House of Welcome (Ty Croeso Hotel)

Member Name: cswann

Product:	Ty Croeso Hotel
Date:	09/07/01 (325 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very good food, Great location

Disadvantages: Too much chintz

"Ty Croeso" is Welsh for House of Welcome, and having just spent a wonderful 2-day break staying there, I can confirm that the Ty Croeso Hotel definitely lives up to its name.

The hotel is tucked up a hillside - you need to drive up a very steep and narrow tree-lined lane in oredr to get there.
Although there are other cottages, farms, and even a canal, very nearby, the hotel is in a lovely, quiet location.

It's very well located for exploring the Brecon Beacons. The town of Crickhowell is quite small, but has everything you need,
in terms of everyday shops, banks, and a Post Office. In easy travelling distance is Carmarthen.
The area has unfortunately been hit by
foot and mouth, and there are some signs up saying it’s an infected area, but many of the footpaths were beginning to be opened up. It meant that our stay was all the more quiet.
The owners said that some hotels and restaurants in the area had been forced to lay off staff, but the Ty Croeso had managed to avoid that. I think this is because it offers very high quality meals, and there are many non-residents who come for the dinners. Sunday lunch especially seems to be a favourite.

So, I'll describe the food first of all.
There's a 3 course dinner, available for £16.95 a head. It changes every month, which allows the chef to make full use of seasonal foods. I sampled the smoked mackerel pate starter (the toast comes thoughtfully wrapped in a napkin, to keep it warm)
Then it was trout for the main course (swimming in a delicious butter sauce), with an interesting cucumber accompaniment, as well as the usual vegetables.
My partner's Thai fishcakes were very good, too.
Other month's menus have included dishes like Saddle of Wild Rabbit with Leeks, and Rack of Saltmarsh Lamb.
Local ingredients are most certainly used wherever possible.

I managed to resist the sweets, and instead sampled the ch
eese and biscuits. You get the chance to select 3 Welsh cheeses, from a choice of about 10.

Breakfasts are excellent, too. There's a very wide choice - if you fancy kippers, or black pudding, you'll be well catered for here. Otherwise there's an Welsh breakfast - even a vegetarian (cheesy) Glamorgan sausage if you wish. Although there are little sachets of jam, there was also some 'real' maramalade - always a plus, in my book.

The rooms are what I would call
"comfortable" - very cosy, but there's everything you could want in there - en suite bath and shower, tea making facilities, and I have to say, the bed was one of the most comfortable I've ever slept on.
There was too much flowery frillery chintz around the place for my taste, in the dining room as well as in the bedrooms, but I suppose they're going for the cottage-y feel.

It's only a small hotel, with maybe 8 or 10 rooms, so it has a very intimate feel, and the owners are very friendly people who will have a chat and recommend places to go
in the area.

Normal prices are £60.00 per double room (so £30.00 per person) or £35.00 per single room, including breakfast.
There are some very good Summer deals and 2 day breaks available, which make it extremely good value at the moment.

The Dardy, Llangattock, Crickhowell, Powys, NP8 1PU

Telephone 01873 810573
Website address: www.wiz.to/tycroeso

Summary: