St George’s Hotel
Llandudno
An elegant and historic seaside hotel with superbly appointed rooms, many with dreamy sea views. Excellent service and food, in a prime spot on the prom.
We do like to be beside the seaside. We really do. And St George’s is a shining example of why the popularity of the Great British Seaside – at one time in decline – nowadays goes from strength to strength. This grand hotel, dating back to 1854, is a real tonic, a proper ‘escape to the coast’.
The hotel has been sitting regally on Llandudno’s candy-coloured seafront, a promenade full of delicious Victorian architectural detail. But it’s no dusty dowager. It mightn’t have changed much from the outside, but within they have pulled off that most difficult of tricks: keeping the look, preserving the period ambience and judging to perfection the pace of change needed to meet – and exceed – modern expectations.
Take the bedrooms. Most come with lovely sea views. All are finished in restful, relaxing colours and furnished in a way that melds tradition with contemporary design. They are comfortable, superbly appointed places to be, with sparkling bathrooms and big beds to sink into. The tone is seaside soft, light and airy. And don’t forget those enviable views over the Promenade, best taken in by indulging in a room with a balcony, or push the metaphoric boat out, and bag a Deluxe Rooftop room.
Downstairs, both the Terrace Lounge and Restaurant are bustling and warm yet classical spaces – complete with classical vistas over the seafront and pier. The cooking is skilled and the smiling front of house team add the glitz. The signature afternoon tea is a must do, but we loved sipping a Cosmopolitan, watching the waves and dreaming of Agatha Christie.
But the hotel’s undoubted wow-factor feature, defining its august heritage, is the Grade II listed Wedgwood Room where breakfast is served, a theatrical space with wondrous, impossibly ornate plasterwork that’s a true work of art. There are options for private dining, parties, meetings and get togethers, making this an enduringly popular place to celebrate life.
St George’s is a warm-hearted hotel occupying one of the finest positions on Llandudno’s promenade. As one fan remarked, the hotel entices because of ‘its ‘homeliness, its up-to-dateness, its comfort’.