19


Book Direct 0800 470 1313


THE BEAR Hay-on-Wyewy


2 Bear Street, Hay-on-Wye HR3 5AN 0800 470 1313


enquiries@thebearhay.com www.thebearhay.com


B&B £80 – £100 for 2


Rooms Host


3 (2 en-suite, 1 private) David Gibbon


20


Book Direct 0808 198 9455


CASTLE Aberaeron


Market Street, Aberaeron SA46 0AU 0808 198 9455 castle_hotel@btconnect.com www.castle-hotel-aberaeron.co.uk


B&B


Rooms Hosts


£90 – £105 for 2 8 (All en-suite)


Dai James & Meinir Bowen


There’s not a right-angle or straight line in sight. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but The Bear is a wonderfully wonky, cosy and cuddly B&B. It’s not surprising that this former inn – Grade II-listed – has settled into its foundations. It is, after all, hundreds of years old. But don’t expect gloomy Dickensian cubby holes. The Bear is bright and vivacious, full of 21st-century life and style presented in an historic context. The walls are splashed with eclectic, colourful modern art. Original stonework is juxtaposed with trendy tongue- and-groove. Old beams are painted white as well as left untouched. Furniture is a mix of properly antique, traditionally Welsh and consciously retro. This arty take on a property that oozes character and comfort reflects the refined tastes of your engaging host David Gibbon. You’ll love the bedrooms – and what more can we say about the superb location, in the heart of the world-famous ‘town of books’?


26 The Great Little Places Guide 2017


My, how Aberaeron has changed. Twenty years ago, this Georgian harbour town was a bit of a backwater. Now, it’s a fashionable destination thanks to new life and new businesses, a prime example being The Castle. You can’t miss it, standing on the corner, a boldly red beacon. There’s a bold palette inside too. The handsome Grade II listed building has been stripped of its old ‘pubby’ feel and reinvented through snazzy interior design. Today’s tastes are much in evidence, from the Café/Bar and Mediterranean Restaurant, which combine continental and traditional touches, to the well-appointed bedrooms with their distinctive ‘modern Welsh’ feel and tasteful tapestries from the local woollen mill. So you come here for croissants not heavy-duty cakes, Egyptian cotton bedlinen not creaky beds, and a warm welcome from enthusiastic hosts Dai James and Meinir Bowen – plus juicy food that’s local, seasonal and natural.


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