With views of Killiney Bay and showpiece gardens, Kinvara has lots of charm and plenty of possibilities. Orna Mulcahy reports

Ganly Walters is seeking offers in the region of €3.5 million for Kinvara, a hidden house on the sea side of Killiney Hill Road in Killiney, Co Dublin set in 1.25 acres of magnificent gardens.

The 1937 four-bedroom house is the home of Harry and Odette Wilka who for many years were involved in the wine trade in Dublin. They bought Kinvara over 40 years ago and created the garden themselves, planting over 200 varieties of rhododendrons, as well as dazzling azaleas, camellias and roses, collections of maples and acers, and any number of exotic and unusual plants brought back from holidays.

A showpiece garden that glows with colour all year round, it naturally needs a good deal of work. The Wilkas are hoping that they can pass it on to enthusiastic gardeners now that they are moving to a smaller home in the area.

Accessed via a long sloping driveway, the pink-painted house sits into the hill, with the front garden climbing away from the house and the back garden dropping away in terraces that include level lawns and meandering pathways.

At first it seems an unremarkable house with virtually no windows overlooking the front garden. Seen from behind, however, it is far prettier with its red tiled roof and bay windows.

Inside, it is a long rather than deep house with a long hallway leading to the principal rooms, all of which overlook the back garden. First there is a big warm kitchen, with a built-in breakfast area. Next door is an elegant diningroom with a bay window looking out over the garden to the sea. Further along is a large livingroom which opens directly into a wonderful music room with floor-to-ceiling glass walls on all sides. In spring this room is lit up by the gorgeously coloured rhododendrons that surround it. Even on a dull day, it's a wonderfully peaceful space. A small conservatory leads off it, and from here there is access to the garden. A large guest cloakroom extends at the front of the house.

Upstairs, the layout is fairly simple with two good-sized double bedrooms and two single rooms, sharing a bathroom and a guest lavatory. There are stunning sea views from the larger bedrooms.

While the entire house has been very well maintained, new owners will almost certainly extend and refurbish on a grand scale to take even better advantage of the lovely orientation and views over the garden.

Kinvara is on view by appointment only which will allow prospective buyers to wander in piece through the superb grounds. Like many gardens on the southern slopes of Killiney Hill, it has its own microclimate that allows rare and tender plants to flourish within the shelter of its superb shrubberies. Clipped hedges enclose a secret garden that has a sun lounger to catch the afternoon sun. A pretty greenhouse is tucked away in another corner, below a tiered fountain that runs into a pond which, like everything else in the garden, was created by the Wilkas from scratch.

• For a virtual tour of this property click on www.nicemove.ie