Address: Portmeirion, Gwynedd, Wales LL48 6EN.
Tel: 01766 772400.
Email: castell@portmeirion-village.com
Website: www.portmeirion.com
First impressions: A 19th-century castellated mansion overlooking Snowdonia and the fantasy village of Portmeirion - setting of 60s cult TV show The Prisoner. The Grade II-listed building has been renovated by the grandson of Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion's creator.
What are the rooms like? There are 11, each the size of a London flat, some decorated with limited edition Marc Chagall prints. The rooms are calming: wooden floors, white walls, chic sofas and views over landscaped gardens framed by an estuary and mountains.
The bed test: Suede sleighbed with cavernous white duvet, between slate-topped bedside tables, finished with a decanter of white port. Sweet dreams.
The bathroom test: Floor to ceiling grey marble with a Jacuzzi bath and back-breaking power shower.
The restaurant: Swish design, informal atmosphere. Excellent seafood, including lobster from the Llyen Peninsula and oysters from Anglesey. Three courses with wine for just over £20 a head.
The bar: Relaxed. Take your Singapore Sling on to the garden terrace or disappear in a leather chair beside the fire. Although the likes of Jools Holland, Jude Law and Bob Geldoff frequent the village, locals and artists mingle, oblivious.
What is there to see within walking distance? Portmeirion village, inspiration to the Bloomsbury set and Noel Coward among others.
Within a short drive? Snowdonia National Park, Ffestiniog railway, the beaches of the Lleyn Peninsula.
How much a night? £165 for a superior room, £180 for a grand room and £230 for the penthouse suite with private roof terrace. All prices B&B.
