Ballyfin Demense: deliciously expensive dining

THE devil isn’t just in the detail at Ballyfin; it’s in the big picture too. A lavish, Regency-era mansion sitting pretty in a private demesne beneath the Slieve Bloom Mountains, this is not only one of the most extravagant five-star hotels in the country, but one of its most exquisitely restored country estates.

From the moment we are greeted Downton Abbey-style by staff standing outside the entrance, barely a step is out of place. Sumptuous suites, an 80-foot library and an inlaid floor based on the Lion Court of the Alhambra Palace in Grenada are just the start of an experience quite unlike anything else I’ve experienced in Irish hospitality.

Imagine if the Merrion Hotel, or Ashford Castle, had just a dozen or so suites. And butlers offered to pack and unpack your bags. That’s the level of luxury we’re talking.