Olif — Restaurant in Wales

An absolutely beautiful and well presented boutique hotel. Lovely warm welcome, nearby on street parking. We had booked room 4, Calon, as it was one of two dog friendly options ~ not that you would have known! Often dog friendly options are tired looking rooms with occasional obvious signs of the previous occupants, but not this one. The room was light, bright, sweet smelling and spotlessly clean, on the top floor, overlooking the river and with stunning views.

It had that perfect balance of being cosy, warm and inviting, whilst also feeling that bit special thanks to the elegant decor ~ a huge and extremely comfortable bed resulted in a fabulous nights sleep. Great wi-fi, large TV with Netflix, delicious welsh waffles and hot drink selection, Nespresso machine, kettle, cafetiere, corkscrew, bottle opener, wine glasses, bottled water all provided too.

Huge white fluffy bath sheets, mats and face cloths awaited in the spacious bathroom complete with rainfall shower and the most inviting bathtub ever thanks to the provision of candles, bubbles and bath tray to hold your book, tablet, drink etc. Shampoo, shower gel, hand soap, moisturiser, hair dryer, bath robes ~ they have literally thought of everything and so despite the owner asking me to get in touch if we needed anything, there was not a thing we felt we were without! The only thing I might have asked for, had I not brought my own, would have been a bigger pillow, but I am sure this would have been provided had I asked for it. Everything felt so fresh and new, it was just lovely!

Breakfast was absolutely delicious and plentiful all three days, all made using locally sourced ingredients, even the salt and butter! Various options are available from huge welsh breakfast, or smoked salmon and eggs on toast to fluffy pancakes. There were also croissants, fruit, yogurts, cereals and juice. I was delighted that they even had decaf freshly ground coffee and oat milk.

The two times we ate in the restaurant we were totally blown away. The tapas is just mouthwatering and the atmosphere in there was so inviting. The lovely twinkly lights and calming background music, all of it was just perfect. ...... and then the food, oh wow the food!!! The menu is small, but perfect. Beef that melts in your mouth, Anglesey eggs which are the epitome of comfort food and the perfect patatas bravas with a generous amount of spicy sauce and alioli and don't get me started on the salted caramel cheesecake!

Yet what made this place one of the best I have ever visited (and we are regular travellers) was most definitely the team that work there. Olif is run by a husband and wife , Aubrey and Mari. Mari was recovering from surgery and so we did not have the pleasure of meeting her, but came away feeling as though we had, because she was just so thoughtful and attentive despite her predicament. Mari is clearly born to host. Unfortunately I was having a flare up of a long term health condition but Mari and Aubrey were so incredibly helpful and friendly, both in advance of our stay and during too. Nothing was too much trouble, they went above and beyond to support us in having a good break away, even offering to bring a dining table up to our room if I remained too unwell to visit the restaurant as planned.

Aubrey does all the cooking and again he has a huge talent and puts so much care into every plate he serves, before popping over with a smile and a hello and to offer some suggestions on what we might do with our weekend. He and Mari are clearly a dream team and Aubrey was not afraid to admit that he was missing Mari's presence whilst she recovered.

Equally every single member of staff we happened across seemed generally happy to work there. They were all so kind, so genuine and so welcoming, no matter the time of day or night. A huge smile and 'how are you' goes such a long way. After three nights there, we absolutely did not want to leave and cannot wait to return. Thank you to Aubrey, Mari and your wonderful friendly team. We'll...

We booked online in advance as Olif had been recommended to use. We both had been looking forward to our meal. The menu did not disappoint. An interesting array of dishes, a Spanish tapas theme with a Welsh twist, although we were told when handed the menu that several dishes listed were not available. I ordered a Gin flight that the menu stated, came with fever tree tonic (my favourite tonic water) and my husband ordered a beer flight. Our drinks arrived , but mine came with another type of tonic water not fever tree, so I queried this, thinking they must be out of fever tree. I was then bought a bottle of ‘light’ fever tree already opened…making it more difficult to say no too. Please give the customer the option, if you only have ‘light’ fever tree, say so before serving it. We ordered a range of tapas dishes and bread. Very promptly all of our hot tapas dishes and the Manchego cheese were served at once. This made us feel as though the restaurant really wanted us out the door promptly. After we had eaten some of the hot dishes, the bread dish arrived, with the waitress stating she could not fit it on the table which is why it came out later? For a restaurant that specialises in Tapas I would have thought that the bread and manchego cheese dish, could have come out first and that once those dishes had been finished, the hot dishes would have been served. This would have made for a more enjoyable dining experience as we would have been able to appreciate the different dishes more fully. I also want to make the point that a restaurant that places quite a number of conditions on it’s patrons(listed below), really needs to ensure it is providing a good experience. i.e. You can only book online, you need to supply your credit card when booking, and will be charged 15 pounds per head if you cancel less than 3 hrs before or fail to show. When making a booking for 5.45pm we needed to be finished by 7.30pm. Children under 14 are not welcome and the restaurant prefer tables of 2 and are not normally able to accommodate larger groups than 6 people. I always prefer to comment in person if I have a suggestion or complaint rather than through a review. When paying our bill, I stated that we were disappointed everything came at once and would have preferred to have had our bread dish earlier. This was brushed off, “oh just a little mix up” was...

Our recent stay at Olif was phenomenal. Nestled in the countryside, the BnB offered a perfect blend of comfort, hospitality and relaxation.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with friendliness and offered a table at dinner (which we were really happy about as the tapas comes recommended but we hadn’t thought to reserve a table!)

The accommodation was lovely. Our room was comfortable, clean and homely. We slept well every night as there was no noise and enjoyed the complimentary tea and biscuits in the room.

The food at Olif was outstanding! We had both breakfast and tapas here and we couldn’t fault it. The food is so tasty and you get lots for your money so you will not be disappointed eating here. We also enjoyed the homemade cocktails and could have easily got through the whole menu.

There are two dining rooms which are super cosy, with a lovely view of the river if you get a window seat. The place was lively and busy so be sure to book in advance if you want to eat here. We were served quickly and everyone was friendly and attentive.

The location of Olif is exceptional. There are plenty of shops nearby and you’re only 30 seconds away from the local pub. Betws y Coed is a small, cute town with no chains but near to both Snowdon and Penrhyn Quarry Zip World (which we visited whilst staying here). They’re both a short drive away and you won’t get closer in a nicer town. There’s also a local bus that regularly goes to Snowdon if you’d prefer not to drive. There are walking routes from the town but we didn’t have time to do these.

We would highly recommend Olif to anyone looking for a relaxing break or somewhere that’s close to Snowdon and Zip World. To highlight how amazing this place is, we returned having walked up Snowdon and asked if we could have a drink (as the restaurant was closed). Not only were they kind enough to pour two but they were on the house as well! (Which we didn’t expect but were grateful nonetheless). The customer service is outstanding and they really look after guests.

We will definitely be returning and can’t wait for our next adventure. Thank you...