Bellinter House was designed in 1750 by Richard Castle, the architect behind several of Ireland's great Georgian houses. It stands on 12 acres on the south bank of the River Boyne. The house has been restored as a country hotel, with rooms across the main house, the stables and the old schoolhouse, and a spa built around a thermal suite with an infinity pool, hot tubs and saunas.

The reason we selected it for this collection is the neighborhood. The Boyne Valley holds Brú na Bóinne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest astronomical monuments on Earth. Its centerpiece, Newgrange, is a passage tomb built around 3200 BC so that the rising sun on the winter solstice shines down its passage and lights the inner chamber. The Hill of Tara, seat of Ireland's ancient high kings, is within sight of the house.

Worth knowing before booking: places inside the Newgrange chamber on the solstice mornings are allocated by a free annual lottery run by the visitor center, so most visitors watch from outside. Bellinter is about 40 minutes from Dublin Airport, close enough for a short solstice trip.

SOLSTICE VIEWING: Short drive to Newgrange and Brú na Bóinne for the solstice sunrise, views to the Hill of Tara, 12 acres on the River Boyne, thermal suite with infinity pool, hot tubs and saunas