‘Country house luxury’ abounds in this Georgian mansion, run by owners Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray as a luxury hotel. It stands at the foot of Corkscrew Hill, across from a 15th-century tower house built for the chief of the O’Lochlainns, ‘Prince of the Burren’, that otherworldly ‘place of stone’. Bedrooms are a stylish blend of the contemporary and the antique, with views of gardens, Galway Bay and mountain; some have a private garden area. Robes and organic toiletries are supplied. In the dining room, tables are ‘beautifully set’, the staff are ‘friendly and helpful’, chef Robbie McCauley’s cooking is ‘stunning in intensity of flavour and visual impact. It’s a question of whether to eat the main course or paint it.’ Dinner begins with an ‘exquisite’ amuse-bouche, and proceeds with such dishes as ‘cod with lobster mousse and artichoke, wood pigeon with polychrome carrots’. On a night when the restaurant was closed, ‘I ate in the bar, a relatively simpler meal, but one that would have graced a good many fine restaurants’. At breakfast there is organic porridge, poached smoked haddock, the full Irish with wild boar puddings, pancakes with organic apple syrup. (RP)