Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

By day you explore the mighty wonders of Snowdonia, by night you return to this lovely small hotel and recover in style. It's one of those places that delivers just what you want; it's smart without being posh, the welcome is second to none, there's great food and the bedrooms are fantastic. You're in the middle of a small country town with a terrace at the front, so sit outside in summer and watch the world pass by. Inside, soft colours and warm lighting create a mellow feel. There's a cute bar with armchairs and games, an airy breakfast room for the full Welsh works, then a smart restaurant cut into the rock, which was once the county jail; the food is somewhat better than it was then, perhaps venison pâté with hot chillies, fillet of salmon with lime and ginger, fresh fruit crumble with lashings of cream. Bedrooms upstairs are gorgeous. Some are bigger than others, but all have the same style: clean lines, cool colours, huge beds, beautiful linen. You get the odd stone wall, an armchair if there's room, then super bathrooms. There's secure storage for bikes, too.