SITTING on a balcony of my hotel room on what was an unseasonally warm afternoon, wrapped in a luxurious bathrobe, a glass of Prosecco in hand and a glorious view of the Fermanagh lakes, I was minded of that famous George Best quote "Where did it all go wrong?".
Not meaning to sound boastful but I've been lucky enough to stay in quite a few half decent hotels and a handful outstanding ones, but you'd have to search a fair distance to find a hotel in a better location than the Killyhelvin Lakeside, sitting on the shore of the beautiful Lough Erne.
As it happens you don't need to travel that far at all, an hour and a half from Belfast, around the same from Derry and the Killyhelvin is the kind of place you could leave work on a Friday afternoon with a head full of stress and be more chilled out than the Dalai Lama by dinner time.
Given how romantic the setting and how beautifully appointed the rooms are, it's clearly a place popular with couples.
As my hunt for a wealthy but ageing second husband has yet to bear fruit I was staying with a girlfriend and a night of giggles, good wine and gossip were on the cards.
We lucked out in terms of weather, although I could just as easily see myself insulated against the weather in a big coat walking around the lakes in less clement conditions.
If you must leave the luxury of the hotel with its stunning views, friendly staff and a bed so comfortable that it felt like being carried on angel wings, then it's a pretty perfect part of Ireland for some sightseeing.
We visited the Marble Arch caves, a place I haven't been to since I went on some team-building effort as a teenager. The geopark with natural underground rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and chambers has been further excavated since my last visit is an impressive spectacle. The guides are full of interesting facts and figures as you walk through the caves with walls that look like melted wax.
It would be a great place to take children with inquisitive minds on an adventure.
Not stopping there and determined to build up a thirst for the evening ahead, we also visited Castle Coole, once home of the Earl of Belmore – I assume this was after they removed the actual owners from the land to build a mansion with a lengthy and at times controversial history.
We'd a beautiful afternoon tea on the grounds that are well worth a visit. That was enough sightseeing for one day back to the luxurious setting of the hotel to get ready for dinner.
The Kove restaurant has some of the finest locally sources produce, Donegal scallops with local black pudding, crayfish and prawn salad.
For mains we devoured a confit of duck leg with duck fillet and apricot and duck bon bons – it was delicious as it sounds.
The bar has a great selection of gins and an impressive wine menu – so impressive that I woke the next day feeling ever so slightly ropey. Even a freshly cooked breakfast and exhilarating views of the lough didn't help.
What did help, though, was a deep-tissue massage in the spa, I'm embarrassed to say I think I snored – loudly – as I dosed off under a warm blanket with the scent of Elemis oils on my freshly pummelled skin.
We finished it off with a rest in the outside hot tub overlooking the lough.
The journey home was a blissful haze, with painted-on grins and the stress of the real world fully erased. I don't know where it all went wrong but I do know how to make it all right again and that's in four-star luxury in Enniskillen.
