The Hotel Portmeirion

It enjoyed a celebrated clientele almost from the start. Writers such as George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells and Bertrand Russell were habitues. Noel Coward wrote his best known comedy here, Blithe Spirit, during a two week stay at Lower Fountain in 1941.

Guests stay either in the main hotel building, which houses bars, dining rooms, suites and cottages that make up the village. These are within comfortable distance of the hotel. The curvilinear dining room was added in the 1930s. Facing onto the Traeth Bach estuary, it seems, at high tide, almost to be afloat. Fresh local produce is used as the basis of a modern Welsh cuisine, complemented by a distinguished wine list.

Portmeirion is reached via a mile long private drive which winds through the woods and farmland of the peninsula. Surrounding the village on three sides are 70 acres of subtropical woodland gardens known as the "Gwyllt". These contain many century old rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias which flourish in the frost free climate. Miles of paths crisscross the woods, leading to rocky coves and sandy beaches all along the headland. The Hotel has an open air pool (heated May-September) and a hard surface tennis court. There is an arrangement for guests to play free of green fees at the local 18 hole Golf Club (3 miles away). The village has several shops, including the Ship Shop (Portmeirion pottery and gifts), the Golden Dragon Bookshop, Pot Jam and the "Prisoner" Information Centre.