Cliff Castle, the most dramatic house on Coliemore Road, in Dalkey, Co Dublin, is expected to make more than £2.5 million at a Lisney auction next month. Once a hotel, the landmark property stands on three-quarters of an acre with extensive water frontage, its own harbour and a large suntrap garden behind high walls.

The castellated house has been totally refurbished since the current owners bought it six years ago. A popular hotel until the 1980s, the castle was originally built as a private residence in the 1840s. Although it is a very large house, with a floor area of around 6,000 sq ft, it has been cleverly re-modelled to make an exceptionally comfortable five-bedroom family home.

There are several stunning rooms, including an enormous billiards room on the ground floor, a fine main bedroom suite with superb views out to sea, and a very large first-floor drawing room with a turret room that would make an ideal study or bar. It has slit windows all around, and a roundel of stained-glass set high overhead in the domed ceiling. The snooker room also has a turret room off it, and two of the bedrooms have turret studies that will appeal to children or teenagers.

Granite steps lead up to the double front door, which opens into a long hallway with its original tiled floor. To the left is the snooker room, while on the right is a large, formal diningroom.

Double doors lead from the snooker room to a truly superb 30 ft-long family room with the kitchen opening directly off it. This is the centre of the house, and it is surprisingly comfortable despite its size and scale. The kitchen has a very good range of fitted units, granite work-tops and integrated units that will be included in the sale. It has light streaming in from big windows on the sea side, and from big patio doors that open out to a large, enclosed patio garden on the other side.

This patio has a door leading out to Coliemore Road but otherwise is totally private and gets the sun all afternoon. On the other side of the room are doors to a patio over the battlements. This is an incredible space for entertaining with its stunning views out to sea and down the rocks to the private harbour.

From here, covered steps lead down to one of the battlement towers, which has a circular room with views on all sides, and a cast-iron fireplace.

When Cliff Castle was a hotel, this was one of its most popular and romantic rooms.

Upstairs, there is a half landing that is the size of a large drawingroom. It has a bathroom and an exercise room leading off it, and also the main bedroom suite.

The first floor drawingroom has a big, airy room with a door leading to steps down to the battlements patio.

All the bedrooms have en suite shower rooms and two are interconnecting with a shower room close by so they could make a small staff or guest apartment.

A large attic playroom could become bedroom number six. The bedrooms are very nicely decorated and carpeted. Carpets and the expensive curtains throughout the house will be included along with the light fittings.

Outside, a large paved area for parking to the side of the house leads down to a grassy terrace that is bigger than a tennis court. There is a tunnel that leads on down to the seashore and the private harbour where a crane has been installed to lift boats out of the water.

Nearly everyone knew the Cliff Castle, when it was a hotel run by the McGettigans and earlier by the Phelans of the Miami Showband. It was renowned as a venue for wedding receptions and 21st birthday parties, and, during the 1960s for its afternoon tea dances.

Pricewise, Cliff Castle has had its ups and downs. In 1989, it was offered for sale by Sherry FitzGerald by tender and the guide price was left open. The Irish Times speculated that it could make £750,000. Four years later it was back on the market when property prices were hitting an all-time low. Hamilton Osborne King were seeking bids of £350,000 but it took many months to sell.

While Lisney is quoting a guide price of £2.5 million, selling agent Tom Day will be hoping to achieve well in excess of this figure on or before auction day on June 17th. Certainly, for those with seven-figure sums to play with and a yen for a house that is truly different, Cliff Castle will prove an outstanding and special home.