The Lodge at Doonbeg

Gables of stone rise up from the top of The Lodge at Doonbeg , peering down at men and women heading out to challenge their skill at this ancient precision ball-and-club pursuit. Inside, a variety of rooms and suites mix "country-cottage" and contemporary styling, and boast over-the-top cozy beds to rest arms spent from hours upon hours of driving and putting down the course.

Did we mention golf? Yes. Right. This Greg Norman-designed coastal course seems to rise and fall with the natural grassy landscape. This is due to the "path-of-least-resistance" approach used during construction.

Those tired of the links can retire to the spa, and sample treatments like the signature caviar facial. Once you've had enough seafood rubbed on you, get some in you, at The Long Room. Feel like regaling your chums with your story about that birdy on the 12th? Darby's is where you'll want to go - where the Irish pub gets an elegant makeover.