The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
FIVE OF THE BEST ROMANTIC HOTELS
Roaring fires and stirring views make these Pembrokeshire bolt-holes perfect for couples
FRESH
PENRHIW HOTEL, ST DAVIDS Above a leafy valley on the fringes of St Davids, Penrhiw (meaning “top of the hill”) is surrounded by neat gardens, a wildflower meadow and woodland. This charming setting complements the gabled, stone mansion (formerly a vicarage in the 1880s and a priory for a period of time after), which is endowed with grandly proportioned rooms, imposing marble fireplaces, velvet sofas, abstract modern art and topnotch Welsh breakfasts. Couples can choose from six rooms in the main house, or two in the coach house. Rooms from £264; penrhiwhotel.com
SLEBECH PARK ESTATE, HAVERFORDWEST
On the shores of the Daugleddau Estuary, with stirring views over woods and water, is this Pembrokeshire hideaway that has eschewed country-cottage twee in favour of a chic yet understated rustic look. The exposed stone, hand-turned wood, high ceilings, huge arched windows and warm hues give the Georgian manor a nearItalianate flair, as do the olive trees on the sun terrace, which fills with wood smoke drifting from the (excellent; think butter-soft 30-day-aged Welsh beef fillet served with slow-braised Scotch egg) restaurant’s open fire on crisp days. Rooms have plenty of personality; go for the lightdrenched Dunluce II, with a jetted tub and a terrace.
Rooms from £90; slebech.co.uk
PENALLY ABBEY, TENBY A beautiful Strawberry Gothic house run with love by the family that owns it. Inside, furniture has been sourced from local antique shops and French markets; floors are carpeted in warm, worn Iranian rugs; the piano is topped with books; and the views are of gardens, dune and sea. It’s like a home from home, perfectly suited to couples who come to relax or stroll 30 minutes to Tenby, where surrounding “secret” beaches are begging to be explored. Rooms from £150; penally-abbey.com
ROCH CASTLE
Romantic dreams are made at this restored 800-year-old Norman castle, which offers stirring views from most of the rooms (sunsets can be magical), a chic, designer interior with 21st-century comforts, and a fascinating history. Breakfasts champion local produce and for dinner there’s a free shuttle to sister property, Twr y Felin Hotel. For special occasions, consider splashing out on Ap Gryffydd, one of the most expensive rooms, which has big windows looking out towards the sea and is near the top of the castle. Rooms from £153; rochcastle.com
GROVE OF NARBERTH
Georgian meets Arts-and-Crafts interiors with a Welsh slant at what is arguably Pembrokeshire’s smartest country-house hotel. Amid deep countryside, with distant views of the Preseli Hills, the hotel has 26 bedrooms across the main buildings and cottages in the grounds. Some are traditional (ornate fireplaces, gilt mirrors, floral or William Morris-style wallpaper) while others are more contemporary, but all come with the softest of sheets and homemade biscotti. Suites have complimentary minibars. Dining in the two restaurants is a delight, with tasting menus at the dinner-only Fernery, and less formal but equally high-quality fare (the Preseli lamb comes perfectly cooked) at the Artisan Rooms.
Rooms from £248; thegrove-narberth. co.uk
Kerry Walker
phins and migrating orcas, minke whales and fin whales.
Whale and dolphin boat trips £60 adults, £30 children; Ramsey Island landing trips £25 adults, £15 children; thousandislands.co.uk
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TIME-TRAVEL BY BIKE
With its Neolithic Carreg Coetan cromlech, ruined 13thcentury castle, medieval pottery kiln and 19th-century harbour houses lining the Parrog port area, the comely village of Newport encompasses Pembrokeshire’s story in microcosm. Head south into its wilder hinterland and the prehistoric past becomes even more palpable: hut and stone circles, hillforts and burial chambers stud the Preseli Hills, and an early iteration of Stonehenge itself may once have stood here. Stride out on a wild walk across Carningli Common, or explore on two wheels – rent bikes from the Carningli Centre (carninglicentre.com), an Aladdin’s cave of antiques, art, books and collectables.
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MAKE A GRAPE ESCAPE The sun-soaked, vinestriped hillsides of Champagne and Tuscany may be out of reach for the time being – but no matter: head to south-west Wales instead for sparkling compensation. The three-acre Velfrey Vineyard near Narberth offers weekly tours and tastings among its 4,000 pinot noir, solaris and seyval blanc grapevines; learn how the long, warm Pembrokeshire summers and clay loam soils nurture the fruits’ sugar levels, acidity and depth of flavour to yield an excellent white fizz.
Tours and tastings run Friday and Saturday mornings, June to September, £15; velfreyvineyard.com i Break point: learn how to ride the waves at Outer
Reef surf school 17
STAND UP FOR YOURSELF The calm waters around Saundersfoot Harbour, sheltered from winds and waves, provide perfect conditions for your first paddleboarding experience, while the new Outer Reef Water Sports Centre, part of a £10million harbour redevelopment project, provides expert tuition. For more demanding board-riding, join one of the outfit’s surf sessions; venues migrate around Pembrokeshire’s many breaks depending on swells, winds and experience levels. Newgale is good for beginners, while advanced surfers rate Freshwater West as among the most consistent in Wales.
Two hour SUP or surf lessons cost £35; outerreefsurfschool.com
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BEER BESIDE
THE SEASIDE
The pocket-sized, pastelhued Georgian resort of Tenby rivals Cornish fishing villages for quaintness and bests most of them for beaches: here you can sink your toes into the soft sand of three Blue Flag strands just steps from the medieval town walls. Some seaside experiences are timeless – munching fish and chips on the seafront, mackerel fishing (the town’s Welsh name, Dinbych-yPysgod, means Little Fortress of the Fish) – but for more contemporary flavours, try the award-winning ales produced by HARBWR Craft Brewery; slake your thirst at the taproom, housed in a renovated bottling shed. harbwr.wales
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HONE YOUR BUSHCRAFT Newly released from captivity, many of us are plotting an escape into the wilds – but would you know what to do when you get there? Join a course led by Buzzard Chris Bushcraft and you’ll soon be building a shelter, making a bow-drill for fire-lighting and – that most essential skill for a wild (wo)man of the woods – whittling a spoon. As well as training to wield an axe and knife, you’ll adapt to the rhythms of nature, identifying trees and learning their uses.
A one-day Bushcraft Explorer course costs £60pp for adults, reduced rates for under-16s; buzzardchrisbushcraft.co.uk 20
BE ENCHANTED BY OTTERS
The earls of Cawdor have long since departed Stackpole Court, their mansion demolished half a century ago. Yet the grounds, created during ambitious Georgian landscaping and now managed by the National Trust, are magical still. Roam the shores of Bosherston Lily Ponds and you’ll likely encounter the estate’s most famous residents: otters, fishing for eels, pike and perch. Wander farther afield to discover what is arguably Pembrokeshire’s most alluring stretch of coastline, graced with wooded valleys, orchid-speckled dunes, the ancient cliff-wedged chapel of St Govan’s and everyone’s favourite “secret” beach, Barafundle Bay.