Rose Dunne samples some splendour

ONCE upon a time, when we holidayed, we went to places . . . countries, cities, resorts. Where we stayed wasn't exactly irrelevant but nor was it the impetus for our visit. Now, more often than not, the hotel we stay in is a determining factor, if not the determining factor. Bellinter House, the hip country hotel in Navan, which opened last year, brings this travel trend to mind. While it might be close to Newgrange . . . and, indeed, its demesne once included the Hill of Tara . . . these nearby archeological sites aren't the reason it's attracting visitors, or why Conde Nast Traveller recently included Bellinter on its list of the world's top 65 new hotels. What it offers is an experience in itself, with its emphasis on intimacy, luxury, comfort and relaxation. You come here because of what it is, not where it is, although the fact that it's only 45 minutes from Dublin does it no disservice.

The boutique hotel phenomenon has only really taken off properly in Ireland over the last few years. It's no great surprise that travellers are seeking them out. They are possibly the last bastion of glamorous travel, now that Concorde is dead and not even lip glosses can be carried on board. By definition, a boutique property is small (even if it's actually not, it should give the impression of being so); individual and slightly quirky.

The Four Seasons it isn't. Bellinter ticks all the boxes in these respects, being a lovingly restored 18th-century Georgian mansion, with only 34 bedrooms . . . all crisp white linen sheets, fluffy pillows and huge TVs.

Essentially, this is a rural retreat with an urban vibe.

Since it was first built in 1750, the house has changed hands a number of times.

Designed by the German architect, Richard Castle, who was also responsible for Leinster House, it was the home of the Preston family, who made their fortune as merchants. In 1892, the Briscoe family took it over, subsequently selling it to the Irish Land Commission in 1955. For 40 years it was a conference centre and vegetable farm for the Sisters of Sion until its current owners, businessmen Jay Bourke and John Reynolds bought it in 2003. Now, fully restored by designer Pierce Tynan who preserved much of the original plasterwork and features, it's Ireland's answer to the famous Babington House in Somerset, England, the blueprint for country houses with a cosmopolitan feel.

Was Babington the inspiration for Bellinter? "In a way, I suppose that's what we wanted to do, " says Jay Bourke, "but it is a model, it's a style. There are lots of similar places in the UK but we are very, very Irish and consciously so, from the wood we use in Bellinter to the food that we serve."

Food is certainly a highlight of the Bellinter experience. The restaurant is Eden at Bellinter, the sister restaurant to the Meeting House Square venture, with a similar menu including favourites like the Smokies and Beef and Guinness Stew, the emphasis being on seasonal, local ingredients such as Carlingford Loch oysters and Clonakilty black pudding. For less formal dining, like steaks and club sandwiches or an afternoon tea of scones and slabs of fruitcake, there's the Drawing Room and the Cellar Room is available for private dining. In the Bellinter Bar, the cocktails are already achieving legendary status, and there's also a well-stocked wine bar adjacent to the restaurant.

Ask Bourke what he thinks people now want from their hotel experience and he jokes that he's soon going to find out if he's right or wrong. Bellinter's proximity to the capital, he thinks, is one of its main attractions, because people are jaded from travelling, air travel being particularly tiring.

"They arrive here to a warm welcome with lots of things to do . . . an indoor swimming pool, spa, a DVD library, lovely walks, " Bourke says.

"People who come here for a few days feel as if they've been here for a long time. It's relaxing and calming here . . . and that's our job." Its intimate atmosphere is another plus, he thinks. "There are only 34 rooms so you're going to get a more personal service.

If you have 150 rooms, that's 300 people for breakfast. In our place, people get to meet each other. I know some people who just won't go to big hotels."

Bellinter is divided into the Main House, the Stables, The Lean-To, the East and West Pavillions and the Ruin. The latter houses the bathhouse and treatment rooms, where the Voya range (wild seaweed baths and products) form the basis of the signature treatments. Bourke met the duo behind what is Ireland's first, and only, organic seaweed beauty company on the television show The Mentor, which he co-hosted and says it's very much in keeping with the hotel's ethos.

"It's a wonderful idea, it's indigenous and we're glad to be the first to have it, " he says.

"I didn't want to be importing juniper berries, or to be just another spa with oriental massages."

It's still early days but already the hotel is drawing a mixed crowd . . . couples, young urbanites, families, as well as an international footfall. If Bellinter doesn't fall under that category of 'traditional', Bourke says that the welcome visitors receive does. "It's the staff, " he explains.

"It's a smashing young staff who would do anything for you and they just bring a great atmosphere to the house."