Palé Hall

Palé Hall

, Llandderfel, Bala, Gwynedd.

You really can live like a lord at Palé Hall, even if only for a few days. This spectacularly opulent Victorian country house hotel provides the best of everything. Situated in the tranquil Dee valley this wonderful mansion has an idyllic woodland garden rolling down to the banks of the river. The Snowdonia National Park is right on the doorstep. Guests here can expect to enjoy exceptional standards of service in a friendly, informal and relaxing atmosphere.

Sixteen acres of tranquil gardens and parkland are a venue for everything from croquet to fly fishing on the River Dee.

The Huntsman Bar and Bistro is a relaxed space with a warm atmosphere, named in commemoration of the original richly carved Victorian bars of the same name. It offers an extensive bistro menu and is home to a casual dining offering. The Huntsman is dog friendly (all dogs must be on a lead and well behaved). Children are welcome to eat here too at lunchtime and up to 7.30pm.

The Venice dining room, complete with the original range, is the family dining room with a Venetian theme where families can dine with their children of any age. With its crystal chandeliers and Venetian mirrors, it is a magical room.

The Henry Robertson Dining Room is the fine dining restaurant named after the original builder of Palé Hall. It is a light and elegant room, and is where afternoon tea is served and then from 6.30pm the two tasting menus created by Head Chef Gareth Stevenson. With its ornate plaster ceilings and marble fireplace this room was designed to impress. Building relationships with local farmers, growers, fishermen, food producers means that the menus at Palé Hall allow you to discover some of the finest food of North Wales, always fresh, seasonal, naturally delicious and, of course, responsibly, humanely and organically produced. Three AA Rosettes speak for themselves.

All bedrooms have comprehensive facilities as one would expect, including a smart mirror TV, wi-fi, a complimentary Madeira decanter and bottled water, towelling bathrobes, and more besides. The Classic rooms are light, airy and sumptuous, with plenty of space. The Turret rooms are quirky with a compact bed space and a separate sitting room within one of the turrets offering outstanding views. The Grand rooms are indeed very grand with wonderful furnishings and very special bathrooms. One was used by Queen Victoria herself when she visited in 1889 and the bed, basin and bath are believed to be the same ones she used. The Master rooms are even more comfortable than the Grand Rooms, and then there are the Superior Suites! When you have a room two steps above that provided for Queen Victoria, you know you have really arrived.

Everyone knows North Wales for its renowned beauty and the majesty of its landscapes but there is plenty more too. Once you have dispensed with Mount Snowdon, Betws-y-Coed, Lake Bala and the many famous castles in the area, do look at some of the historic railways and canals. Sir Henry Robertson was the industrialist and railway entrepreneur who built much of north Wales’s railways, as well as Palé Hall.