The Good The Bad and The Ugly…read more The Good This was a bucket list wish trip. We've been wanting to get to see Portmeirion for 30 years and this was the year!!! We booked a room in the hotel and it included breakfast and we decided against having dinner there because as luck would have it the yearly Christmas craft and food festival was going on at the grounds. We enjoyed the fair and in the evening we sat in front of one of the fires. Husband reading and me knitting. Wonderful relaxing visit. The public rooms were old world gracious and cozy. The bar had a nice selection of drinks to enjoy. Our room was beautiful and we had two windows. One over the river and one up to the village. It was cold and rainy during our visit but believe it or not we came for this weather, being from Florida we kind of miss the cold. The Bad First morning breakfast was a full Welsh breakfast and was good but the second day, the last day and the one we will remember was horrible. I got the salmon eggs Benedict and husband an omelette. His breakfast came out steaming, mine - I almost had to chip off the ice. Okay there wasn't ice on my eggs but there was not a degree of warmth over room temperature and the room was cold. Couldn't catch the eye of a server. They were too busy cleaning up getting the room set for lunch. I had one bite of my eggs and pushed them aside. I went to fix my cup of tea and there was only two sugar cubes in the sugar bowl. What???? Thank goodness the table next to us was empty so we just swapped out. No salt and pepper on the table either. You would think the servers would notice that the food hasn't been eaten and ask about it. The Ugly Finally got the attention of our server. I told him my eggs were cold and inedible and if he had checked on us it could have been corrected during breakfast hours. (Breakfast was over by the way). He then got snippy and said there is no check because breakfast is included in the room. What the heck??? Just wish our last memory was better. Would i return?. That's a good question. The facility is beautiful, the room was great. Walking around the village was interesting but leaving hungry wasn't how I wanted to end our trip. Honestly if breakfast service is any indication of meals there I'm glad we didn't spring for dinner.

Love the hotel, the room and walking around the village. Sitting in front of the fire in the…read moreevening and just relaxing. We visited last year and had issue with the restaurant breakfast. Last year my eggs royal were served cold and by the time I could get the servers attention it was too late to order something else and his comment "you didn't have to pay for breakfast so what's the issue" This year we went down earlier and again I looked forward to trying eggs Royal. Again they came out barely warm. This time I chased down the manager and got a different breakfast. Last year we had room 2 in the hotel. Loved that it was a corner room so we had water front and village view. This year room 1. Just as lovely but no river view. Also they've done away with the free slippers being embroidered with the logo. Yes they still have slippers but they are unadorned. I know I know sounds petty but they were such a nice touch. We were there for the food and art festival again but not the hotels fault, the wind storm closed it down for Saturday. Sunday it was opened. Another less than stellar interaction was from the "guards" at the entrance. We had to check out Sunday and we were given a lift to the car park and went to enter the fair. We were supposed to get a plastic shopping bag but the guard refused saying the driver got two bags for the man in an orange coat. Hubby was wearing an orange coat but we didn't get bags from driver. They argued that we must have put the bags away and just wanted more. I don't steal and don't like being accused of stealing a silly bag. We checked the car and there were no bags. We managed to get a single bag grudgingly I know I know again petty but it does add up to be annoying.

The Well Barn comprises a small collection of local businesses in the heart of Litlle Crosby, a…read morequaint village just outside of Crosby and under ten miles from the centre of Liverpool. There is an authentic rural feel here as the winding roads have restricted speeds and there are no street lights. The Well Barn courtyard is easily located off the main street and houses a diverse mix of shops including: a craft shop, a holistic therapy and well being store, Corinthian furniture and a plumbing company. The stableyard itself is often used s an event space for community gatherings such as the recent summer fete. It's a really beautiful area with a lovely relaxed atmosphere. The Well Barn is easily accessed from Liverpool or Southport but retains the peace of the countryside.

Tros Yr Afon is a cluster of self-catering holiday accommodation cottages in Beaumaris, Anglesey…read moreand was the location for the wedding of close friends. Originally a manor house and farm buildings built in the early part of the 19th century - they are set around a pretty, gravelled courtyard. Ty Mawr, the Manor House (which sleeps 18) is grand and spacious whereas the cottages are more rustic and cosy sleeping between 2-8 people. It really was the perfect place for a wedding, as the huge gardens easily accommodated a large tepee where the reception was held. The weather was glorious for the entire weekend, so the ceremony itself was held on the lawn in front of the Manor House and then drinks were served in the courtyard whilst photos were being taken. It was fantastic to have a self-contained large space to celebrate well into the night/morning. Most of the cottages have their own private gardens but there are also the woods to explore and a large trampoline (yes, we went on that after quite a few beers). Their land spreads to some six acres in total, including a tennis court. The local pebble beaches are only a short walk and quaint Beaumaris town is just over two miles away. There are a number of good cafes, restaurants and pubs here. We couldn't get over how truly gorgeous this place was; we're hoping their wedding anniversary parties will return here!

We stayed here for a friends wedding and first off I have to say I was really impressed all round…read more The owner James was a really good guy and from the moment we arrived until we left on the Sunday he was great. A load of holiday cottages all surrounding a main house - it's the perfect place to hold a big celebration, wedding etc and with us and a load of others taking over the whole compound for 4 days it really felt great to be in such an enclosed but spacious place. The ceremony took place around the back of the house, the garden had a large enough area for a giant tipi taking over 100 guests and the front was great for a reception. Lovely fauna and foliage - this place was the great and we even got some sun - nice work James ;-) A 5 min drive from Beaumaris, probably a lot longer to walk up and down hill - a real hidden gem and with it only being 2 hours drive from Manchester is perfect for a weekend or longer away!

Firstly, in any way that we can endorse Bryn Tanat Hall as an intimate wedding venue, or a weekend…read moreretreat for friends and family, we will gladly oblige without hesitation. We held an intimate wedding weekend celebration, which included a large evening reception on the weekend of 21 April 2012. The Hall and the grounds were immaculately designed for comfort; formal, without feeling stuffy. Every guest that joined us for the weekend commented on the beauty of both the Hall and the grounds. The photographs on the main website do not do the Hall justice, with each room having its own character and personality. Despite being demanding clients, every detail we requested was executed meticulously to our specifications. Even at the last hour, the team at Bryn Tanat Hall managed alterations and used their skill and expertise as true hoteliers without compliant. We still are not quite certain how they accomplished this feat, but it made it seem effortless to our eyes. Susan and Peter: in addition to this review, please ensure the family and the staff receive the appropriate recognition for their commitment in delivering a truly personable service. Your team provided nothing short of a seamless service which left us, our house and reception guests feeling that they attended the "wedding of the century". Thank you, Susan and Peter, for making everything so very special; rarely is perfection ever exceeded.

Bodafon Farm is a working Farm which invites the public to get up close and personal with the Farm…read moreAnimals & experience every day life on a genuine farm. Its an ideal Family Day out and great fun for Children of all ages. For children its a great opportunity to feed and cuddle the smaller animals, and watch the farmers go about there daily activities - collecting eggs and ploughing the fields. Children can also ride on Mini-Tractors in the childrens farmyard and have a ride on the much loved Pony named Barney!! The Farm is home to mainly Cows and Sheep and some rare breeds, it also has a resident Llama, Goats, Deer and Birds of Prey including some very cute Owls. The Farm also has the Cartwheel Cafe which is located in the Old Stables and has a covered BBQ area and a lovely courtyard which is great in the evenings. The Cafe serves good homecooked food and offers a Grill menu with delicious Homemade Burgers and Steaks. It's also a great place for Childrens Parties and they also hire out the Function Room for private parties, weddings and special events. The Farm park is open all year round and costs £6 for Adults and £4.50 for children Well worth a Visit

Bodafon Farm Park is located at the back of Bodafon Fields, which is the greenbelt area between the…read moreeastern edge of Llandudno and the Little Orme. Access is via a rough and ready trail off Nant-y-Gamar Road. Admission these days is free, which you can't complain about, although there are charges for some activities such as pony or tractor rides but these are very reasonable. You can also purchase bags of food to feed the animals. The farm park is precisely what you might imagine a farm park should be with a few extras. You'll find a collection of all the usual suspects including cows, sheep, horses, goats, chickens, ducks and an enormous fat pig called Boris. Less expectedly you'll find deer, llamas, a rhea and a kookabura named Sheila. You can explore the park on foot or take a guided tour on a tractor. The park is also the home of the North Wales Bird Trust where you can visit their bird of prey display. This is great if you like owls as they have a collection of owls of all sizes and from all corners of the planet. There isn't much other than the owls so if you don't like owls you might be disappointed! The park also has a kids play area and a courtyard crammed full of pedal powered tractors. There's also a very nice cafe and bar with an outdoor courtyard which now has a wood fired pizza oven. There's also a function room which is licenced for weddings. Personally I enjoyed my visit although living in a semi-rural area there wasn't much of a novelty for me in seeing cows and sheep in fields. However the kids had a great time and I could imagine that anyone who lives in an urban area would love to get close up with the animals. All in all an enjoyable couple of hours, especially given that admission is free.

I first discovered the Last Inn in September 2012 when I decided that I needed to escape the city…read morefor the day, and enjoy some sea air. I used doggiepubs app to find a decent, dog friendly pub and the Last Inn was top of the list and, in fact, the first place we saw as we arrived. As a great example, for £10 you get a two course Sunday roast which is utterly amazing (and huge!) which consists of Welsh black beef (they offer a veggie option too), colcannon, roast potatoes, stuffing, a selection of vegetables and a delightful little gravy boat all of your own. This filling feast is followed by your choice of hot dessert ranging from rice pudding to apple crumble, chocolate brownie through to jam roly poly and more. The food is traditional, delicious, piping hot and accompanied with friendly service. As well as the Sunday roast, they offer a broad menu, specials board and also have live music and other entertainment on throughout the week. Recently, they've also started serving good quality coffees and specialty teas, which just adds to the experience. As a dog owner, how a 'dog friendly pub' behaves towards my four legged friend also makes a difference. The Last Inn always bring a bowl of water over for Finn, and make a fuss of him, so they get my vote! Last Sunday's visit certainly won't be my last and if you're up that way, it's well worth a look!

This is the local hangout for a few of the people we ended up seeing and spending time with while…read morewe were in Barmouth. This pub is apparently for a more sophisticated crowd. Seemed that way to me for the most part. We came here more than once on this trip. It is a pretty interesting thing that they have going on here. Ok, maybe not super interesting, but interesting nonetheless. You can actually drink across the street from the pub. On any given summer night there could be 20-30 people sitting/standing along the fence across the street with plastic cups of beer or whatever. I imagine most of these folks are locals. We hung out out there one night and for the most part they seemed like locals. We were here on a Sunday night as well as a weekday night. Sunday night had live music. The other night had an open mic night. On the Sunday night we ended up eating dinner. We were able to procure a table outside which was quite lovely. I ended up having a nice steak that was cooked medium rare (it was one of the only times on this trip that I was asked how I wanted my meat prepared). It was a nice piece of meat and I would definitely order it again should I ever come back. I know I will be back in Barmouth again. If I had a choice of pubs to frequent in Barmouth, the Last Inn would be that choice.