Rock Cottage

Review

'A much-loved house with a warm atmosphere', Barbara Klötzer's 'truly beautiful' slate-sided Georgian hunting lodge stands in large grounds among grassy hillocks, one of which has 'stunning' views of Dunmanus Bay. 'She sees that you are thoroughly welcome and well looked after,' one visitor wrote. 'After walking and exploring, we would come back to crash out and read or snooze in the garden.' The 'sunny and uncluttered' building has fine furnishings, flowers, and an eclectic collection of paintings, prints and ornaments. Two bedrooms are 'spacious and airy, with a sitting area'. 'Ours was comfortable, decorated in simple, bright Tyrolean style. Ms Klötzer is an accomplished cook; breakfasts and dinners were all fabulous, simply and imaginatively put together.' Her three-course menu, based on fresh local produce (lamb, fish and shellfish), has no choice. 'Let me know your preferences, otherwise it is a surprise,' she says. 'No licence, bring your own drink.' Breakfast (ordered the night before) includes 'freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice, home-baked bread, lavish fruit platter with Greek yogurt, blissfully soft scrambled eggs', or you could have the continental version with cold meats and local cheeses. Two new donkeys have 'joined the crew' of animals which roam on the working farm next door. (David Berry, JH)