Armada Hotel

The Burke family’s Armada Hotel sits hard against the beautiful bay at Spanish Point, only yards from the shoreline, with views of the sea and sky that change with the ebb and flow of the tide. It’s a magical location, and you can simply sit in a comfy chair in your room, mesmerised by the extraordinary sights, for hours, on end. But there is even more to this hotel than the view, and it’s these other attractions that will have you heading downstairs.

For a start, the head chef in the kitchens is Peter Jackson, one of the county’s most talented cooks, and Mr Jackson is fortunate to not only have a dedicated troupe of local suppliers, but he also has the produce of their own Armada Farm. Mr Jackson shows his verve in dishes like seafood broth with prawn wonton and salmon pearl, or haunch of wild boar with Polish-style stuffed cabbage. This is ambitious cooking, and it matches the tenor of the hotel, where an ambitious team are working very hard indeed to make their mark. The rooms are only gorgeous, and Johnny Burke’s Bar is one of the best on the west coast: do not miss their superlative Galleon, a tower of seafood for two people, which is amongst the best seafood creations served on the Wild Atlantic Way.