Why stay? To be far removed from the rest of the world: this is the edge of the edge of Europe, teetering on the vast, churning waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
What is it? An extraordinary take on the remote-shack vernacular, this is rugged-island living reimagined for the style-savvy traveller with pared-back, intelligent simplicity. Inis Meáin is the middle and least visited of the trio of the Aran Islands off Ireland's west coast.
Behind the scenes It's owned and run by Ruairí and Marie-Thérèse de Blacam, a husband-and-wife team with an easy, welcoming charm. Ruairí grew up on Inis Meáin, and after several years working as a chef in Dublin, Italy and France, the island's pull proved too strong and the couple returned and opened the restaurant-with-rooms in 2007. Part Italian-style agriturismo, part contemporary safari lodge, the hotel was designed by Ruairí's architect uncle, who founded one of Ireland's leading practices. The duo's inspiration came from their many travels. The exterior echoes the austere stonewalls that lattice the island and is one of its most arresting features.
Sleep All five rooms have a retreat-like sense of tranquillity and are done in a spare but warm style: iroko carpentry, oak floors and walls hung with black-and-white photographs of the islands. A single, slim window runs the length of each room, giving wide-angle panoramas of the coast. Bathrooms are small but functional, tiled in polished black granite with powerful showers but no baths. There are fishing rods, bicycles, deck chairs, binoculars and beach towels, but no TVs or telephones: the landscape is your entertainment.
Eat Ruairí mans the stoves and his cooking is simple but skilful. Guests sit down at 8pm for a four-course set feast that changes daily, but there's no pressure to mingle. Freshly landed lobster, seabass and vegetables from the hotel's garden (in a beetroot carpaccio, for example) all appear. Lunch is provided in a backpack with a flask of soup and some still-warm foccacia to take wherever you wander.
Who comes here? The hotel attracts a diverse bunch from local creatives, chefs, and CEOs to curious travellers from further afield. At dinner you could be sitting next to a retired couple from Dublin or some loved-up honeymooners from New York. Almost half are returning guests.
We like Waking up to breakfast delivered silently in a custom-made teak box. There is still-warm brown bread and fruit cake, homemade muesli, yoghurt, mackerel paté, cured salmon, a luscious chocolate pot, and a boiled egg, which even has its own Aran jumper.
We don't like It's all about the views here, but some windows have no blinds, so chances are you will be up with the sunrise. Bring an eye mask.
Out and about Hike around and discover the island's towering cliffs and deserted beaches; you can wander for hours without seeing a soul. Visit playwright JM Synge's thatched cottage, stock up on merino and cashmere pieces at Inis Meáin Knitting Company's factory shop, above, and savour a quiet pint in the island's only pub, Teach Osta.
Address: Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Co. Galway, H91NX86, Ireland
Telephone: +353 86 826 6026
Price: Doubles from about £170, including breakfast and transfers
Book your stay
By Aoife O'Riordain. Published in Condé Nast Traveller January 2016