Greenmount House

Just five minutes walk from the centre of Dingle, John and Mary Curran have run one of Ireland’s finest guesthouses since the mid-70s, and now have son and daughter Gary and Maria in the business too.

It’s an exceptionally comfortable place to stay, quietly located on the hillside, with private parking and uninterrupted views across the town and harbour to the mountains across the bay.

The spacious, well-appointed bedrooms are mainly junior suites, with generous seating areas and particularly good amenities, including fridges as well as tea/coffee-making trays, phone and TV (and, in most cases, also their own entrance and balcony); all bathrooms have recently been upgraded and a hot tub installed.

The older part of the house was demolished in 2006 and has since been rebuilt to provide five new superior rooms, which have been completed to a predictably high standard, adding further to the appeal of this outstanding guesthouse.

There are also two comfortable residents’ sitting rooms with open fires, outside seating areas and a conservatory overlooking the harbour, where wonderful breakfasts are served.

Greenmount has won our Irish Breakfast Award more than once and it has always been a point of pride: the aroma of home baking is one of the things that gives this house a special warmth, and all the preserves are home-made too; there’s a wonderful buffet - laden down with all kinds of fresh and poached fruits, juices, yogurts, cheeses, freshly baked breads - as well as an extensive choice of hot dishes, including the traditional full Irish breakfast.

The wonder is that anyone ever leaves this place of a morning at all.