There are really only two things you need to know about Penally Abbey. One is that it occupies a late-Georgian former rectory near the Pembrokeshire coast: original 1803 cornicing trims elegant public areas; the sea winks through gothic windows. The other is that this is the vision of the former interior designer Melanie Boissevain and her husband Lucas, both still hands-on after over a decade of ownership. So decor here has an almost theatrical flair: oversized prints and oil paintings on charcoal-black walls; swallow wallpaper like an 18th-century illustration in the dining room. Tempering it all are antiques picked up in Wales and France (there’s a touch of château about the place), antique rugs on nicely scuffed parquet, candlelight and chatty, smiley staff. Put it all together and you have a Welsh weekender of dreams: escapist, wildly romantic — there’s a ruined medieval chapel in the grounds, for goodness sake — yet with interior magazine glamour.
Overall score 8/10
Main photo: Rhosyn restaurant at Penally Abbey in Tenby, Pembrokeshire
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Rooms and suites
Score 7/10
The theatricality of the public areas extends to Room 7 — double the size (and price) of the cheapest, it is wallpapered with tropical birds and has a bathroom that’s entered Narnia-like through a wardrobe door. Notwithstanding the toile wallpaper in the adjacent Room 6, the 11 other rooms here are all coastal chic: off-whites and panelling in soft aquas and greys; flashes of colour from lampshades or cushions; usually an antique armchair; white marble bathrooms. Superking beds come as standard except in the smallest, Room 4, which makes up in style what it lacks in space. Book Rooms 5 to 8 for sea views. Book 3 and 8 for families — a hallway door offers privacy. Book the cottagey Coach House rooms (9-12) for the dog (£15 extra). A tiny gripe: the wi-fi was sketchy in places.
Food and drink
Score 8/10
Breakfast food is good if unspectacular, but things shift up several gears when the Rhosyn (Welsh for Rose) restaurant claims the space for dinner. The à la carte menu has been replaced with small plates alongside an eight-course tasting menu (£70). Expect seasonal Pembrokeshire ingredients in carefully constructed dishes: on my visit, a rich cauliflower rarebit with beer caramel and Marmite croutons, plus rose veal with cabbage, mushroom, parmesan and wild garlic. Tenby beers and Welsh wines are served in a bar that’s a beauty for aperitifs. Digestifs before the lounge fire are better still. In season, afternoon tea is served on a front terrace with sea views.
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What else is there?
Score n/a
Precious little, thankfully. There’s no half-hearted spa. A small pool has been filled in to create a separate dining space for groups — better for all concerned. The gardens are blooming marvellous: expect sunloungers on the lawn in summer and paths through a private wood for strolls.
Where is it?
Score 9/10
Close to Tenby, but not too close — its popular pastel harbour is a couple of miles’ drive west. You can also get there by walking along the beach, just ten minutes from your room. Go the other way and the glories of south Pembrokeshire are 30 minutes away: Bosherston’s lily ponds, Barafundle beach, surf-beach Freshwater West.
Price B&B doubles from £175
Restaurant tasting menu £70
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly Y
Accessible N
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