Cha brunch (ticketed - book online).
The Leinster has a lot going for it in so many way, and perhaps the best things is its staff, who are charming, well trained and really seem to want to do everything they can to make sure that every guest is having the best possible time. All this, and good value too.
