Portmeirion North Wales — Attraction in Penrhyndeudraeth

We spent the last weekend billeted in the Watch House at Portmerrion for a Paul Weller / Mod themed weekend organised by Nicky Weller, Paul’s sister ( & others) .

We arrived at the hotel and checked in and were taken by a porter in a buggy to the Watch House and , oh my God , the photos do not do the location the justice it deserves. It is beyond doubt one of the most beautiful rooms with a view I have ever stayed in . It has stunning views of the River (Afon in Welsh) Dwyryd and the bay from it’s own private seating area.

The room itself was redesigned in 2015 and a floating bed added . The bed is a stroke of genius as it’s both very practical and elevated to enjoy the estuary views from it . A step is provided for the more vertically changed . It’s very comfortable too . Slept like a log but I spent my evenings dancing to Northern Soul and Ska so that was always going to be the case . Great bed .

On the right hand side you have a kitchenette / wardrobe room with all mod cons needed for a comfortable weekend . To the left you have a modern spacious bathroom with walk in shower , bath and basin .

Spending 4 days in Pothmerrion village feels like you are living in a dreamworld , I never felt more like Alice in Alice Through The Looking Glass . It’s absolutely stunning and every time you walked through the village it revealed a new detail or one of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis little architectural cheats that both make you smile and add to the other worldliness of the village . Some of the “Blue Hour “ photographs are some of the most spectacular I have ever taken . The Herculean Town Hall is a Grade One listed masterpiece and the vaulted ceilings featuring the Labours of Hercules & the signs of the Zodiac , saved by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis ( in a time when so much beautiful architecture went to waste sites ). It’s also a bit cheeky .

The village shopping experience is well thought out too . The retail offering is sympathetic to the village ambience . All outlets are well placed with the right amount of gift shops and food and drink outlets placed well and able to cater for what must be the busy summer holidays months. The gorge is steep if you have mobility issues but there are many helpful ports and electric buggy services for residents .

We ate at both hotels . Both experiences were good, small gripe of the potatoes being over sugared with the Lamb Henry but not a deal breaker . Not the cheapest places you will eat if that bothers you .

Special mention must be given to the staff at Portmeirion . Diolch am ofalu amdanom ni. Roeddech chi'n rhagorol a chawsom amser gwych. Everyone was well trained and attentive and happy to help and , much more importantly for those who work in customer facing service , as I have done . they went out of their way and let their personalities and humour shine through . More difficult than you would think to get right on a customer by customer basis . John in the main hotel on the breakfast shift remembered several guest preferences and engaged professionally with all the guests . It felt like a very Welsh experience and was perfect . All the staff were the engaging .

When we left on Monday morning it was lie emerging from a dream , sadly , back into the real world . Highly recommended escapist weekend . “Be...

We stayed as it was a special anniversary and decided to use the motorhome park and book a reservation at castle.

On entry we had used the quick service as the site had sent us an email the day before. Very quick access and advised where we need to park. The staff are very polite and gave us a 1st class service.

With the booking you get access to Portmeirion during the day and also out of hours. Plus use of the swimming pool, the night porter transport from the restaurants and a reception desk at the motorhome park. Full facilities available including grey & chemical waste, water, EHU, toilets and showers. It is a very well sheltered site, individual bays separated by hedges and very quiet, especially as there are no dogs allowed. No barking at every single thing which happens on other sites!

The actual village is stunning, what ever way for look there is a different aspect. This site was built as a folly village but as accommodation for adults back in the 1930’s and saved lots of interesting parts from buildings meant for demolition. It’s a great place to wander around and sit, ponder, move on, sit and ponder again. It’s not a place to be rushed. Clough Williams-Ellis knew what he was doing when it came to planning this place.

There are several cafes and shops so plenty to eat and drink.

Plenty of free car parking which is very close to the village.

Yes it’s £20 to get in but you could spend two days or more exploring as the woodland area is very big, so might be advisable to get an annual pass at £40.

Our campervan was booked in and it was £55 per night, however this included entry, full facilities, access to the restaurants and bars, Porter transfers, access to the pool and out of hours access. We were treated as if we were hotel guests so had a fabulous service and time.

We also dined in the castle Deudraeth and could not fault the food and excellent service. We even got a happy wedding anniversary card. Again we got free Porter transfers from the restaurant back to the site. The service was brilliant and you made us feel very special.

As we got out of hours access and as the crowds do thin out the place feels like your own personal garden so you can sit and listen to the birds.

My advice to anyone wanting info is to download the app. There is a QR code on the back of the map. This is a minefield of information.

If you’re fan of the Prisoner then this is a must visit. There is a merchandise shop with lots to buy plus if the sizes are not available try the online shop.

This is a place for adults and young people interested in history, buildings and architecture and anyone wanting to get away from the rat race and just sit and enjoy your surroundings.

You take this place for what it is, planned by an architect who enjoyed the site, wanted people to explore and revel in the Italian based architecture plus whatever else he found and put in it.

Don’t expect Disneyland as this definitely ain’t it thank god!!

Thank-you Clough Williams-Ellis for your electric, mesmerising buildings in beautiful surroundings.

As one of the famous saying from The Prisoner, will...

This was one of the places on my wife's bucket list, and we booked a family holiday in Wales around the proximity of Portmeirion to the holiday let. We booked tickets for disabled, carer, under 3, and 2 adults, costing £65 in total. Well signposted directions to the car park and a disabled spot available when we arrived. The entrance is just a few metres from the disabled parking. Despite the requirements on the website to have proof of disability and carer status we were not asked for anything at the gate. The gate was staffed by friendly staff who gave an outline of what the venue offered. I am a wheelchair user, and was warned to be careful when entering because the ticket booths have a cambered slope next to them. This really needs to be sorted out to enable wheelchair users to actually go to the ticket booths. A disabled toilet is close to the entrance, and is typically not enough of a generous size to turn a powerchair around in. The venue is set on a hillside, so has a very steep incline down to the hotel at the bottom. I used a Meyra Optimus RS2 powerchair, so had no problems, but can imagine going up and down this incline may cause some problems for less powerful devices. Halfway down the incline is the disabled entrance to the large chess board but on the day we visited there was a no entry tape across the only disabled access. Every other access point was open, but involved stairs. To decide to do maintenance and block the only disabled access point in the middle of a visitor day was very poor management. The walks around the estate all appeared to have steep inclines, which would have made it difficult and/or impractical for mobility impaired visitors. There were electric buggies to take people up and down the hill to the hotel. None of the venue appears to have been specifically adapted for disabled visitors, with some parts only being accessed by steps. The parts that are accessible appear incidentally so. Overall, the venue was colourful and welcoming, and worth a visit, but not really geared up for...