2015 Award Winners B&B OF THE YEAR 2015

St John's House, Lecarrow, Co Roscommon

A short drive from the village of Lecarrow you will find what may well be Roscommon’s - no, make that Ireland’s - best kept secret, in a beautiful rural waterside location overlooking Lough Ree. Here you’ll find the lovely understated late Georgian country house that Richard and Liz Collins modestly call St John’s B&B. (And even the story of how they came to be here is a romantic one, so don’t forget to ask.)

When arriving at this peaceful and welcoming place, with its kitchen garden, hen house, friendly donkeys and the garden bench inviting you to sit down and enjoy the view, it’s hard to credit that it’s only 90 minutes drive from Dublin or Knock airports – an hour and a half in ‘real’ time, perhaps, but a lifetime away once you start to get tuned in.

New arrivals soon slow down, over a cup of tea and a slice of home baked cake, and, as the Collins’s say themselves, “it’s the perfect place to relax and re-charge the batteries”. They’ll provide evening meals by arrangement too , and like many who have chosen to live in that watery wonderworld that is central Ireland - the oh so underrated ‘midlands’ - Richard and Liz love to highlight the rich heritage that surrounds them, as well as the beauty and slow pace of life around here.

They’re great - and the place is simply magic. A treasure to discover.