New Hotels (Dec 2021)
Portmeirion is possibly the most famous village in Wales. You may know it as the Italianate village created by by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Or you may know it as the location for the 1960s cult TV series The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan. Rather fewer people know that they can stay there, either in the Portmeirion Hotel right on the beach beside the Dwyryd estuary or in Castell Deudraeth at the top of the village.
Bossington Hall is a luxury country house B&B, just on the edge of Exmoor where the hills tumble down towards the Bristol Channel. It was built in the Lutyens style by a wealthy ship owner who had noticed an empty hillside that seemed to be always in the sun. Today the interior design is purposely in keeping with 1920’s understated elegance, whilst offering comfort, style and practicality throughout. Eight acres of gardens have expansive lawned areas, sub-tropical plants and trees, a stream with a bridge and waterfall, and even a millpond.
When a hotel is called simply The Waterfront, you might easily guess its position, and you would be right. This "Waterfront" is a B&B and restaurant right on the harbourside in the heart of the East Neuk of Fife. In a location such as this on the Firth of Forth, it's hardly surprising that the restaurant menu is bursting with seafood dishes sourced from local suppliers. Naturally the breakfast menu includes grilled kippers and smoked Scottish haddock as well as the usual full Scottish breakfast, various egg choices and some vegetarian options. All the bedrooms feature cool, contemporary decor with large flat screen TVs, en-suite bathrooms, tea and coffee facilities and a selection of soaps and toiletries. Most rooms are double or twin but there are economically-priced single rooms, family rooms and best of all are the Superior rooms with panoramic views of the harbour and the Firth of Forth.
Back to Wales, we present a 5-star rated boutique B&B in picturesque Betws-y-Coed, in the heart of Snowdonia. This is Summer Hill Guest House. The location is just 50m from the picturesque Pont y Pair Bridge, and the Swallow Falls are just up the road, as is the Gwydir Forest Park. The garden surrounding Summer Hill is a riot of greenery that quickly blends into the hills and forest that surround it. The eight bedrooms all have an en-suite bathroom and between them offer a choice of double, kingsize, super-king or twin beds, plus there is a family room and a single room so all options are covered.
In the Puglia region of Italy, we found Masseria Mongiò dell'Elefante quite by chance and were immediately entranced by its position in open countryside just 250m from a quiet sandy beach. Part of the large estate of the Mongiò family, the hotel has been sympathetically created from some old rural buildings, using as much as possible of the original fabric and materials. It is surrounded by gardens and terraces (with a large swimming pool) and the restaurant serves typical dishes in the culinary tradition of the Salento region, prepared in an innovative and elegant manner.
29 Dec 2021, 17:27