Adare

Set on the banks of the River Maigue, this once-upon-a-timefied village dotted with thatch cottages is famed as one of Ireland's prettiest spots. Perhaps it's more correct to say it's actually one of England's: the place was given a beauty makeover by a rich Anglo lord, the third earl of Dunraven, in the 1820s and 1830s, in an effort to create the "perfect rustic village." To a great extent, he succeeded.