Bernice Harrison visits what can only be described as a 'trophy home' at probably the best address in Dalkey

The eight houses that make up Sorrento Terrace in Dalkey are by anyone's standards trophy houses. In a suburb not exactly short of impressive piles, these smart looking and very large homes have it all, spectacular panoramic coastal views, space, period features and direct access at the end of the garden to the sea.

They don't come on the market often - the last one was in 1999 - so interest in number 5, which is now for auction on May 19th through Sherry FitzGerald, is bound to be strong. The guide at this stage of the sales campaign is €3.8 million.

From the front, the house appears to be two-storey over basement, but it is has an additional basement storey at the back and in all there is 360 sq m (3,876 sq ft).

There are two rooms at hall level, a formal, rather sombre diningroom to the front and a bright, airy drawingroom at the back whose large sash windows make the most of the views of the bay.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms, three large doubles and one single.

The current owners did a great deal of work in the house in recent years, so the bathrooms are all very well done with extensive use of Italian stone, chrome, recessed lighting and a rather smart brass pedestal designer wash-hand basin in the large main bedroom en suite.

It's clear that the family spend most of their time in the basement area - in the large family room and the exceptionally well done eat-in kitchen that runs the width of the house at the back. It has been fitted with limed pine units topped with polished stone.

The house has two terraces, the first is directly outside the kitchen and it is accessed somewhat eccentrically via one of the kitchen windows.

Downstairs again and there are three more rooms including a bedroom and another fully fitted kitchen.

The third room is cleverly designed as it is a terrace that has been made into a room by the addition of large folding glazed doors. It's an ideal party room which probably explains the presence of the nearby additional kitchen. As well as these principal rooms there is the usual mix of guest wcs, utility and storage rooms.

The garden is terraced and at the end of it are steps leading down through a magical stone tunnel to the sea.