Ty Mawr Mansion
Cilcennin, Lampeter, SA48 8DB
01570 470033
Category: Hotels, Ceredigion
Martin and Catherine McAlpine have lavished time, energy and money in restoring Ty Mawr, an impressive, well-proportioned Georgian mansion, converting it into a luxury country-house hotel. Accessed via a sweeping gravel drive, it stands in a truly peaceful spot, tucked down winding lanes in the Aeron Valley a few miles from the coast and Aberaeron. The McAlpine makeover succeeds in fusing the grand country-house feel with the contemporary comforts expected today.
Original features and the historic charm of the building have been retained downstairs, with high ceilings, gleaming chandeliers and some fine period furniture. There are three very individually decorated lounges to suit your mood, each furnished in flamboyant country-house style, with big, ornate mirrors, vast window drapes, good lighting, and huge cushioned sofas on which to relax with a pre-dinner drink. By contrast, the dining room and the short, constantly changing menu are more modern. Expect polished wooden floors, modern art and an up-to-minute British menu that makes sound use of produce sourced within a 10-mile radius of the hotel.
Venture up the sweeping staircase and you enter into a different world. Bedrooms are lavishly decorated in keeping with the age and style of the property, but vast bathrooms sport beautiful Turkish stone tiles, huge shower cubicles with storm showers, and claw-foot baths, one with views across rolling fields. What’s more, there are ‘toys for the boys’ – plasma screens, DVDs and videos, free broadband access and, in the suites, your own laptop to play with. A recent addition is the new in- house cinema.
Visit Ty Mawr Mansion
01570 470033
www.tymawrmansion.co.uk