Staybridge Suites Dundee, an IHG Hotel

Dundee is a city we have passed through many times, but it always seems to be a pit stop en route to another part of Scotland. But thanks to a £1b redevelopment of the city’s waterfront, bringing with it the V&A Museum in 2018, Dundee is in the midst of a cultural renaissance and there is now so many reasons to add Dundee to a list of great UK cities for a short break. This increase in tourism has lead to investment in a number of new hotels opening in the city, Hotel Indigo Dundee opened in 2018 and now its sister brand the Staybridge Suites Dundee has just opened next door in the same building. The Luxury Editor was kindly asked along to be one of the first to test drive the Staybridge Suites for a weekend, so read on and discover more about our stay at Dundee’s latest ‘home from home’ accommodation option.

Background & Concept

Staybridge Suites is located in what was a former jute linen mill in the heart of Dundee. The jute mill was first built in 1822 by the Baxter Family who went on to become the world’s largest linen manufacturer, as times changed the mill shut down and lay disused for 45 years. Thankfully all that changed as the building went through a multimillion pound refurbishment and last year Hotel Indigo moved into part of the property to offer 102 luxury bedrooms, along with the opening of Daisy Tasker the hotel’s destination restaurant.  The other side of the building is home to the new Staybridge Suites which offers 85 longer stay apartments, complete with living areas, fully-equipped kitchens and workspaces.

The property mixes old with new, with a nod to the building’s past in the exposed brickwork roofs and original iron beams, but there is nothing old fashioned about the amenities. The first thing you experience when you enter the property is the lobby area, which is super stylish, while at the same time cosy and inviting and is the ideal place to unwind after exploring the city, or catching up on some work during the day. Free tea and coffee are available during your stay and if you need a quiet space, head to the den. There is a fully stocked Pantry where you can pick up everything from wine and beer to snacks. Breakfast is complimentary each day, there are free laundry facilities and a 24/7 fitness room. In addition to this, Staybridge Suites provides guests with a number of midweek ‘Socials’ to give those staying a chance to relax with drinks and snacks and meet their neighbours.

Location

Staybridge Suites is only a short walk to Dundee’s Waterfront and the V&A as well as the city’s other key attractions. You can easily connect with Dundee’s Train Station and the Tay Road Bridge is a few minutes away too and Dundee itself is only a 90 minutes journey from Edinburgh and 20 minutes to stunning St Andrews.  The hotel offers a number of parking spaces in the courtyard and there is a council car park next to the hotel, so there is no problem with parking.

Suite Options

The 85 suites are made up of a mix of studio and one-bed apartments. All apartments are fitted with a modern kitchenette, dining area to eat at, a works space, super comfy double beds and bathroom. The original windows of the building mean the rooms are flooded with natural light too.

The kitchenettes really have everything you need, including microwave and oven, hob, dishwasher, fridge and virtually every cooking utensil you can think of and not to mention a coffee machine!

You can change the room lighting to suit your mood and beside the bed there are plug sockets which also include USB ports!

Some of the apartments come with shower and some come with bath, ours was a shower and there is a powerful rain-shower in addition to hand-shower. Bathrooms amenities are by Scottish Fine Soaps and I love the fact they come in refillable bottles rather than disposable plastic minis!

Daisy Tasker

Daisy Tasker feels like it should be in Shoreditch London or on some trendy street in Melbourne, this really is a destination bar/restaurant that Dundee was needing! Daisy Tasker is named after a much loved 14-year old weaver who organised social activities for the jute mill workers.

Daisy Tasker has various seasonal changing menus, with dishes using seasonal and local produce including Scottish seafood, prime cuts of meat and locally-grown fresh vegetables. We ate from the A La Carte menu, for starters we had the Arbroath Smokie and Steak Tartare and for mains the Duck and Sirloin Streak.

The Arbroath Smokie came as a terrine made from potato and goats cheese with the flakes of fish blended through, it was really gorgeous. And the steak tartare was incredible too!

The mains like the starters were both delicious, my steak came classic style (cooked as I asked for, medium rare) with a good portion of chips, mushrooms and tomatoes and a small pot of red wine sauce.

The duck really was a show stopper and the feedback was it was the best duck he had ever had!

We had a breather after mains and then opted for a couple of cocktails, there is a separate bar area next to the dining room if you are just coming in for drinks.

And then for desserts, we opted for the bread and butter pudding which is a mammoth-sized portion and the cheese board.

Breakfast

Breakfast is provided free as standard for all guests staying. It is presented buffet style, with a selection of hot items as well as a concise selection of cold items, cereals, juices and hot drinks.

Final Thoughts

I was really impressed with both the Staybridge Suites and the Daisy Tasker Restaurant, the property offers a polished experience and really helps put Dundee on the map. If you are looking for a cultural city break destination look no further than Dundee!