Gregans Castle Hotel

Gregans is a plain-fronted Georgian manor set against the strange grey limestone pavements of the Burren, looking north across the valley towards Galway Bay. There are no televisions in the rooms and no piped music in the hallways; the point of the place is the silence and the view.

The kitchen has long been the draw, working with Clare seafood, Burren herbs and small local growers, and the drawing room fire and gardens do the rest. Samuel Beckett and J.R.R. Tolkien both stayed here, and the landscape has changed very little since.

The Cliffs of Moher, the Aran ferry at Doolin and the traditional music pubs of north Clare are all within a short drive, making it one of the best bases on Ireland's Atlantic coast.