I do like to chill beside the seaside

Inchydoney offers a haven of relaxation overlooking the Atlantic

THE road to Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa feels like you’re driving off the edge of the country.

Winding around the lush wetlands, leaving the cares of the mainland behind, you drive up a steep hill, over the top and down to where a stunning vista opens up around you, the sandy beach and lapping waves of the Atlantic Ocean feeling instantly calming.

The hotel takes advantage of those immaculate views — from the rooms, restaurants and spa.

This is a place that offers relaxation on a grand scale. From the calming seainspired decor to the helpful staff and complimentary activities, this is where you go to switch off and chill.

The first place you can do this is from the balcony or terrace of your room. It was a little chilly when we visited, but we just threw on our dressing gowns over our clothes and inhaled that fresh sea air as we enjoyed a hot chocolate.

If you have younger guests with you, they can take advantage of the children’s room, where they can try out a giant Connect 4 game, an Xbox, and a host of boardgames, books and puzzles. Older children can visit the pool room or borrow from a collection of DVDs and games.

While they’re busy, you can choose to sit looking at that glorious beach, or you could choose to stroll along it. Though it’s always populated, it’s never overly busy, and offers bracing walks with no interruption from the outside world.

The hotel has kites, buckets and spades, beach games and balls available to borrow, while the amphitheatre is the perfect place to spend some time with a book or a picnic.

The Silver Surfer Airstream food truck has a selection of hot drinks, iced coffee, Inchydoney pastries, pizzas, gelato and baps, so grab a drink or a bite and hit the shoreline.

Don’t fill up too much, however, as the hotel itself has a range of fabulous food offerings. Coffee, lunch and afternoon tea are availalbe in the Lounge, while at the nautically-themed Dunes, you can enjoy a range of gastro pub-style meals. Don’t miss the seafood chowder or, if your appetite extends a little further, the seafood platter, both made with local ingredients.

For a more formal affair, the Gulfstream Restaurant menu is filled with locally sourced ingredients — and why wouldn’t it be, a staggering 60 per cent of the country’s artisan producers are based in West Cork.

The Dinish Island scallops, Caherbeg pork cheek, Skeaghanore duck and Hereford fillet steak are recommended, but the daily specials are also worth considering — my seabass was sublime.

Desserts include a local Bushby strawberry tart as well as ice-cream made using the local Five Farms liqueur — a sip of which is also available as you check in. It’s utterly delicious so do indulge.

After all that feeding, you’ll need to relax and the spa is the perfect place to do just that.

The treatment list is filled with a range of facials and massages, as well as a range of seawater treatments, featuring water pumped in from the Atlantic.

The main pool contains this water with underwater jets, bubble seats, neck showers and a waterfall, while a massage bath with top-to-toe jets followed by an algae wrap will leave your skin feeling smooth and soft. Relaxation areas are strategically placed to take advantage of those ocean views.

It can’t all be chill, however, as there’s so much to see in the surrounding area too. The Wild Atlantic Way is close by, as are a number of Michael Collins memorial sites and a museum.

The hotel can help you book kayaking, whale watching and surfing locally, yoga on the beach, or you can visit the nearby seaside town of Clonakilty.

Also just a half hour drive away is Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland, where Michelin-star restaurants rub shoulders with quaint cafes and artisan chocolate shops.

Or visit Stone Mad Gallery, one of the most colourful and beautiful shops I’ve ever seen, where American owner Jill will help you find a little treasure among her many delights. West Cork is your oyster.

Then take that road back to Inchydoney and once again, leave the cares of the world behind.

BORDEAUX is enjoying a renaissance. Thanks to some civic funding, it’s had a glossy facelift, and the many decorative 18thcentury buildings, which had been blackened from traffic over the decades, are gleaming again, ready to welcome more visitors.

All the buildings’ facades, from Hotel de Ville to the impressive Port de la Lune, now show their original stunning stone finish. The ecoconscious tram system is simple and hassle-free — it runs overground like clockwork. The hotels are plentiful and the city dining options are world-class.

It’s no wonder the residents of this city might be the most relaxed and content in France, because they have it all. Sun, sea and a stunning city that’s not too big — just a tad smaller than Dublin — or too crowded.

This year, they even have more Michelin-starred chefs to brag about.

Gordon Ramsay already has an established restaurant in the five-star Intercontinental Hotel, but this year the city increased its star power by appointing British super-chef Oli Williamson, formally of Heston Blumenthal’s triple Michelin star The Fat Duck.

Williamson recently moved to Bordeaux with his French wife and La Table de Montaigne restaurant, set in the stylish Hotel Le Palais Gallien, snapped him up in March this year.

For anyone lucky enough to have eaten at The Fat Duck, you know the prices already — £399 (€463) for dinner per person.

Here in Bordeaux, you can experience nine flavoursome, stylish plates created by Williamson for approx €100. It might lack some of the fanfare of The Fat Duck, but none of the flavour.

La Table de Montaigne is only open a few months, but by the summer, Williamson will have his stamp on the decor and lighting, which will elevate this dining experience even further.

There are many tourist sites to see, like the Cathedrale Sant-Andre de Bordeaux and Place des Quinconces, which is the largest city square in Europe. It hosts the magnificent Monument aux Girondis water fountain, with spectacular stone and bronze horses. It celebrates the bravery of the local Girondins, citizens who were guillotined during the French Revolution.

The best advice anyone gave me was to buy a Bordeaux City Pass. This gives you unlimited tram rides, entry to all the main museums and a wide variety of tours for €45 for 48 hours (bordeaux-tourisme.com).

La Cité du Vin is a tourist site everyone recommends. Built at a cost of €84 million, the unique building resembles wine swirling around a glass. The interactive tour covers every aspect of wine, from history to production to culture. Expect interactive areas and giant screens, but it involves a lot of walking and many steps, so certainly not for anyone with impaired mobility. A free tasting in the top-floor Belvedere room is included in your ticket, where you get panoramic views of the city (€21, laciteduvin.com).

Accommodation is plentiful and varied. There are obvious stylish options like The Intercontinental and Le Palais Gallien, but if you want a five-star hotel with more personality than floor space, then Maison Pavlov is ideal. A few tram stops from the centre, its seclusion and flair are worth the few extra minutes of commute.

The 17th-century building mixes well with the unique eclectic decor and although it’s small by most five-star hotel standards, the eightroom boutique has a restaurant, pool and mini spa on the grounds.

What makes it stand out from the others for me is the vibrant young couple behind it. Mary and Maxime come from culinary and hospitality backgrounds and started out with their acclaimed Le Chien de Pavlov restaurant in 2014.

Maison Pavlov followed and they have created a welcoming haven full of personal touches, stylish interiors and that homely touch of being in direct communication with the owners.

HAVING lunch at Le Chien de Pavlov on Rue de la Devise is a treat. You can opt for indoor or outdoor seating — try the blind set menu which includes four courses for €49.

If less glamorous surroundings will do and you just want the vibrancy of a big, bustling marketplace, Marche des Capucins is worth a look.

Expect vibrant fish, meat and vegetable stalls, and some cheap and tasty restaurants dotted around the market. Try Bistro Chez Jean-Mi if, like me, you fancy six oysters for €10 and a €5 glass of Chablis.

If you crave something sweet after, you will see a couple of Hasnaa Artisan chocolate shops in the city. Owned by a local, Hasnaa Ferreira, her brand is best known for its wine ganaches, which use flavours from some of Bordeaux’s most prestigious wines.

This year one of her chocolate bars won the French, European and world chocolate awards so it’s put her small brand firmly on the global map. The shops offer free samples, so it’s well worth popping in.

Vintage and second-hand designer shops are thriving in Bordeaux, and you can track down plenty of small Aladdin’s cave-type shops stocked with hidden gems.

A five-minute tram ride from Maison Pavlov is Les Tiroirs d’Isabelle on Rue Fondaudege, which has plenty of Sandro, Soeur and Sonia Rykiel.

So Authentic is a more upmarket store with lots of

Spectacular setting: Inchydoney Lodge and, above, the luxurious spa