2 Best Hotels in Glenveagh National Park, The Northwest

One of the brand-new attractions along the Wild Atlantic Way, Fanad Lighthouse offers accommodations in a remote and spectacular area, as well as a unique tour for visitors. Three different-size houses, Inishtrahull View, Dunree View, and Tory View, are available beside the tall lighthouse tower with a minimum two-night stay. Included in the price is a tour of the visitor center and tower, which involves climbing 79 steep and narrow steps (it is not for the fainthearted and you will need a head for heights). The accommodation and lighthouse are sited within the Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) on the eastern shore of the Fanad peninsula. Enjoy a glass of wine by the roaring fire, settle down to drink in the views, and you may be lucky enough to catch sight of the aurora borealis in the night sky, or a glimpse of the whales, porpoises, and dolphins that thrive among the white-capped waves in this part of the ocean. If you don't wish to stay here, you can organize a separate tour of the lighthouse (€10 per person). Advance booking is required. A newly opened café in the grounds is open to all visitors for snacks and lunches.

There is an otherworldliness to Lough Swilly, which is mirrored in the classic country-house comfort of Rathmullan where log fires roar in antiques-filled surroundings in a place that drips with character. The house has been run for 60 years by the Wheeler family—one of the most renowned hospitality dynasties in Ireland—and historic family details line the corridor walls. Bedrooms are appointed with floral curtains, books, and soft furnishings. Breakfast highlights include sweet banana bread and a steaming bowl of the classic Irish Flahavan's porridge oats topped with carrageen moss (mild-tasting seaweed). All this will set you up for the 15-minute walk into Rathmullan along the sandy beach right in front of the house. Dinner in the Cook & Gardener restaurant promotes local produce; lamb rump, Donegal lobster, Greencastle cod, roast pepper, pea and broccoli risotto, and roast free-range chicken breast all feature prominently. The Pavilion is a king pole tent serving stone-baked pizzas in an alfresco environment, washed down with craft beer such as Scraggy Bay or Devil's Backbone from the nearby Kinnegar brewery.