Rathmullan House

'It would be hard to find a more comforting or cosseting place,' says a regular visitor this year to the Wheeler family's informal country hotel. A handsome, white 1800s mansion, it is a few minutes' walk from the village. It stands in 'superb', well-maintained gardens which lead to a long sandy beach on Lough Swilly (an inlet of the sea). The family are 'very much in evidence'; 'the staff, some foreign, some long-standing locals, are polite, friendly, efficient'; 'attentive not over-attentive'. 'Sound management,' adds a wheelchair-user, who felt well cared for. There are spacious public rooms, high ceilings, chandeliers, antiques, marble fireplaces, log fires, oil paintings, lots of books. Bedrooms vary: older ones are 'classic country house', some with 'beautiful views of the gardens and Lough Swilly beyond', some with a balcony. Ten newer rooms are spacious, and have restful colours and under-floor heating. Families are welcomed, and one bedroom has a 'room' for a dog. Ian Orr is head chef in The Weeping Elm, a conservatory-style dining room with a tented ceiling. He serves 'excellent', imaginative dishes, eg, roast boneless quail with quail Scotch egg, celeriac purée; Greencastle hake with Lissadell clams, spinach and fennel. The breakfasts 'have long been renowned'. There's a large indoor swimming pool and a resident masseuse. (Esler Crawford, Richard W Bowden)