When city fatigue has exhausted you and you need to decompress, a visit to Dolphin Beach House beckons. Nestled above Dolphin Bay on the aptly named Sky Road outside Clifden, Co Galway, this is a guesthouse for the discerning traveller, with its charming nautical style and panoramic views of the Atlantic. You'll be in good company too – it's a favourite destination of TV presenter Craig Doyle and his family. Originally, the B&B was intended as a retirement home for Billy and Barbara Foyle, who run a number of hotels in the locality.

"We thought we would be out there every weekend from Clifden but it never worked out like that; we were just too busy," says Barbara. In fact, it was their daughters Clodagh and Sinead who suggested that the house would make a great B&B. But first the derelict farmhouse would require an extension of nine rooms and more living space, which was not to be a straightforward job. Planning permission took a long time to secure and the guesthouse's doors finally opened eight years ago.

Dolphin Beach House is brimming with attention to detail and has an individual quirkiness that is rarely found in a flat-pack and design-heavy world. Some visitors liken the colour scheme and style of the house to a Californian hacienda, while others insist it has a more Swedish vibe due to the light-filled rooms and decorative woodwork.

From the Cove Room to the Crooked Room, each of the bedrooms has its own personality. You'll find special touches in every corner, from mosaics to sleigh beds and old trunks that now serve as bedside lockers. Then there are the famous headboards, hand-carved by Billy, which are impressive centrepieces for the bedrooms.

"My husband never did woodwork before in his life," says Barbara, "but I used to buy old bits and pieces in antiques shops or junk shops and he started restoring them and then he started the headboards." Now it seems Billy's talent for carpentry is unstoppable and his creations can be spotted all around the house.

Aside from the creativity of the furniture, there is also an eco-element to Billy's work – everything he uses has been recycled. All types of everything go into the making of the headboards; from curtain poles, to old cots, to broken furniture, to clocks, to jewellery.

"Sometimes he'll go into our rooms and take things. We go looking for our bracelets and they're gone," Barbara says.

dolphin beach house

Lower Sky Road, Clifden

Connemara, Co Galway

Tel: (095) 21204

www.dolphinbeachhouse.com