Stepping into a secret country hideaway

HAVE you ever felt that you have stumbled upon a well kept secret? That’s what it feels like when you stay at the Step House Hotel in Borris, Co Carlow.
To be honest, I had not heard of Step House before we stayed there, but while planning how to mark a significant wedding anniversary, the mere mention of its name sent people into a flurry of superlatives as they recalled their own stay at the hotel and its gastronomic delights. It seems a whole underground network of rave reviews and whispers of potential Michelin star ratings had bypassed me. But now I too have joined the army of people who extol the virtues of staying in this country hideaway.