I'll admit right now at the start of this review, I really like grand houses. They ring bells for me deep in my cellular structure. Maybe in some previous life I was lucky enough to live in a mansion with hundreds of acres of parkland, mature specimen trees, a salmon-stuffed river running through the grounds, beautifully proportioned rooms decorated with fine plasterwork by Italian maestros, and enough staff to make life truly comfortable. Actually, as a description of a country house, that fits Mount Juliet perfectly. It has all of those qualities, plus a few more as well.

It's been a few years since I was last in Mount Juliet, and much has changed since then. Firstly it's been taken over by Conrad Hotels, which means that a lot of money has been lavished on the house, something that only a large chain can afford to do. What's changed is not the finely proportioned rooms, but the level of finish that you find in them now; things like marble lined bathrooms and serious twenty-first century plumbing. It's all been done with sympathy and although everything now works perfectly, the whole place still retains the ambience of a great house. Everywhere you look there are fine pieces of furniture and the walls are hung with portraits of people who may, or may not, have been inhabitants of the house, since the paintings don't have descriptive plates.

It was as recently as 1987 that this grand house and its extensive lands was still in the hands of the McCalmont family. In truth it's the sort of place that needs huge investment for its upkeep and so its metamorphosis into a hotel was virtually inevitable. The other change since my last visit is that much of the lands have been developed. There's a championship eighteen-hole golf course now, there are villas that have been sold that adjoin it and there are more villas envisaged in the walled garden. The stable yard has been developed into a riding stables and now there's a spa as well.

I arrived early one afternoon with Ciara Cronin in time for her to try the spa and for me to sit in the weak sun and do the daily Sudoku. The concierge arranged a shuttle car to take her up to the spa for her pampering experience. Here's her report: 'At the spa you enter a haven of tranquillity - all hushed marble and gurgling water features. The fluffy robes and slippers provided are de rigeur. The Spa's menu of treatments is quite extensive; they have everything from Reiki and La Stone therapy - where they lay heated stones along the body - to a choice of heavenly facials, body treatments and massages. There's even a flotation tank available where you float, weightless in a salinated tank of warm water. I opted for the Mount Juliet Tension Massage and a full pedicure to treat my beach-battered feet that were apparently in need of attention following a recent trip abroad. Following the treatments guests are encouraged to take time in the Relaxation Room where freshly squeezed juices and blankets are provided to ensure a soft re-entry into the outside world. My feet haven't touched the ground since.'

With the spa experience done and my Sudoku completed it was time for dinner in the Lady Helen Room, which is the dining room in the main house, rather than the Hunter's Yard, which is more for golfers' quick meals.

The dining room is majestic - high-ceilinged, with fine plasterwork picked out in pastel shades and a view over the River Nore to the large post-and-railed fields where horses grazed in the evening sun. The menu lets you know at once this is a dining room that takes itself seriously, firstly by its price, €72 for the set dinner, and secondly by the imaginative dishes that are on it. You get to choose from starters, a middle course, and then a main course, so a good appetite is essential. Ciara started with the coquelet, a small chicken which came as a roasted breast, a confit leg, a fried quail's egg, spinach and cauliflower purée. I began with the langoustine escabeche, which came with a lemon balm shot with an oyster, and sea kale. Both of these were excellent.

For the middle course Ciara had picked a simple salad of mixed leaves and I had a refreshing tangerine sorbet. For her main courses Ciara had chosen the Irish lobster, which came with summer truffle crème brulée, roasted figs, French cress and fine beans. I'd picked the milk-fed lamb, accompanied by Lyonnaise shallots, wild asparagus and
spearmint pea purée. Both of these dishes were well made, but the real surprise of the night was the summer truffle crème brulée, which sounded unusual to the point of bizarre, yet worked really well.

We finished our meal with a white chocolate lemon brownie with gooseberry honey sauce and raspberry ice-cream for Ciara and the trio of cappuccino, which was an espresso sorbet, a coffee parfait and a cappuccino crème brulée, for me. An espresso for me and a herbal infusion for Ciara made a pleasing end to what had been a culinary tour-de-force by chef Paul Quinn. For a luxury break Mount Juliet is a destination to consider. The hotel is five-star, the grounds are impressive, you can ride and play golf, and you could end each day with a very good meal.