The Georgian coaching inn of Pembrokeshire locals Ed and Louise Sykes pioneered the boutique look — art on inky walls, woven Welsh bed-throws and slipper baths — when it opened in Newport 20 years ago. Its cracking restaurant championed “local” and “foraged” long before they were buzzwords. Factor in chatty staff and this place has always felt warmly welcoming. But during the pandemic Ed and Lou were innovating again. They built a rustic-glam dining room plus a cabin-like bar. Their garden now hosts the bohemian Secret Garden dining space, while a new ebike company allows guests to explore the Preseli Hills with ease. Though new, the additions are local, authentic, all heart and soul — Llys Meddyg in a nutshell.
Overall score 8/10
Main photo: the Secret Garden at Llys Meddyg
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
Rooms and suites
Score 7/10
There are eight rooms to choose from — five in the main house, the rest in the former mews behind. Each has its benefits. Stick to the house for Georgian high ceilings (albeit slightly lower in upper eaves rooms) and standalone slipper baths. The caveat is potential traffic noise in Room 2; Rooms 1 and 3 put the bathroom and a dressing room between you and the A487 through-road. Equally, the two storeys of stairs to upper rooms may be tough on creaky knees. Dog-friendly mews rooms are quieter and kinder on your joints (although rising from the low bed in Room 7 could be interesting) but their cottagey rooms lack the generous proportions. Here, Room 6 is the best bet for families, shunting the kids into an alcove off the main room. Either way, decor is tasteful and homely, the reclaimed wood headboards and traditional woven bed-throws feeling like a stay with a design-conscious friend. King-size beds and organic smellies from Wales’s Conscious Skincare are standard.
Food and drink
Score 9/10
It’s always a good sign when dinner leaves you agonising with indecision. The chef claims the food here is about “earth not stars”, by which he means no faddish concept dining. For all that, you’ll eat very well indeed. The short menus are local, seasonal and exquisite. For example: crab hash browns; a deliciously rich smoked leek with roast onion dashi and cheddar; sea bass with roast artichoke, plum and nori; confit of lamb with barbecued beetroot, goat’s curd and spices. In warmer months service is in the new rear dining room, a rustic-chic beauty of upcycled wood and industrial lights over nicely scuffed tables. Moss art installations hang on charcoal-grey walls. As appealing are dining huts in the Secret Garden — blooming lovely in summer. It’s here, too, that you will find the cabin-like bar. In winter, things cosy up in a 15th-century cellar bar that is like a Welsh interpretation of hygge. While breakfasts are good, toast from supermarket bread is a touch disappointing.
Advertisement
• Best hotels in Wales
• Best beaches in Wales
What else is there?
Score 6/10
There’s a snug lounge for afternoon cuppas with a magazine in front of a fire. David Cushley, formerly a sommelier at Michelin-starred restaurants, has launched a wine shop in a side-room focusing on small-batch, minimal-intervention producers, many from Wales. There’s also that ebike company, Hidden Routes, offering tours into a little-visited hinterland that’s haunted by the spirit of the ancients and possessed of a rare beauty. Tours span from half a day to two days. Ebike rental is also available.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
Newport today is where St Davids was several decades ago. Sure, there are a smattering of galleries and giftshops, but it remains real. Spared the visitor numbers of St Davids and Solva, 40 minutes’ drive south, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park here is built for walkers — you won’t find a more heart-stopping coastline than the walk from Pwll Deri around Strumble Head. The Preseli Hills inland are a lost world of burial cairns and hillforts.
Price B&B doubles from £150
Restaurant mains from £16
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly Y
Accessible N
• Quirkiest hotels in the UK
• Best things to do in Wales
Advertisement
Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.