Travel: Waterfront hotel Sleeperz is perfect for discovering delights of the new Dundee

A generation ago, the Royal Research Ship Discovery was the star attraction of Dundee’s Waterfront.

Otherwise it was a largely inauspicious area on the fringes of the town centre. It boasted a Stakis hotel, casino and large swimming pool, complete with glass-sided walkway over a dual carriageway to the “Tayside House” office block – a monument to brutal 1970s architecture.

The Discovery is still there now, but not much else remains. The Stakis, casino, Tayside House and swimming pool have all been demolished (the latter being relocated elsewhere in the city – although given significant “teething issues” the locals tell their own story about the success or otherwise of the venture).

Instead the Waterfront is now host to the Kengo Kuma-inspired V&A museum – a dramatic, dynamic building, leaning out from the city and into the Tay, its frontage entering the water like the prow of a ship. Nearby is an open area, known as Slessor Gardens, home to pop concerts and other events.

For most it represents a triumphant revamp, a victory for progress over mono-block mundanity (though, as aforementioned, there are those that still pine for the old “Olympia” swimming pool…). The changes have really put Dundee on the map, with accolades pouring in from all corners of the globe – Lonely Planet, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are among many to have sung the city’s praises in recent years. Dundee is, we are told, a “cool” place to be.

It sounded like a thesis that needed testing.

Yet there is no doubt the city is reshaping itself, morphing from the home of jute, jam and journalism into something altogether more palatable for a discerning modern audience.

Adjacent to the vibrant new Waterfront (the Eden project is planning to move in next) is the city’s railway station. It too has had a 21st-century makeover, and it was in Sleeperz – the hotel that sits on the top of the station – that we based ourselves for a weekend in the City of Discovery.

It proved to be an uncomplicated base, the functional rooms offering all you would expect from a modern hotel with no frills. The jewel of the hotel’s crown is undoubtedly the bar and restaurant area, from which one can gaze up toward the city itself, or across to the aforementioned Discovery and V&A – the perfect place to enjoy breakfast or indeed a quiet drink prior to an evening spent exploring the nearby delights.

It is a fantastic place to watch the world go by – and to remind oneself of Dundee’s recent transformation.

Turn right from the hotel’s glass doors and you are (almost literally) within a hop, skip and jump of the V&A’s entrance. The vast museum is free to enter, though also hosts a paid-for, regularly updated exhibition.

There isn’t a huge amount to see outwith said paid-for section, though architecture fans will doubtless find enough to fascinate them amid the building itself, if not its rather sparse contents.

The Discovery remains a perennial family favourite, offering the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Antarctic escapades of Captain Scott.

Meanwhile, the Verdant Works (encompassing a nod to Dundee’s manufacturing history) and the excellent McManus Galleries will keep the culture vultures happily amused for a weekend (worth nothing, also, that a fine sculpture of none other than Sunday Post favourite, Oor Wullie – catapult drawn – sits outside the latter location).

Sleeperz is also a fine base from which to explore the city centre’s other delights, including its vibrant night life.

A pub crawl comes highly recommended, with The Phoenix on Perth Road, the Star and Garter on Union Street and Tickety Boos on Commercial Street among the highlights.

The more adventurous might enjoy the Waterfront stroll to nearby Broughty Ferry, a haven of independent shops, bars and home to a small but perfectly-formed castle.

“The Ferry” also has a beautiful beach offering excellent views across the silvery Tay to the Kingdom of Fife.

Worth remembering, also, how well placed Dundee is for escapades further afield. Away from the busy streetscapes of the Central Belt, one can head east to the wilds of Angus, or north – up the A9 corridor with the myriad delights of Perth, Dunkeld, Pitlochry and beyond.

Factfile

Dave Lord was a guest at the Sleeperz Hotel, which is coupled with Dundee’s new rail terminal (visit sleeperz.com).

P.S. A (very small) city airport and bus station are both within easy reach of Sleeperz, Dundee. The hotel is directly across the road from Discovery Point and the V&A museum.

Meanwhile, the city centre with a wide range of shopping options, including the Overgate complex, is a five-minute walk in the other direction.