The Good Hotel Guide is the leading independent guide to hotels in Great Britain & Ireland, and also covers parts of Continental Europe. The Guide was first published in 1978. It is written for the reader seeking impartial advice on finding a good place to stay. Hotels cannot buy their way into the Guide. The editors and inspectors do not accept free hospitality on their anonymous visits to hotels. All hotels in the Guide receive a free basic listing. A fee is charged for a full web entry.
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Best luxury and boutique hotels in Wales
Luxury hotels, boutique retreats and cheap B&Bs in Wales Much has changed, mostly for the better, since a British encyclopaedia carried the infamous entry: 'For Wales, see England'. Cross the border into Wales today and differences are immediately apparent.
St. Davids, Wales. Penrhiw
Featured Hotels with Special Offers
Harbourmaster Hotel
Aberaeron, Ceredigion
20% Discount Christmas Special Offer
An iconic landmark on the harbour front, this bright-blue-painted former harbourmaster's house is home to a hotel with a great choice of individually styled bedrooms and an unpretentious restaurant, big on fish.
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa
Llandudno, Conwy
'Reduced B&B rates' April Special Offer
This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.
The Angel Hotel
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
'Spring Fling' Special Offer
Behind a neo-classical façade, this Georgian coaching inn is a happy mix of local drop-in, hotel and restaurant, with 'comfortable rooms, good food and welcoming staff', says a returning reader.
Ty Mawr
Brechfa, Carmarthenshire
Stay and Dine Jan/Feb Special Offer
'A jewel set in glorious Welsh countryside', on the edge of Brechfa Forest, this 17th-century country house is 'one of the most outstanding small hotels we have stayed in', readers write.
Penally Abbey
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
There are sublime sea views from this hilltop Gothic beauty, run by a dedicated and creative family, with elegant bedrooms and gourmet dining by candlelight.
Plas Dinas Country House
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
Two Night Spring D,B&B Special Offer
With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family offers 'exceptional yet relaxed service and great food', writes a reader this year.
Trefeddian Hotel
Aberdovey, Gwynedd
'April Escape' Special Offer
This traditional hotel is still 'well up to standard' and 'the situation of the hotel and its tremendous views are a major draw'.
Plas Tan-Yr-Allt
Porthmadog, Gwynedd
3 Nights For 2 BOOK DIRECT New Season Special Offer
There's history a-plenty in this upmarket B&B, which has breathtaking views over the Glaslyn estuary to the Rhinog mountains. Its bedrooms are named after former famous residents.
The Manor Town House
Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
'25% Discount + Bottle of Prosecco' Special Offer
Helen and Chris Sheldon's Georgian townhouse is a 'well set-up, furnished and immaculate B&B' with a terrace that has spectacular views over Cardigan Bay.
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon, Powys
Winter Escape Special Offer
More Best luxury and boutique hotels in Wales
Ael y Bryn
Crymych, Pembrokeshire
'If you have yet to discover Ael-y-Bryn then you are missing out on a gem,' reads one of many positive reports on this adults-only B&B in countryside outside the village of 'Egg-lis-oo-roo', with views to the Preseli hills and Carningli mountain.
The Bell at Skenfrith
Skenfrith, Monmouthshire
Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn is delightfully at ease in the landscape.
The Falcondale
Lampeter, Ceredigion
A 19th-century Italianate villa in 14-acre grounds, with views across the gently rolling Teifi valley, is today a hotel and popular wedding venue with an in-house beauty parlour and romance in its very fabric.
Porth Tocyn Hotel
Abersoch, Gwynedd
Guide readers are unswervingly loyal to this family-friendly country house by the sea, with peerless views to Snowdonia across Cardigan Bay, run by the Fletcher-Brewer family since opening in 1948.
The Albion
Cardigan, Cardiganshire
Occupying two waterfront former warehouses, part of the town's maritime heritage, this new hotel has bedrooms modelled on captains' cabins and lined with reclaimed timbers.
Pale Hall
Bala, Gwynedd
The chef holds a Michelin green star for his superb tasting menus at this neo-Jacobean Victorian country pile in wooded grounds on the edge of Snowdonia National Park, where past guests have included Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill.
Cnapan
Newport, Pembrokeshire
'It is a treat' to stay in this 'wonderful B&B', writes a reader of this Georgian house on Newport's main street. It makes an ideal base from which to explore the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and hosts Judith and Michael Cooper, who welcome guests with tea or coffee and home-made Welsh cakes, can advise on the 'fabulous walks nearby'.
The Whitebrook
Whitebrook, Monmouthshire
In a mobile-phone not-spot, deep in the rich foraging grounds of the Wye valley, Chris and Kirsty Harrod's restaurant-with-rooms holds its Michelin star for a ninth year.
Dolffanog Fawr
Tywyn, Gwynedd
You could not wish for a more glorious location than you find at Lorraine Hinkins and Alex Yorke's 18th-century farmhouse B&B, with views to Cader Idris and Tal-y-llyn lake.
The Coach House
Brecon
A former coaching inn, this top-notch B&B with secluded back garden combines hotel-quality accommodation with the warmth and intimacy of an owner-run guest house.
Osborne House
Llandudno, Conwy
It might not be as grand as its Isle of Wight namesake, but this Victorian house is now an extraordinarily opulent B&B, and guests have use of the spa and other facilities at big sister venture The Empire.
Mansion House Llansteffan
Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire
Overlooking the Tywi estuary, this contemporary restaurant-with-rooms in a restored Georgian mansion is enjoyed for its 'really lovely hospitality, food and accommodation.'
Riversdale House
Llangollen, Denbighshire
With the canal on one side and River Dee and steam railway on the other, this Victorian townhouse is a stylish, immaculately presented, adults only B&B.
The Cliff Hotel & Spa
Cardigan, Ceredigion
There is a spirit of inclusiveness about this family-friendly, singularly accessible clifftop hotel and spa, with a wide range of rooms and suites, from cheap and cheerful to luxury, and a menu to suit most tastes.
Penrhiw Farm
Pembrokeshire
Trained chef Alan Latter welcomes guests to this B&B on the organic dairy farm where he grew up, with characterful bedrooms, including one converted horsebox, and food sourced on the very doorstep.
Hive Townhouse
Aberaeron, Ceredigion
Brothers Rhys and Rhodri Davies have created six beautiful, Scandi-chic bedrooms in a Georgian corner house across the road from their popular bar and restaurant, purveyors of the famous Hive honey ice cream.
The Bear
Cowbridge, Vale Of Glamorgan
This former coaching inn in the heart of Cowbridge, with its fashionable shops (and just a few miles from the Wales Coast Path, too), is popular with both locals and visitors.
Hotel Portmeirion
Portmeirion, Gwynedd
Bedrooms are spread between properties in Clough Williams-Ellis's extraordinary Italianate resort village, but this hotel centres on a Victorian mansion with Art Deco bar and fine-dining restaurant.
Llangoed Hall
Brecon, Powys
A tree-lined drive leads to this 17th-century Wye Valley mansion, remodelled in 1912, replete with country-house comforts, important artworks, and a well-regarded fine-dining restaurant.
Crug Glas
St Davids, Pembrokeshire
The farmhouse on the Evans family's working farm has been elegantly styled with wallpaper and furnishings faithful to its Georgian origins, while outbuildings have been used to create more rustic-chic suites.
Parador 44
Cardiff
Caerdydd meets Cádiz at this boutique bolthole inspired by Spain's historic state-owned hotels, 'in the shadow of the Principality Stadium'.
Lake Country House Hotel & Spa
Llangammarch Wells, Powys
A Victorian mock-Tudor fishing lodge in wooded grounds on the River Irfon is today a spa hotel and foodie destination with a country house ambience and views to the Cambrian mountains.
Twr y Felin Hotel
St Davids, Pembrokeshire
Overlooking St Bride's Bay, a 19th-century windmill tower forms the centrepiece of this contemporary art hotel with a wide choice of generously supplied bedrooms, and a restaurant serving creative, modern dishes.
Penbontbren
Llandysul, Ceredigion
Bedrooms occupy converted outbuildings at this unusual B&B set in gardens ten minutes from beaches, each with outdoor space and kitchenette, where breakfast is served in the Victorian farmhouse dining room.
Sandy Mount House
Rhosneigr, Anglesey
The sands of time have seen changes at this formerly drab Edwardian seaside guest house, now a 'beautifully refurbished' contemporary hotel and restaurant.
Llanthony Priory Hotel
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
Currently closed for updating by its new owners, this hotel huddles under the Welsh Black mountains, where peace, stillness and surroundings removed from the buzzing demands of the modern world are guaranteed. The hotel is due to re-open in April.
Y Goeden Eirin
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
Kindly hostess Eluned Rowlands welcomes guests to her B&B – a stylishly renovated granite cowshed on the edge of Snowdonia –with tea and Welsh cakes, supplies bedrooms with fresh fruit and sherry, and serves a good Aga-cooked breakfast.
Ty'n Rhos
Llanddeiniolen, Gwynedd
In the foothills of Snowdonia, this family-run country house hotel has comfortable, traditional bedrooms and imaginative dishes served by delightful staff in the restaurant or conservatory.
Grove of Narberth
Narberth, Pembrokeshire
In a hillside glade, this once-derelict country house has been beautifully made over, with attention to guests' comfort, real fires, good textiles, fine dining restaurant and simpler artisan fare.
The Old Vicarage B&B
Moylegrove, Pembrokeshire
There is nothing chintzy about this B&B, an Edwardian vicarage with views to the sea, where the hosts serve a locally sourced breakfast with home-baked bread and can provide a tapas hamper for supper.
Luxury hotels, boutique retreats and cheap B&Bs in Wales Much has changed, mostly for the better, since a British encyclopaedia carried the infamous entry: 'For Wales, see England'. Cross the border into Wales today and differences are immediately apparent. The country is increasingly politically as well as culturally independent. The road signs are bilingual. Welsh is no longer heard only, or even mainly, in West Wales. The old language is spoken by the professional elite in Cardiff, an ever-more confident capital city with spacious parkland, a fine sports stadium and a world-class opera house. Rugby, not soccer, is the game that captures the popular imagination. Welsh male-voice choirs continue to merit their international renown and in the country's sports stands, as well as its pubs and clubs, people actually sing in tune. Welsh Hotels and restaurants, once often dire, are improving fast. Chefs use local produce, especially lamb and the meat of Welsh Black cattle, to produce excellent dishes. The cheeses are among the best in Britain. The walks and the beaches are as marvellous as the tourist brochures say they are: along the Lleyn Peninsula, The Gower, the River Wye and the rugged Pembrokeshire Coast. England's medieval King Edward I aimed to subdue the Welsh when he commissioned his still magnificent castles: Harlech, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris. Just as impressive are the Italianate fantasy town of Portmeirion designed by Clough Williams-Ellis; the deep disused coal mine ('Big Pit') at Blaenafon, where ex-miners guide visitors around underground; St David's Cathedral; and Dylan Thomas's boathouse at Laughharne. Natural enchantment is provided by hauntingly beautiful national parks: Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast. Also check out our hotels in North Wales and South Wales, and Anglesey.