by “He’s definitely won the prize for confusing spelling,” says the 10-year-old as we head through Snowdonia towards our hotel. As usual, she is right. Penmaenuchaf (Pen-mine-i-chav) is a large old stone inn, out in the hills outside picturesque Dol-geth-ai, near the market town of Machynlleth (Ma-hunt-leth).
Got? Honestly, it’s worth wrapping your tongue around. This area is my family’s favorite part of Wales. It is truly magical – a mountainous place with no name of myth and legend, where the princes of Wales fought and – if you know your Mabinogion – dragons swooped, as well as giants and wizards.
This fierce independence is still deeply rooted in the soil. Machynlleth has great shops, a world-class comedy festival and the aptly named MOMA Machynlleth art gallery. Dolgellau is even prettier – the perfect place to stop for a picnic before climbing Cadair Idris, one of Snowdonia’s mightiest mountains; scaleable by strong children, with waterfalls and a swimmable glacial lake, Llyn Cau (the bottomless house of a monster, legend says).
Penmaenuchaf sits at the foot of the mountain, and spelling isn’t the only award he’s up for. The title of best hotel rooms in Wales is in strong demand. Wales is full of surprises. But – and I’m at risk of a mountain of irate letters the size of Snowdonia here, mainly from my own family in Wales – this list has traditionally not been topped by the many great hotels. Penmaenuchaf could change that.
Opening its oak front doors, it feels a little like entering a large family home – there are sepia family photos and framed letters on the walls, stained glass windows flickering with light from the crackling fires, tartan sofas drawn from rooms snug living. The bar is the cutest I’ve ever pulled a stool up to – room for four or five people, home to three times as much whiskey. An oak-panelled great room looks out over the terraced 19th-century gardens, which overlook wild or sloping paths leading vertically down to the swollen Mawddach Estuary. You could walk for days, cycle, fish, explore the coast or sit with a book and watch the weather race across the mountains.
Neil and Zoe Kedward, owners of the iconic Grove of Arberth hotel, bought Penmaenuchaf in 2022. A slow and sensitive restoration is underway. The first phase – focusing on the four bedrooms right at the top of the hotel – is complete and, my God, they’re like Narnia in reverse. Instead of passing, unexpectedly, from a boring bedroom to a fairytale forest, you come in from the wild outside world, climb the stairs and find yourself in a wonderland of funny wallpaper, warm colors and beautiful textiles.
By now, these new rooms are also perfect for families. Each pair has its own separate staircase. Build two and you almost have your own private apartment. The children claim Eyri – a rose-coloured haven with vaulted ceilings, green-gingham curtains, a roll-top bath and a wine-red velvet headboard.
Across the landing, our Mawddach room is a blue study. Ditsy wallpaper in a sloping living room. Luxuriously lined striped curtains separate into a bedroom of duck egg panels, quilts and Welsh antiques. The dream marble bathroom. Even the kids (usually blind to everyone but including the TV or no TV) are drawn in. The transformation is the work of Nicola Harding, a superstar designer who is also responsible for London’s Beaverbrook Townhouse. You can trace the connection – mainly in the joyous inclusion of texture, color and pattern.
The downsides of the other 12 bedrooms are – for now – more conservative. The dining room could use a wave of Harding’s magic wand. The Kedwards have instead put cash into the kitchen, where head chef Thomas Hine can reach his full potential. Dish after great dish comes at dinner – each cosmopolitan but rooted in local produce and tradition, precise but not pretentious.
The service is also a delight – the staff sliding smoothly between Welsh and English, formality and friendliness. A few very famous faces are dining, separately, on the same night as us, allowing them to settle into blissful and complete anonymity.
Meanwhile the newborn at her parents’ table, and our two tweens, are treated with the same seriousness and respect. The children – no fools – are wise about the rare pride of the place. Certainly no family facilities. No swimming pool, kids club, playground. But the outside world is a much bigger and wilder adventure. And on a winter’s night, the history and character of the world within also exerts a powerful magic. We want to bring it all back ASAP.
Fundamentals
A family of four can book two rooms at Penmaenuchaf (01341 212121; penmaenuchaf.co.uk) from £460 for two, B&B. Some rooms can accommodate a Z-Bed.
