Some things in life are perfect.  This cottage is perfect.

Set on a hill overlooking the beach, this early 19th century stone cottage has been renovated with much sensitivity.  The special look and feel of this cottage are the result of the owner’s unique decorating skills.  The house was featured in the design magazine, Ireland's Homes and Interiors, and it’s easy to see why.  The look is contemporary with antique touches that give it depth.

To the left of the entry hall is the large kitchen, flooded with light.  The walls are robin’s egg blue; the cupboards are grey-green and there are touches of violet and blue.  There are stainless steel counter tops and stainless steel appliances, original slate floors, painted book shelves, a large refrigerator.  The dining table has a custom-made stainless steel top and eight modern chairs.  Antiques and personal items provide interest and enjoyment.  There are views of the garden and the water.
 

Beyond the kitchen is the the largest of the four bedrooms.  It has a queen-size brass and iron bed, other antique furniture, a traditional rug and a decorative fireplace containing a vase of richly colored hydrangeas - just the thing you’d expect in this cottage.  Much of the furniture is sea green.  Walls are creamy white.  It is an open room that smells of the sea.  The large en suite bathroom has stone floors, a tiny basin, a shower that flows right onto the stone floor.
 

Another bedroom is off the old kitchen.  It has a traditional Irish enclosed bed, a standard double.  This impeccable room has an antique chest of drawers, old architectural drawings and richly colored walls: four shades of green blend so well that it looks like shadows playing in the room.  Though this is the smallest bedroom, the owner says it’s the most popular.

One twin bedroom is on the main floor.  It has yellowish walls and grey-green woodwork, iron beds, antiques, original prints of birds, Donegal tweed bedspreads.  Views are of the garden and the sea.
 

The real living room, down a long hall, is yummy.  It has high ceilings, walls painted deep yellow, two large, comfortable coral color sofas, easy chairs, a large coffee table, antiques and art.  A fireplace has a wood stove insert.  An old Oriental rug covers the wood floor.  The ceiling light fixture is a childhood boat.  There is a TV, radio and CD player.
 

The sea-facing wall is all glass so the spectacular views over Culdaff Bay can be enjoyed from every part of the room.  Glass doors open to the garden.
 

Up steep stairs, under the attic eaves, is the fourth bedroom.  It is painted several shades of rosey-brown and blue that blend together perfectly.  There are two single beds with Donegal tweed spreads, two antique chests of drawers, an Eileen Tracy table, books, antiques, a small window looking onto the garden.  This room is perhaps better suited to children because of the sloped ceiling, but adults love it too.

The old wash house, at the rear of the cottage, has a washer and dryer and plenty of room for boots, coats and golf clubs.   An adjoining shed holds turf and wood for the fires.
 

The owner designed the gardens as a series of rooms.  There are mature shrubs and trees and a new pond in the lower meadow.  Panoramic views are over the Atlantic, the Culdaff River and the unspoiled  beach of Culdaff, one of the finest in Ireland.
 

What a place is Donegal!  It is the "old Ireland", wild and lush.  Culdaff is in Inishowen, a rugged peninsula at the very top of Ireland.  It’s dazzling.

Culdaff Village has a grocery shop and three pubs, one with a restaurant.  Carndonagh, the market town, is five miles - there's a traditional Farmers’ Market there.  Derry, 28 miles, has all the shoppping  you'd expect.

Bunagee Pier, with fishing boats and sea angling equipment for hire, is a 5-minute walk from the property.  This is a walker’s paradise.   Stroll  along Culdaff Beach or trek up on the rugged Urris Hills or the wild sea cliffs of Malin Head (below), Ireland's most northerly point.  Inistrahull Island is a great place for a day trip and a picnic.

The house is ideal for touring the spectacular Donegal and Antrim coastlines, famous for their rugged scenery and unspoilt beaches.  There are three 18-hole golf clubs in Inishowen, Ballyliffen, Greencastle and Northwest Golf Club, all overlooking the sea.
 

I'ts an hour and a half drive to the Giant's Causeway, an amazing  World Heritage Site.  You go there by car ferry, a 15 minute journey across the mouth of the Foyle between Greencastle and Northern Ireland.   Dunluce Castle is nearby.