Fodor's Expert Review The Old Inn

Set in the village of Crawfordsburn, this 1614 coach inn—reputedly Ireland's oldest—certainly looks the part: it's pure 17th century, with a sculpted thatch roof, half doors, and leaded-glass windows. As it was near one of the leading cross-channel ports linking Ireland and England, the coach always stopped here, sometimes bearing visitors with names such as Swift, Tennyson, Thackeray, Dickens, and Trollope. Superior bedrooms have 17th-century-style woodwork, sitting rooms, and faux-Jacobean beds and a gas fire, while public salons have beam ceilings and roaring log fires. In the refurbished Lewis Restaurant, named after C. S. Lewis, the Belfast-born author of The Chronicles of Narnia, you can tuck into slow-braised blade of beef with creamy mash or pan-seared sea bass fillet. Over the centuries, large portions of the inn were rebuilt, and the East Wing is a completely modern take on Irish Georgian style. You can also enjoy Victorian afternoon tea in the Parlour Bar for £20.