A new home for Sawday's Special Self-Catering Places in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Eire, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal

A simple thatched cottage, a sophisticated home - with a charming décor, welcoming hosts, a lovely real fire and a lough down the road

A deep relief to arrive at The Humble Daisy, for you may have given up hope of seeing one of Ireland's whitewashed and thatched cottages. But here it is, polished to within an inch of perfection. Mary Rose's grandfather lived here and her family farm is next door. Oliver is a horticulturalist and part-time farmer, managing this farm. So the contact with the house is authentic and nostalgic. A rare quantity of love and determination has gone into transforming the simple cottage into a very sophisticated home for guests, able to look any house anywhere right in the eye. Floors are of slate or coir, furniture is wooden and solid, and much of it modern. The big kitchen-dining room is equipped with everything to make anyone happy, including space. The sitting room has an open fire, the bedrooms and the bathrooms are immaculate and there are more rooms upstairs. A big reason for being here is the great lough only a hundred yards down the road. Upon it, and upon the piano, you can play to your heart's content.