If your memories of BBs feature nylon sheets and drab food, then it could be time for a rethink. Alanna Gallagherasks half a dozen well-known bon vivants where they like to get away to and what makes the destination so special for them
Marian Keyes
The novelist loves Moy House, which sits above Cregg Beach in Co Clare, overlooking the wild Atlantic Ocean. The old summer home of landlord Sir Augustine Fitzgerald has been renovated sympathetically.
"It's small - there are only nine rooms - but classically restored. The decor throughout is very grown-up. The bathrooms are quite traditional, with big Victorian-style claw-foot baths and enormous Villeroy Boch sinks. The finish throughout is to a really high standard. The rooms are small, but each is different, and there's a lovely sitting room with squishy couches and an honesty bar.
"They do evening meals, but for residents only, which can leave you feeling a little sore if you're in Lahinch and dying to be let in. It's a great place to hole up for a winter weekend. The wind can be howling around the house, but you'll feel warm and cosy inside. It feels very romantic to be cosied up on the couch with the wind whistling around the building."
The house is architecturally fascinating, according to Keyes. "There's a quirky watchtower to explore, and in the dining room there's a wall of glass looking out to sea. Every detail is beautiful. It's the perfect escape."
• Moy House, Lahinch, Co Clare, 065-7082800, www.moyhouse.com. €112.50-€180 per person sharing
• Marian Keyes's latest novel, This Charming Man, is published by Michael Joseph
Robert Doggett
Robert Doggett, who has been maitre d' of the Trocadero, in Dublin, for more years than he cares to remember, is one of the most hospitable hosts in the capital. For him Kilgraney Country House Herb Garden, near Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, ticks all the hospitality boxes.
"I have many's the time hopped into the car and headed to Kilgraney House. It's a stunning place to stay, with a choice of six very unusual and unique bedrooms. Once settled in, a walk along the River Barrow really clears the head. Back at the house, stroll through the amazingly fragrant herb garden, which includes a medicinal herb courtyard and a medieval monastic herb garden."
The herb garden, says Doggett, is a perfect prelude to a massage: it leads to the aromatherapy massage rooms, which are in a restored apple store. "The de-stress mind massage is perfect after a hectic week at the restaurant. After a pleasant session I like to read a good book in the drawing room."
There are two dining options, says Doggett, but it is the breakfast that owners Martin Marley and Bryan Leech serve that is most memorable, particularly the orange raisin pancakes and baked eggs with spinach.
• Kilgraney House, near Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, 059-9775283, www.kilgraneyhouse.com. €65-€120pps
• Robert Doggett is maitre d of Trocadero (St Andrew Street, Dublin 2, 01-6775545, www.trocadero.ie)
Brendan Courtney
Marlfield House, in Co Wexford, is not your everyday BB, but for a cheeky weekend away it's hard to beat, according to the television presenter.
"The rooms come with sumptuous bedding and Frette linen, deep-pile carpets and dramatic canopies over the beds. Some rooms also have open fires, an essential ingredient for winter romance," he says.
Marlfield House built its reputation on its food, which is modern Irish in style and features fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit, wild salmon, spring lamb, Bannow Bay oysters, Wexford mussels and beef.
"There is abundant use of rich butter and cream sauces, so I came home about a stone heavier than I had been."
When Courtney visited, Marlfield House was run by a mother-and-daughter combination of Mary and Margaret Bowe, but Mary has retired, and now the house is run by Margaret and her sister, Laura.
"I stayed there with my ex Les. We arrived in a dodgy white van, which we had to park on a hill and have the owners help us push-start, as the ignition was broken. It wouldn't have been their usual style of help request, but they obliged anyhow and got us on the road in no time."
• Marlfield House, Gorey, Co Wexford, 053-9421124, www.marlfieldhouse.com. €105- €382.50pps
• Brendan Courtney presents Off the Railson RTÉ1
Dermot O'Neill
Gardener and good-food fan Dermot O'Neill loves Danny Minnie's in the wilds of the west Donegal Gaeltacht, in the village of Annagry.
"The BB has eight or nine rooms, each decorated in a country style, but every room retains its own character. It's small and the only place I know where you get your porridge served with Drambuie on it in the morning," says O'Neill. "The rooms also have homely touches, like magazines and books in them. Best of all is the food."
The restaurant is renowned in its part of the world. It's only open at the weekends in the winter. At €65 per person sharing it's great value for money and ideal if you want to block-book it for a family occasion, according to O'Neill.
Annagry is good base if you want to explore Glenveagh Castle, Errigal Mountain and the late Derek Hill's home and art collection.
Danny Minnie's is a good four-hour drive from Dublin. Weekenders might consider flying with Aer Arann. The guest house is a five-minute drive from the airport, and Danny Minnie's will collect you.
• Danny Minnie's, Annagry, Co Donegal, 074-9548201 or 074- 9548809, www.dannyminnies.com. From €65pps
• Dermot O'Neill is a gardener and broadcaster
Johnnie Cooke
The chef says that Inis Meáin Restaurant Suites, on the middle of the three Aran Islands, off Galway, is a perfect spot for a romantic weekend break. Cooke heads west every September.
"Each suite offers uninterrupted views of the island. I love the fact that there are no televisions, allowing you to completely relax and get away from it all. The rooms are spacious, with a living area and outside sitting area. A breakfast tray is delivered to the room each morning, adding to the total relaxation."
The restaurant has similar panoramic views of the island and the bay, and its speciality is locally caught lobster and crab, served with produce grown on the island using seaweed as fertiliser, which gives the potatoes in particular a distinctive and floury taste, says Cooke.
"This is my idea of fantastic eating, spanking fresh seafood off the currachs, simply cooked and unadulterated."
Chef Ruairí de Blacam and his wife, Marie-Thérèse, who run the BB, are fantastic hosts and a mine of information on local culture and scenic walks.
"Whilst the island is well serviced by hopper planes and ferries from Galway, my real indulgence is catching a ride with a friend in his four-seater plane," says Cooke.
• Inis Meáin Restaurant Suites, Inis Meáin, Co Galway, 086- 8266026, www.inismeain.com. €100pps
• Johnnie Cooke owns Cookes Event Catering (www.cookesrestaurant.com)
Richard Corrigan
Chef Richard Corrigan likes a good breakfast. Hotels just can't get it right, he says.
"The result is too impersonal. Breakfast has to be cooked by the owner of the establishment. A bed and breakfast has to be more than about the bedroom."
Shelburne Lodge, in Kenmare, Co Kerry, is more than the sum of its parts, he says.
"The last time I stayed there the owner, Maura Foley, cooked me wild salmon, seared lightly and served with a lemon butter sauce for my breakfast. It was the finest start to the day I've ever had. The full Irish features high-quality bacon, beautiful sausages, fresh breads, traditional Irish cheeses and good leaf teas as well as fresh fish."
Maura Foley, one of the region's food heroes, has been cooking since 1961.
Her old stone house is set on the edge of the town, well back from the road in its own grounds. It has nine rooms, each with a mix of antiques and Irish paintings.
The gardens include a herb garden, and the location means you can walk into town for a pint. Kenmare has some terrific pubs. Crowley's is an old-school establishment with no organised sessions, but musicians tend to turn up and play.
• Shelburne Lodge, Cork Road, Kenmare, Co Kerry, 064-41013, www.shelburnelodge.com. €50-€80pps.
• Richard Corrigan recently opened Bentley's Oyster Bar Grill (22 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, 01-6383939, www.bentleysdublin.com)
Want ideas?
www.townandcountry.ie
www.familyhomes.ie
www.irelands-blue-book.ie
www.hiddenireland.com
www.bestofbridgestone.com
www.sawdays.co.uk
www.ireland-guide.com