Carrig Island Lodge

This restaurant inside the impressive Adare Manor hotel has all the grandeur you would expect, with wood-panelled walls, lavish chandeliers and a glass-enclosed terrace with views over the 850-acre grounds. It's a fittingly formal experience, with a tasting menu at its heart that shows off the best quality produce around, along with some decadent touches – the result is dishes like glistening turbot cooked on the bone in a punchy mussel and saffron sauce, finished with a scoop of caviar. The wine list is a labour of love and offers a superb range by the glass.

Now being run by the third generation of the Vaughan family, this characterful pub has become something of an institution in the coastal village of Liscannor. Its Atlantic-adjacent location, impressive fish tank and walls filled with nautical memorabilia all give clues as to the focus of the menu, where locally sourced seafood underpins the cooking. The dinner dishes are more elaborate than at lunchtime, but quality produce and classically based combinations run throughout, ensuring a satisfying experience. Bright, stylish bedrooms are hung with photos of local sights.

This pretty little cottage feels right at home in Adare, a picture-postcard village with brightly painted shops and rows of thatched roofs. Inside, there's a cosy, characterful feel to the place, which is run with warmth and confidence by an experienced couple. The interesting, attractively presented dishes proudly spotlight fine Irish produce like Dooncastle oysters and the famous Skeaghanore duck from West Cork; the black sole served on the bone is a real crowd-pleaser. On Sundays, a 'late lunch' menu offers good value for money.