In the otherworldly limestone landscape of the Burren, with distant views across valley and mountain to Galway Bay, husband-and-wife team Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray run their 18th-century manor house as an ‘absolutely top-rate hotel’. The staff are ‘unfailingly friendly and helpful’, and the atmosphere is ‘soothing’, but most outstanding, says a Guide reader this year, is ‘the sheer ambition of the cooking’. Tables are ‘beautifully set’ in the dining room for chef Robbie McCauley’s ‘creative modern dishes’. ‘The amuse-bouche were exquisite – tiny savoury meringues, and smoked potato-filled Parmesan crisps. From foie gras with apricots to cod with lobster mousse and artichoke, the intensity of flavours and visual impact were stunning.’ After dinner, retire to one of the ‘voguish bedrooms’, each individually decorated in contemporary country house style with antiques and modern artwork. Books, bathrobes and chic toiletries are supplied; tea and coffee can be provided, on request. At breakfast, choose among home-made jams, breads and pastries; egg dishes, pancakes with apple syrup, or a grilled fresh fish of the day are brought to the table. (Richard Parish)