The Glen Country House is absolutely a dream come true - not a detail is missed here! The Glen is actually located in Kilbrittain, about 20 minutes south of Kinsale. To access the property you drive through a long tree-lined driveway, filled with flowering hydrangeas here and there. The ivy covered country house is situated with the most unbelievable view - acres of pastures, forests and off in the not-so-far distance a view of the bay.

As you enter this hundred-plus years-old building, you are greeted with large vases of fresh cut flowers. The library is warm and welcoming, with shelves of books and large comfortable chairs and pillows.

Our check-in was quick, and they took us immediately upstairs to our family suite on the first floor. One room was for our children - a smaller sized room with bunk beds (a huge hit for my 8 and 10 year olds!), dresser, TV, and windowsill filled with children's books. Through a doorway to the bathroom, which is shared with the parent's suite.

The bathroom was very large and beautifully decorated. A large claw-footed tub, pedestal sink with lots of countertop space above, toilet and separate shower stall. Lots of nice towels, good water pressure in the shower and nice hot water at all times.

The parent's suite was fabulous - large queen bed, with two sets of fluffy down pillows, super comfortable mattress, and large fluffy down comforter. The room also had a dresser, armoire, desk, and wonderfully large windows. Also in our room (as well as our children's) was a vase of fresh cut flowers, as well as bottled water and glasses. Our room also came with a flat screen wall mounted TV which was a welcome touch.

None of the other guests had checked in yet, so we had a chance to peek in the other rooms. All had the fresh flowers and bottled water, big windows, gorgeous views, fluffy pillows and comforters. Most rooms were decorated with "country cottage" type prints - large cabbage roses, plaids, checks, in the reds/roses/dusty pink/green color schemes. Very elegant and classy. Piles of magazines available to read in the hallway - many American favorites such as Country Living, Food & Wine, etc.

They do not serve dinner, but gave excellent recommendations to several nearby pubs. When we got back, we truly enjoyed just sitting outside and enjoying the view.

For breakfast, you are seated in a beautiful dining room done in a wonderfully deep red. Many family portraits line the walls. A cold buffet was set up with chopped fresh fruit, strawberry/rhubarb mix, stewed prunes, granola, cold cereal, juice, etc. They were there like a flash with hot tea and soda bread (the best we had on the whole trip!) The menu has several options, including the full irish, buttermilk pancakes and my personal favorite - french toast with bananas. I'm not sure I can do that dish justice here - but Diana makes it in a special way that gives the french toast a carmelized sugar-type crust to it (similar to creme brulee), and when topped with fresh bananas is simply to die for! The best part - Diana was very generous and shared both her soda bread and french toast recipes with me!!

After breakfast we went outside and met their two dogs - Paddy and Chloe. These two dogs loved the attention, and we loved having a chance to play with such wonderful pets. We spent an hour or more just walking through the "front yard", playing with the dogs and just relaxing.

Fortunately we booked two nights here, so we got to enjoy the wonderful bed linens, flowers, and utter comfort another evening. Breakfast the next morning was even better in that we were the only guests there that day, so we were able to chat more with Guy. He told us more about their farm, about how they entered the B&B business, etc. After breakfast we had to visit with the dogs and took advantage of the gorgeous landscape, while our children took advantage of the tire swing and soccer ball!

Hands down this was the most fabulous place we stayed on our 2 week visit to Ireland. My children still talk about what a wonderful time we had there, and they miss the dogs! I don't know when we will be able to return to Ireland - but if we do we are staying here for the majority of our trip! I can't stress this enough - do not miss this gem of a B&B. After you stay here, everywhere else will pale in comparison!!