Glanworth Mill, the four-star country inn near Fermoy, Co Cork, has just received a "hidden gem" award in the Les Routiers Guide for the UK and Ireland, the first such honour to be granted to an Irish hotel.
The inn opened less than three years ago with four-star approval from Bord Failte followed by an AA four-diamonds award and a two-knives-and-forks symbol after its name in the Michelin Guide. The latest award proves that good food in pleasant surroundings is always a winner.
Glanworth itself is a haven from life's troubles, tucked away off the main Fermoy-Dublin road, and the inn, with the Funcheon river running alongside, obviously caught the attention of the Les Routiers sleuths. Its two restaurants are the Mill Tea Rooms with bistro-style food and the Fleece & Loom where fine dining is to be savoured.
Another plus has got to be the fact that according to its co-owner, Mr Emelyn Heaps, this is a television-free establishment where mobile telephones don't work. Thus is good sense added to serenity and good food.