While it has a brand-new seaweed bath house, treatment rooms, sauna and hot tub, this traditional hotel, at the head of Bantry Bay, preserves the aura of a bygone age. Run by the same family since the 1940s: nephew Ronan O’Sullivan is now at the helm. Spacious public rooms display family heirlooms, ornaments and objets d’art; a cosy library has acres of books and a crackling fire. Art-hung bedrooms (some snug) have mellow wood period furniture; a suite with a sofa bed can accommodate a family. Some rooms overlook the bay, others the landscaped, subtropical garden (a pleasant spot for afternoon tea). Guests gather for aperitifs in the lounge, before home-cooked country food in the garden-facing restaurant.