The days are getting longer, the daffs are peeping through the soil and the cat’ll venture out into the garden more than once a day… Spring must be on it’s way! Mr M and I try to get a weekend UK break in around this time of year, somewhere we can drive to in a few hours. Too many people overlook British breaks in favour of European city jaunts but it’s amazing what’s right on our doorstep. Plus the Euro makes it expensive to travel abroad, endless flights just aren’t good for your carbon footprint and it’s great to support British business, independent places to stay and local restaurants.
This time last year on a gorgeous Sunday morning, we decided not to waste the sunshine. Let’s drive to Wales! Well, Mr M drives and I stretch a lot (bad back!). Shamefully I’d never been to Portmeirion, so that was the general direction but the trip kind of snowballed. I’d seen a lovely boutique hotel in Aberdyfi/Aberdovey written about in Grazia and with a quiet Monday ahead, we decided to stay over. The Llety Bodfor is a small boutique hotel run by Gareth and his wife Ann Hughes, an interior designer, with suites, double rooms and singles available and it’s very own designer shop attached both in ‘real life’ and on-line. I bought a beautifully elegant chocolate brown leather bag made locally by a designer using waste from the leather industry, it’s my good luck charm bag for important meetings and always carries a picture of Chels in it.
There’s a great living room area, complete with books to borrow and films to watch. As we arrived late on the Sunday after a Portmeirion visit, our key and a welcome letter awaited us, which was just fine. It’s not a hotel with reception desk and staff, more like a guest house where you can come and go at will.
Our room was such a surprise, it was huge! Big double bed, squishy leather sofa and a seating area in front of a large bay on the first floor which looked across to the sea. Well stocked little mini-bar, olives, G&T…. perfect! Bathroom bigger than most people’s living rooms, man-sized shower, two sinks and a free-standing bath – the perfect place to read that Grazia.
We had dinner at the Britannia Inn in the village which was surprisingly good for a local pub. A brilliant night’s sleep set us up for a bracing walk first thing next morning on the beach, literally a couple of minutes walk across the road…..
It was misty as we walked down the front for breakfast…
Picked slate treasures washed up on the beach….
and sat watching life go by on the quay…
We got the feeling it’d been a little windy that winter, check out the somewhat stunted flags 😉
After a final bit of beach walking and crab catching….
And the obligatory & required local shopping….
.. before we made our way back up the West Wales coast and home. If you’re looking for a wild night out, maybe Aberdovey and the Llety Bodfor isn’t for you, but for a romantic break in a well designed small hotel, with good food, beach walks and the spectacular Welsh coastline & countryside to hand, it’s hard to beat. I’d love to go back in the summertime and make proper use of that beach!
Prices range from £75 to £150 for the doubles and suites, we paid a special off season Sunday night rate, think it was around £100.
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