Lawns run down to the Irish sea, roe deer come to eat the roses, sunsets turn the sky red. This beautiful hunting lodge is one of the loveliest country-house hotels in the land. The food is ambrosial, the panelled bar is home to 150 malts, and you’ll find a level of service you rarely encounter in such far-flung corners of the realm. There’s history, too. Churchill once stayed and you can sleep in his room, then climb into the deepest of baths and read his books. Immaculate interiors abound: gorgeous bedrooms, faultless bathrooms, a morning room where the scent of fresh flowers mingles with wood smoke. You’ll find beautiful art, the daily papers, games and books galore. Outside, cliff walks lead over to Portpatrick, peregrine falcons circle on high, bluebells carpet the hills in spring. When it’s stormy, waves crash all around. There’s golf on the coast at Portpatrick, then Luce Bay for miles of sand. John Buchan knew the house and described it in The Thirty-Nine Steps as the house to which Hannay fled. Remote, beguiling, utterly spoiling – grand old Knockinaam is simply unmissable.
This spectacular and completely secluded house has a feel of enduring comfort and welcome. The room and bathroom bore this out fully. Dinner was excellent and was probably able to be so because there was only the tasting menu on offer. The wine list was exceptionally broad in range and depth, from good ordinary wines to the connoissseur's delight in the shape of the 1982 Ch Mouton Rothschild. The staff were welcoming and could not do enough to please including an early cooked breakfast to satisfy an early departure. Remote and stunning as it is, £550 for D,B&B was still pretty pricey.