Snowdonia guesthouse & B&B

Snowdonia guesthouse & B & B
Our Snowdonia guesthouse does not look like the conventional B&B; there are no signs to announce it by the roadside and we limit our advertising to the minimum. We prefer visitors to find us on a website such as this, for they will then have some idea of our underlying philosophy. Our guesthouse is situated between mountains and sea in the Snowdonia National Park, in the heart of Welsh-speaking Wales. Passionate as we are about our mother tongue, the Welsh language – one of the oldest surviving tongues in Europe – we are very well aware how tourism can be a threat to the survival of the language and its culture, as well as to the environment. On both these counts, we try to make a small difference.

At our Snowdonia guesthouse we have a bilingual policy and stock hundreds of Welsh books and English books of Welsh interest which our guests can browse. We can introduce visitors to the history, language and culture of the area, and maybe explain some Welsh place-names to them. Most important of all, we hope to treat guests as fellow human beings and not as commodities. Whilst at our Snowdonia guesthouse guests are treated like members of the family. Although we have a list of recommended good practice regarding environmental issues, we don’t have rules and regulations.

Green living does not have to be spartan. Our rooms are luxurious, but also relaxing and comfortable. We have been given some prestigious awards recently: a Cèsar Award as 'Green guesthouse of the year' in The Good Hotel Guide 2008; special commendation in the Gwynedd Business Awards, the Arena Nework Sustainability Awards, the Visit Wales National Tourism Awards and the Menter & Busnes National Awards. Also we achieved the Green Dragon Environmental Standard after a rigorous accreditation process by Arena Network.

Our Snowdonia guesthouse has been impeccably and characterfully renovated to a very high standard of comfort. We have two double rooms, one twin room and one single room. Bathrooms are modern and luxurious, with Fired Earth tiles or Welsh slate floors with under-floor heating.

Throughout the guesthouse there is a mix of traditional and modern – Welsh oak dressers and tables, bare stone walls, beams, modern artworks by Welsh artists, an Aga in the open-plan kitchen and a mainly wood-burning fireplace in the book-lined lounge.

We have a small and intimate dining-room which is licensed for both residents and non-residents.

A hearty Welsh breakfast is served for residents, but evening meals must be booked in advance. Locally-sourced food (some of it organic and some from our own garden in season) is freshly cooked on the Aga. It is accompanied by a short wine list and amongst our pre- or post-prandial drinks there is Penderyn Welsh Single Malt Whisky. We have slate tables in the garden for al fresco eating and dining.

We encourage guests to stay in the area for a few days, rather than to rush through en route to somewhere else. This is a wonderful holiday destination in its own right. The locality has excellent facilities for walking, climbing, swimming, sailing, fishing, golfing, bird-watching, nature trails, cycling, and there are farm animals (cattle and sheep) roaming around the fields.

The surrounding area is steeped in history and mythology, and some of the ancient Mabinogion tales are located here. Edward the First’s massive castle dominates the nearby town of Caernarfon. Clough Williams-Ellis’ Italianate village is located at Portmeirion, and there is a slate-quarrying museum in Blaenau Ffestiniog. The beautiful Llyn Peninsula is on the doorstep, and in the other direction lies the Isle of Anglesey where there are pre-historic remains. 

There are many picturesque villages such as Beddgelert and Betws-y-Coed within reasonable distance, and the rugged landscape is highly dramatic inland, yet gentle and soothing along the coastline.

Walking & cycling at Snowdonia guesthouse: This is a wonderful walking area and we can advise on routes and provide guides and maps. Snowdon can be climbed from the village of Llanberis where there is a slate museum. The national cycle route is just at the bottom of our fields and we have a safe room to store bicycles.  By rail: The nearest stations are Bangor and Porthmadog.
By road: From Caernarfon onto Porthmadog/Pwllheli road. A487 through Bontnewydd, left at roundabout, signed Dolydd. House half a mile on right, before garage on left.
By air: The nearest airports are Liverpool and Manchester. Birmingham also has good rail links with Bangor.

In view of good public transport, cycle routes and plenty of footpaths, visitors may be persuaded to leave their cars at home, in which case we can meet them at the station.