In overwhelming scenery, Gregans has an open-doored open-armed welcome with an aromatic turf fire, quirky antiques and a jug of unpretentious country flowers on the hall mantelpiece. Simon and Frederieke, a particularly charming, outgoing, no-nonsense couple with buckets of energy, love this place and have brought Gregans into the 21st century – slowly. So there’s a bit of everything in this rabbit warren at present, an endearing confusion of country house traditional and clean-limbed 1930s elegance: old botanical prints and modern art in the drawing room, and super soft Bennison bird fabric at the windows in the bar, dated florals falling from pelmets to the superb new pale green carpet in the huge Galway Bay suite (stunning great Victorian antiques set off its fine bones), new tiles on bathroom floors, old on walls. The food is totally modern – a new Finnish chef creates artistic, bite-sized wonders from a local and organic larder and the wines are expertly matched. There’s a beautiful garden and a new gallery on the ground floor for indulging, elegantly designed souvenirs.
