Blackwell House

A five-room guesthouse in the County Down hills where the beds are handmade and dressed in silk cashmere, and dinner is candlelit with produce from the property's own walled kitchen garden. The couple behind it met in Swiss finance, which explains the combination of Irish hospitality and very precise attention to detail. Small enough that you'll probably end up chatting with the owners, which, in this case, is a genuine draw.