Baily/€2.5m: The sea seems bluer, the sky brighter out in Howth. Kate McMorrow visits five-bedroom home on 2.5 acres at the Baily with cinemascope sea views.

Every now and then, a property comes on the market on a site so outstanding that a perfectly pleasant house is put firmly in the shade.

Cinemascope sea views are a distraction at Fairway, a five-bedroom house on over 2.5 acres of beautiful gardens off Thormanby Road at Baily, Howth. For anything better, you would need to be on an ocean liner.

Douglas Newman Good is guiding €2.5 million prior to auction on June 24th for this circa 186 sq m (2,000 sq ft) house, which is tucked down in a dip at the seaward end of the long garden. Neighbours with large gardens have built a second house closer to the road, suggesting similar potential at Fairway.

About 500 ft long and 285 ft at its widest point, the site is bordered by tall Monterey pines, with typical Howth summit rhododendrons, gorse thickets and specimen trees. The seemingly vast sweep of lawn would definitely require a sit-on mower.

The house spreads across the width of the site, with lots of windows to make the most of views which encompass the Baily lighthouse, Dalkey Island and beyond. Impeccably maintained but a trifle dated, new owners will want to put their own stamp on the decor, possibly extending upstairs to maximise the vista. Teak window frames are in great condition, despite the house's proximity to the sea.

The most impressive room is the sittingroom, with no less than seven sets of windows, including French doors to a terrace. A smaller diningroom looks out to the front garden. Along the hall is an oak kitchen/breakfastroom, linking with a family sittingroom with those shimmering sea views. There is an open fireplace here and doors to the terrace. A fitted utility room is as large as most kitchens.

Three double bedrooms are also at ground floor level, two with doors to a deck and all with fitted wardrobes. The family bathroom is accessed from both the hallway and the largest bedroom.

Upstairs is the main bedroom suite, which incorporates a walk-in dressingroom and en suite shower room with twin vanity cabinet. Opening to a balcony, the fifth bedroom could be extended above the sittingroom, the better to enjoy those expansive sea views.