I am currently in this hotel as I start writing this, so strong is my desire to save others from…read morelosing not only their hard earned cash but hours of precious sleep. Let me tell you a little about the location of this pub hotel. Situated in the provincial Welsh town of Carmarthen, a place seemingly stuck in a pre-millennium timewarp filled with some pleasant locals but primarily a demographic of OAPs, lager louts and bored looking teenagers, in which the only source of entertainment is to marinate oneself in as much alcohol as your enzymes can handle. The location aside the Rose and Crown is fairly innocuous in terms of looks, although I did sense a ripple of tension from the locals as we walked into the pub (The League of Gentlemen kept popping into my head for some inexplicable reason!) I had come down to Carmarthen to surprise my fiancé as he was working down there for a few days, and staying at the hotel. Despite his already having paid for the room I still had to pay £20 for the privilege of sleeping in the other unoccupied single bed in my partner's room. Apparently the manageress was doing us a favour by allowing this, and told us that they'd had problems with guests bringing...ahem...."visitors" back to stay before. Despite feeling slightly disgruntled by being categorised with certain ladies of the night I paid up as quite frankly I couldn't be bothered driving the hour and a half home. There were 8 rooms in all, each fairly basic in design but clean and serviceable. The bathrooms were a happy surprise - each with a large, new shower cubicle, which were very well maintained. The beds were, like most cheap hotels, not exactly the height of comfort but quite frankly we were so exhausted we would've slept on anything. Unfortunately however sleep alluded me all night, with a cacophony of noise spewing from the pub and the locals trundling up and down the street until 5.30am. I was so tired by the time my alarm went off I decided to skip breakfast to catch a few extra precious minutes sleep. If you're a night owl yourself The Rose and Crown would probably suit you down to the ground, but as a resting place for tired business persons, or as a romantic getaway (though I can't imagine anyone choosing Carmarthen for a romantic weekend away) I would recommend you stay elsewhere!

Nice pub, friendly staff and lvely bar meals. A great place to visit on a night out in Carmarthen…read moretown. There is a pleasant Beer garden at the rear of the premises with a smoking area. Highly recommended.

Pembroke castle was another great stop on our trip through Wales. We visited the castle midday day…read moreon a rather windy and cold day but that didn't stop us from exploring. Included with your admission is an option to take a guided tour that takes you to the castle keep and other areas of the ruin. Our guide was very good, and used a great variety of emotion to tell the stories of each area. You could see her passion for the place through her speech. The other part of the castle that wasn't guided was the interior which was nice to walk inside and see. Inside several chambers are mannequins set up to give a visual of what life would have looked like back when the castle was in its hey day. There were several plaques and markers with explanations of what we were looking at and where we were in terms of what kind of room we were in. If you find yourself in western Wales, definitely stop by and take a look at this grand castle ruin. You will not be dissapointed! Make sure to catch one of the free tours too! The last tour in off peak time is at 3 pm!

Great drinks, excellent service, great outdoor patio! Lovely staff, management was great as well!read more

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this beautiful journey into Wales' ancient past. Each of the…read moreroundhouses are built to original dimensions using post-holes that were uncovered in an archaeolgical dig. The collection of artifacts in each of the houses is accurate to the time period and the tours give a great insight into life back in the Iron Age. I was also very pleased with the visitor's centre, whose staff were knowledgeable and friendly. There are guided tours available led by staff in period costume, children's activities and even fixed cameras in the nearby stream showing wildlife in situ. Castell Henllys has also been used as a film location, and has a great appeal for schools and other day-trippers.

We'd been to Stonehenge and read several books on British prehistory, including a couple by Barry…read moreCunliffe. The thought of coming to a recreation of an Iron-age settlement was not strongly appealing, particularly because the brochure was designed to appeal to parents looking for something that their kids might enjoy. I admit that my first impressions were incorrect. In part this is because we came in the mid-afternoon on a weekday, so it was relatively quiet. It was also because our Iron-age host, someone quite familiar with the archeology of this site (which was where an Iron-age settlement existed so long ago) and with Iron-age archeology in general. We walked from house to house and learned more about the concrete realities of life in the Iron-age. Somehow the experience of walking into (recreated) Iron-age settlement, accompanied by a guide, made it possible to have a glimpse into what life was like back in the day. Visiting Castell Henllys is a wonderful complement to visiting Stonehenge. Seeing Stonehenge is an awesome experience but it is quite abstract. Castell Henllys makes is all come alive.

A small branch of this store just as you enter the pedestrianised area. Not a huge choice but not…read morebad and there are always racks of clothes to look through, mostly quite expensive as they are brands like Peter Storm and other, similar, 'name' labels. They do have sales from time to time so you can get a reasonable reduction. Good also for camping gear and shoes and boots. UPDATE NOV 2010: I've come back to give this shop an extra star rating after the wonderful, friendly and helpful service I received yesterday from the the young guy who was serving in there. Nothing was enough trouble for him, definitely a credit to Millets!

This is a medium sized branch of Millets situated in the middle of Carmarthen town centre. To get…read moreto it you would have to park at one of the towns pay and display car parks. The store stocks a good range of camping and outdoor equipment and whilst I dont go camping very often I do like to buy the childrens outdoor coats here. The quality of their products is good and hard wearing and I have never had reason to complain. Childrens coats can range from £15 to £30 however I feel this is worth paying for. Most of their items seem to be priced a little above average but I guess that you get what you pay for. Staff are always helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend a visit if you havent been to a Millets before.

My dear friend,Aeronwy's ashes are buried here, in the…read moregarden of the home she writes about so poignantly in "My Father's Places" - Constable 2009 This estuary is one of the most peaceful places on the Planet. To make the perfect visit,stay at Castle House (reviewed elsewhere) which is superb & walk through the woods of the poems of Dylan : "Now as I was young & easy under the apple boughs" or drink in the local pubs; spend the day on the flats & imagine the boat with Caitlin & the children sailing back to the Boat House. Visit Swansea & the Dylan Thomas Centre

The poet's old home in a glorious location with a panoramic view across the estuary and the Heron…read morepriested shore. The house is now a museum dedicated to his life and work. It's fascinating to wander around and there is an audio-visual display in one of the upstairs rooms. You can also visit Thomas's 'writing shed' where he did much of his work. Although it is kept locked, you can look through the window at a reconstruction of what it would have been like (either that or it hasn't been touched since he left!) complete with empty beer bottles.

This is a must to visit, Educational interesting and enjoyable. see for your self the work is…read moreunderway to lift a sunderland flying boat from the haven, restore it and then put it on display in our own military heritage museum in Pembroke Docks Garrison chapel. ALWAYS a warm welcome waiting for you.

So interesting pop in to the sunderland trust work shop museum. the history is amazing and the…read morepeople are so enthusiastic a must if your coming to pembrokeshire .

I must say that this place is looking great! Lovely Oak floors, leather lounge bar and lovely cosy…read morerestaurant. The restaurant has just been opened to the public after a 20 year lapse. Well worth a try! Their web address is http://www.spilmanhotel.co.uk

The Spilman Hotel is friendly, family-run hotel conveniently located near the middle of the town…read more Downstairs is a pleasant bar and a surprisingly good restaurant. The rooms are recently refurbished but based on the original layout so they tend to be a good size with high ceilings. The inclusive breakfast included a good selection of cereals and also a traditional cooked breakfast options. The cooked breakfast was pretty good, although the sausages were rather bland. Dinner was much better. Starters cost £4.50 to £6.00 and included a fish cake and a ham hock and smoked chicken terrine. Mains range from around £10 to £20 and included a pork fillet dish, a stuffed chicken breast and Fillet steak with a pepper corn and mushroom sauce with potatoes dauphinoise or chips and seasonable vegetables. Puddings included some traditional English sweets, and cheese and biscuits. The food was very good, well prepared and well seasoned, but the gaps between courses were a little long. The hotel has a small car park which is rather difficult to find and the entrance is challenging. Drive North East past the hotel down to the church, bear left around the church and come back down behind the hotel on St Peter's Street then onto King Street. The entrance to the car park is a narrow alleyway on the left just after the Hugh Evans butcher's shop: swing wide to the right and turn hard left into the alleyway. Be prepared to fine tune your approach because the alleyway is very narrow not wide enough for pedestrians to pass a car, so breath in as you drive down! Once you have gone down the alleyway the car park itself is reasonable with room for about 13 cars. I enjoyed my brief stay at the Spilman's Hotel, and the dinner in particular was a very pleasant surprise: recommended.

This is a really lovely tea room, the like of which are all too rare these days. The walls are…read morecovered in old exquisitely hand stitched samplers and war time artefacts, the tables are spread with attractive tablecloths and the food is served on good china. The menu is full of wonderful options for morning coffee, light lunches and afternoon tea and a side table displays a tempting range of baked goodies and as well as a variety of homemade jams and chutneys. Our large, steaming bowls of vegetarian cawl, delicately spiced and chock full of veg, were absolutely delicious. I wouldn't hesitate to go back and, if I lived locally, it would become one of my regular haunts. So why haven't I given them 5 stars? Well, they had a board in the city, advertising the tea room and stating that they offered gluten free soups and bread. As I was travelling with a friend who follows a wheat/dairy free diet, we visited with great anticipation! But the bread (whilst gluten free) contained milk, the cakes (whilst gluten free) contained butter... and there was no soya milk on offer for tea/coffee. With so many people following special diets these days, there really is no excuse for tea rooms, coffee shops, restaurants and pubs not to offer, at the very least, soya milk for a cuppa!