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The Blue Haven Hotel

This famous hotel has an attractive exterior, with its name emblazoned in blue and white stained glass above the entrance and flags hanging from poles, giving it a cosmopolitan look.

Under the current ownership since 2004, proprietor Ciaran Fitzgerald continues to do everything possible to restore and build on its once great reputation.

Due to the nature of the building, public areas are quite compact, but a major refurbishment programme has seen a complete redesign of the bar, which now has a much more open contemporary feeling, and the lower deck of the restaurant, to create a cocktail lounge incorporating a residents’ lounge where afternoon tea can be served during the day.

All the bedrooms have double glazing to offset the street noise that is inevitable in a central location and, although not large, both the rooms and their neat bathrooms make up in thoughtful planning anything they lack in spaciousness - and there is extra accommodation available a few doors away at The Old Bank House (see entry), which is in common ownership.

Conferences/Banqueting (80/70); free broadband wi/fi. Children welcome (unders 8s free in parents' room, cots available, baby sitting arranged). No pets. Street parking.

Rooms 17 (4 shower only, 3 single, 17 no smoking). B&B €100, ss €40.

Restaurant:

Now styled ‘Restaurant Blu’, the restaurant is a popular choice amongst Kinsale’s dining options, and more than an hotel dining room.

Like the rest of the public areas, the restaurant has had a makeover - and the cocktail lounge on the lower deck, plus the smart streamlined look of the new contemporary décor creates a more glamorous atmosphere.

A lobster tank at the entrance to the restaurant sets the tone for menus that have the emphasis on seafood (offering perhaps half a dozen starters and a similar number of main courses based on local fish and seafood), balanced by steak, chicken and vegetarian dishes - and there is a separate children’s menu too.

Cooking is sound, care is taken with presentation, and an extensive wine list and good service add to the pleasure of a meal here.

* A new café-bar, Hamlets of Kinsale (021 477 2939) opened just before the guide went to press; just around the corner at The Glen, it is in common ownership with The Blue Haven.

Seats 65; children welcome before 9pm (high chair, childrens menu, baby changing facilities). L & D daily, set L €27.50, set D €45, á la carte also available. House wine from €22.50; sc 10%. Closed 25 Dec. Amex, Diners, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

In the centre of town.