Luxury penthouse to entertain in

A large three-bedroom penthouse apartment in Killiney, Co Dublin, is expected to fetch in the region of £1.1 million when it is auctioned by Sherry FitzGerald on February 23rd. Sitting atop the Killiney Hill Apartments, beside Fitzpatrick's Killiney Castle Hotel, number 3, a 2,600 sq. ft home, is furnished in a luxurious style that owes much to a previous owner, an Irish-American monsignor. Monsignor O'Hora bought the apartment in the 1980s directly from hotelier Paddy Fitzpatrick, who built the apartments, and had it fitted out by an interior decorator. However, his plans changed and he sold the apartment to the current owner who has made several changes to the original layout.

He did away with an oratory that the Monsignor had built, converting it to a study. He also installed an impressive bar with mirror-backed shelves, with room for hundreds of glasses, and a counter to lean against. The bar, together with the drawing-room and very large wraparound balcony, make this apartment ideal for entertaining, in summer at least. The balcony looks out over Killiney and Dalkey towards the Dalkey/Dun Laoghaire coastline.

At one end it widens out to allow plenty of space for a table and chairs, and this area faces south-west.

At the other end of the balcony there's a handy open area for storing barbecue equipment or other outdoor furniture. This part of the balcony can be accessed from the entrance lobby.

The rooms at the back of the apartment - all bedrooms - have nice views over the woods of Killiney Hill and the landscaped grounds of the development itself.

The apartment is accessed by a lift and it shares the top floor with one other penthouse in this section of the development. Number 3 has a big Georgian-style front door painted bright red. It opens into a lobby with doors on either side. One leads out to the balcony, the other opens into a big utility room that has access to its own small balcony.

Past the lobby is an attractive semi-circular hall with a marble floor and niches set into the walls for displaying ornaments. Three steps up is a long inner hall leading to the principal rooms.

The apartment is roughly square shaped and is divided down the middle with bedrooms on one side, and reception space on the other. A corridor leads off the bedrooms, starting with two large double rooms, both of them with fitted wardrobes and en suites.

The main bedroom is in the far corner of the apartment and it has its own door to the balcony.

It's a good-sized room with a large en suite bathroom and an open archway leading to a dressing-room that was once a fourth bedroom. There is also a guest shower room.

The bedroom corridor connects with the kitchen, which has a range of oak units and cheery red tiling. At over 30 ft long, the drawing-room is the most impressive room in the apartment. It has plenty of room for sofas to be grouped around the marble Adam-style fireplace.

At the other end of the room, close to the kitchen, is a formal dining area with a patio door opening on to the balcony.

Beyond the dining area is a study, with a wall of windows overlooking the balcony. This room could be incorporated into the kitchen next door to make a large kitchen-cum-dining-room.

The apartment is comfortably furnished throughout, although new owners may prefer a more up to date scheme.