An Irish country treat 

There has been something of a boom in the Irish hotel scene in recent years and this summer sees another excellent addition to the Irish country house hotel genre. Head in the right direction out of Cork and in half an hour you'll reach the village of Castlemartyr. Here you'll find a restored 17th century house on an estate once owned by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Make the journey after August and you'll find yourself at what its owners claim will be "an elegant, grand, yet warm and welcoming" country hotel. Capella Castlemartyr is the first of a new bunch of hotels operating under the Capella brand.

It will have 103 guest suites, all designed to be "gracious, comfortable with a dash of glamour". Top of the range will be an impressive 3,000 sq ft Presidential Suite accessed via it's own lift, with good sized rooms including a private dining room.