Best hotels in Wales: From Pembrokeshire to Powys

Wales might look dinky on the map, but once you throw yourself in at the single-track lane deep end, it’s vast. Tucked into the folds of its moors, sheep-bobbled valleys and mountains are some of Britain’s most charismatic sleeps.

Whether it’s to be a lavish Georgian manor that’s stage-ready for a bodice-ripping period drama, a swankily converted Norman castle, or a B&B with a view of the surf-smashed coast, these are hotels worth driving hours through the drizzle to reach.

Of course there’s plenty to see on your Wales stay too. Hike the heights of Snowdonia National Park or the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), explore Cardiff – the country’s cultural hub and capital – as well as the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. And, this being Wales, you’ll often pay only a fraction of what you would on the other side of the Severn Bridge for your accommodation, so there’s no excuse not to really make the most of your visit.

Neighbourhood: Fishguard, Pembrokeshire

It bills itself as a B&B by the sea but, trust us, the Manor Town House is so much more. This Grade II-listed, pale-blue town house is an immediate attention-grabber in Fishguard, which combines sleepy harbour life with the buzz of a proper port (ferries chug over to Rosslare in Ireland from here).

Decked out in breezy whites and blues and sprinkled with Victorian walnut furnishings and Welsh fabrics, the rooms reveal the interior-design background of the lovely owners, Helen and Chris Sheldon. The superior sea-view rooms are the dream, with window seats for watching storms and sunsets over Cardigan Bay.

But the welcome clinches it: whether you want a Pembrokeshire-style afternoon tea on the garden terrace, or tips on hiking the coast path, your hosts oblige. And forget the bog-standard fry-up in the morning. Helen is a breakfast genius, rustling up treats like star-anise-scented plum pots with local yoghurt and granola, and toasted sourdough with whipped ricotta and roast thyme-scented peaches.

Price: Doubles from £125

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Neighbourhood: Llandderfel, Gwynedd

There are almost as many grand country piles in Wales as there are sheep, but Palé Hall is fantasy stuff. The drive here is the drumroll, swerving past the rugged, waterfall-splashed peaks of the Berwyn Mountains (a kind of mini Snowdonia minus the crowds). Glide along the drive and you might gasp when you first clap eyes on this Jacobean manor, with its riot of turrets, stained-glass skylight, sweeping staircase and wood panelling that looks as though polished by a thousand well-trained elves.

The welcome is old-school posh: discreetly at your beck and call. And the place is so darned lovely you won’t want to do anything except wander flowery grounds, play croquet and billiards and scoff afternoon tea. Later on, sip fizz by the fire as a harpist strums before a beautifully crafted tasting menu in the Green Michelin-starred restaurant, where chefs play up sustainable produce in dishes like meltingly tender Welsh beef with wild garlic.

And the rooms? As sublime as you might expect, with top romantic billing going to the Churchill Suite, named after the man who once slept here, with coffered wooden ceiling, antique four-poster and copper bateau bath. Historic, yes, but also incredibly eco friendly: the hotel has its own hydroelectric plant and free EV charging points.

Neighbourhood: Roch, Pembrokeshire

Some castle stays feel kitsch and contrived, but not Roch. A whisper away from Newgale’s wave-battered, pebble-backed, two-mile beach, this stylishly revamped Norman castle sits high on a crag looking out across country and coast. A stone staircase twists up to a fire-warmed guest lounge and understated, monochrome rooms bearing the hallmark of Welsh-born architect Keith Griffiths. The art draws on Pembrokeshire, with nature-inspired ceramics, tapestries and paintings by Amanda Wright, Brendan Stuart Burns and Dan Wright.

For moody sea views, the Ap Gryffydd room with its arched window niche wins. Go out of season and you might get lucky and have the castle largely to yourself.

Neighbourhood: Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire

Taking in the full sweep of Saundersfoot Bay from its clifftop perch, St Brides is like a gulp of fresh ocean air. This is a hotel designed with light and space in mind, with floor-to-ceiling windows, white walls, seascapes, driftwood sculptures and pops of blue and green in every colour-chart shade.

Even if it didn’t have – dare we say it – the best spa in Wales, we’d still be tempted. But the fact you can drift off in the thermal suite with marine-themed treatments (a seaweed wrap or an algae facial, say) and bubble in the harbour-facing infinity pool on even the foulest of days is a delight.

The Cliff restaurant has wraparound coastal views and a region-driven menu, but if the weather behaves, you might fancy heading down to Marina instead for beer-battered fish with beef-dripping cooked chips.

Neighbourhood: Llanwddyn, Powys

Clinging to the southern hem of Snowdonia National Park in the wild Berwyn Mountains, Lake Vyrnwy has brooding good looks and history. Rimmed by dark forests and hills, the reservoir was formed by a dam built in the 1880s to provide Liverpool with fresh water – drowning the village of Llanwddyn in the process.

Few make it to these lonely shores, but those who do are generally heading for this Victorian hunting lodge for a hit of old-world luxury and insanely romantic views. The pick of the antique-sprinkled rooms have lake-facing balconies, four-poster beds and rolltop baths – perfect after a day spent clay pigeon shooting, fly-fishing or peregrine-falcon spotting in the RSPB reserve.

Neighbourhood: Felinfach, Brecon

After a day stomping through bog and bracken in the Brecon Beacons or Black Mountains, the Felin Fach Griffin is precisely the kind of pub you long for: low beams and flagstones, a log fire blazing in an inglenook, real ales, plenty of books and papers, squishy sofas and a big bear-hug of a welcome. Eight rooms are thoughtfully decorated in country-cottage style, with wainscoting, plaids, vintage furnishings, fresh flowers, Roberts radios and the comfiest of beds. Nice touches like Trumpers loose-leaf tea from Hereford, James Gourmet Coffee from Ross-on-Wye and homemade bikkies speak of owners who intuit guests’ wishes. As does the fact there’s no extra charge for cots and dogs.

And the food? You won’t eat better for miles. The kitchen garden and local farms are raided for ingredients that go into simple-but-sublime dishes like roast sea bream fillet, leek and potato “risotto” andred wine sauce. Breakfast in the art-slung Aga Room is bang on, too, keeping it local with the likes of Black Mountains Smokery salmon with scrambled eggs.

Price: Doubles from £175, B&B

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Neighbourhood: Aberaeron, Ceredigion

Glimpsing the Harbourmaster’s lapis-blue façade on the front in Aberaeron is like seeing the sun burst through the clouds. Spread across a Georgian harbourmaster’s residence and converted warehouse, this is the cool kid on the Ceredigion coast. Watch waves crash and gulls soar in rooms with Welsh blankets, wainscoting and paintjobs that sing the blues. Aeron Queen is the best room in the house, with knockout sea views and a freestanding bathtub.

Downstairs the place has a funky beach house feel, partly thanks to the young, on-the-ball team. Who cares if it rains when you can sit at the zinc bar nibbling cockle popcorn and drinking cocktails knocked up with local marmalade gin? The restaurant achieves big flavours with quality ingredients: sourdough with egg, homemade beans, avocado and organic halloumi for breakfast, Cardigan Bay crab linguine with garlic and chilli for dinner. All delicious.

EV charging points, free bike rental, and complimentary coffee and cake are thoughtful extras.

Neighbourhood: Llanhamlach, Brecon, Powys

Swing down a hedgerowed lane off the main A40 through the Brecon Beacons and feast your eyes on this handsome Georgian manor. You can hoof it up nearby peaks like Pen-y-Fan, but honestly it’s hard to drag yourself away. When the sun shows its face, you can swan around pretty grounds and swim in the outdoor pool. Meanwhile the spa in the vaulted cellar is a brilliant wet-weather plan, with its sauna, whirlpool, Moroccan-style, lantern-lit relaxation room and luscious organic treatments.

With eight antique-scattered, chandelier-lit rooms in the main building and four charmingly beamed rooms in converted stables, the manor is a class act, but they aren’t sniffy about you rocking up in muddy boots or with your pet pooch. The food is good, too, elevating local produce in dishes like slow cooked shoulder of Welsh lamb and sweet potato and courgette lasagne.

Neighbourhood: St Davids, Pembrokeshire

The tiny, cathedral-topped coastal city of St Davids is as busy as a beehive in summer – and no wonder. Some of Pembrokeshire’s loveliest bays, clifftop walks and finest restaurants are right here. Twr y Felin riffs modern on a strikingly converted windmill now expanded into a slickly minimalist hotel. Welsh architect Keith Griffiths is behind the décor and impressive art collection, making portraits by street artist Pure Evil pop on blank walls. He plays with light and shadow, texture and space in pared-back luxe rooms, none more special than the three-level windmill suite.

Awarded the Green Key eco-label for sustainability, the hotel treads lightly, with EV charging points, water-saving taps, solar panelling and paperless check-ins.

Seductively dark and deliciously intimate, Blas restaurant is at the helm of Pembrokeshire’s food scene, taking seasonality and provenance seriously in dishes like Solva crab with radish, sea lettuce and dill.

Neighbourhood: Newport, Pembrokeshire

This Grade II-listed Georgian coaching inn is in Newport. No, not that Newport, the other one that looks like a scene from a 1950s Ladybird book. Owners Louise and Ed Sykes have taken this ivy-swaddled, stone townhouse and transformed it into the most magical little hotel and restaurant, keeping original flair in wainscoting and slate, characterful reclaimed wood and blankets from nearby woollen mill Melin Tregwynt, but adding their own bold dashes of creativity with rich colours and artworks (including some fabulously moody seascapes by the Peter Daniels).

By day you can head down the road to wind-whipped, lighthouse-topped Strumble Head and coast path-rimmed Dinas Island, or join Ed for a seashore and hedgerow foraging walk. Some of what you find might land on your plate at dinner, with expertly composed dishes like crab beignet and mussels or poached rhubarb served with whipped white chocolate and pistachio served in the herb-scented Kitchen Garden.

Neighbourhood: Narberth, Pembrokeshire

Turn down the private lane, past blooming meadows dancing with butterflies and gardens plumed with ancient oaks in the honeyed light of a summer’s afternoon and – oh my – you might pinch yourself when you see this whitewashed manor. Step inside and it’s love: Arts and Crafts interiors, magnificent bouquets, and stupidly romantic rooms sprinkled with local art, textiles and pottery, and antiques. Beds, some four-poster, are draped in silk-soft sheets.

There are paths to ramble in the 26-acre grounds (dogs welcome), a lakeside terrace for drinks, and hands-down one of the region’s finest restaurants. The Fernery wows with punchy tasting menus, zinging with foraged touches in ingredient-led dishes like squab with celeriac, plumb and nasturtium.

And sustainability-wise The Grove is leagues ahead, with 100 per cent renewable energy, fresh spring water, reforestation projects and an emphasis on traceability in the kitchen.

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