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 South and Mid Wales Hotels
South & Mid Wales. Cross the Severn Bridge and you are soon in the Wye Valley or the Vale of Usk with the Brecon Beacons, where we have three recommendations, and Black Mountains beyond. Or explore the Pembrokeshire coast as it sweeps via St David's Head past the candy-coloured harbour towns of Tenby and Aberaeron, where there are two charming hotels. The best hotels in South Wales are privately owned and full of personality, with excellent, good value food. Look out for local lamb, Black Beef and superb farm-produced cheeses. The hotels are listed by price category, and their order bears no reflection on our preference.
 Reviews by Fiona Duncan |
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| Mid Price: stylishly converted old inn with lovely rooms |
| Location: Skenfrith, Monmouthshire: on B4521, 9 miles west of Ross-on-Wye |
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| Tucked into the Welsh Marches, by an old stone bridge on the river Monnow in an unchanged village, the Bell is a former 17th-century inn where contemporary and cosy now happily coincide. There are wonderful walks from the door, a Jersey cream tea on your return, excellent food and wine in the flag-stoned, candlelit dining room and eight adorable simple-sophisticated bedrooms. A marvellous place. |
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| Mid Price: Delightfully quirky, personally run small hotel |
| Location: Penally, Pembrokeshire: 2 miles south-west of Tenby, overlooking Carmarthen |
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| Something exceptional happens here: you instantly relax and feel at home, thanks to owner Steve Warren's easy-going style and unflappable manner, underpinned by his wife Eileen's excellent menus in the elegant peacock- green dining room. Choose a contemporary room across the lane, a cottage in the old stables, or a traditional room in the charming Strawberry Hill Gothic house itself. A delight. |
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| Mid Price: Family-run fishing hotel on the Usk |
| Location: Crickhowell, Powys: in the Usk valley, between Abergavenny and Brecon |
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| A superb example of a family-run (now third generation) country house hotel: a stunning location; caring, hands-on management; unpretentious yet with high standards. With lovely terrace views, the Victorian Italianate house stands in large exotic grounds above the Usk, with its own salmon and trout fishing. Inside: smart yet relaxed, traditional yet stylish, with excellent food. Perennially popular. |
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| Mid Price: Charming restaurant with rooms near Brecon |
| Location: Builth Wells, Powys: on the A470, 20 minutes drive north of Brecon |
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| One of Wales's growing group of exceptional restaurants- with-rooms, where commitment and attention to detail are second-to-none. Here, Colin and Melanie Dawson have converted a Georgian house on the main road (so not silent, though little traffic at night) into a small restaurant, two sitting rooms and three guest bedrooms, all contemporary in style. Both are chefs, and their food wins many plaudits. |
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| Mid Price: Great gastropub in the Brecon Beacons |
| Location: Felin Fach, Powys: in Brecon Beacons, just off A470 |
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| An old inn, close to the main road in stunning walking terrain, that gained a new lease of life as a gastropub, and remains a fine example of its type. Squashy leather sofas round the fireplace in the bar/lounge; stylish food at pine tables in the barn dining room; good linens, pillows and towels in the simple country-style bedrooms. Informal and laid back combined with high standards. |
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| Mid Price: Friendly hostelry with a great location |
| Location: in Aberdyfi, Gwynedd, on the Dovey Estuary |
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| This friendly hotel has much going for it – a terrific location on the waterfront with views of sea and mountains; an excellent restaurant; 15 cool, pale bedrooms; and the fact it keeps winning awards. Rooms are divided between the hotel, a building above and a cosy cottage. In summer, take a drink outside from the wood-panelled Fisherman’s Bar and watch the sailing boats go by. |
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| Mid Price: Contemporary styling beside the sea at Penarth |
| Location: In Penarth, five miles from Cardiff, overlooking the sea |
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| A great new addition to the Welsh seaside scene, Holm House is a former ship owner's residence, superbly converted into a small 12-room hotel with spectacular views across the Bristol Channel, and an intimate spa. With a mixture of contemporary styling and '20s extravagance, the interior is both quirky and opulent with imaginative, beautifully equipped bedrooms. You will find a warm welcome and exceptionally high standards of food and service: highly recommended. |
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| Mid Price: Slick yet friendly spa hotel in west Wales |
| Location: On cliff top, overlooking Carmarthen Bay |
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| 'West Wales first luxury destination spa hotel' right on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path has an additional plus: it's privately owned, personally run and offers a warm Welsh welcome along with its new Marine Therapy Spa (salt grotto, rock sauna, adventure shower), sea-facing infinity pool, fine dining restaurant and 35 contemporary bedrooms (graded as Good, Better and Best). Turn a blind eye to the exterior, ascend, and indulge. |
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| Inexpensive: Happy seaside hotel and restaurant in charming Aberaeron |
| Location: Aberaeron, Ceredigion: in town, on the harbour |
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| In this delightful, multi-coloured Regency town, the former Harbourmaster's waterfront house continues the theme: azure blue outside, multi-coloured inside. Downstairs: eating and drinking at the curving bar or in the informal dining room with inventive menus. Upstairs: seven bright, modern bedrooms. From the topmost, the master could keep an eye on all three harbours under his control. |
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| Inexpensive: Artistic family run restaurant with rooms in Pembrokeshire |
| Location: Newport, Pembrokeshire: in town |
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| Another fine example of the new breed of restaurant-with-rooms in Wales, run by an enterprising couple, both locals, who have left their careers in London to open 'The Doctor's Court'. With local art on the walls, natural materials, six pretty bedrooms, a well-regarded restaurant ("classic food with a twist"), a garden restaurant in summer and a cosy cellar bar, it makes a fine, friendly base for exploring Pembrokeshire |
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