Tŷ Mawr Country Hotel

Take the country road that winds through the secluded Cothi Valley and you’ll come to the beautiful village of Brechfa set in the forest of the same name. And there you’ll find a little jewel that shines brightly (it makes a habit of attracting accolades, including top hotel ‘Oscars’). Tŷ Mawr is an intimate, cream-washed country hideaway with everything you’d expect of a place that dates from the 15th/16th centuries – thick stone walls, old beams, low ceilings, log fires and cosy nooks and crannies, all creating a warm, rustic farmhouse feel.

But you sacrifice nothing in terms of creature comforts. Tŷ Mawr has remodelled, well-appointed bedrooms that blend old with new – an appealing mix of contemporary furnishings, restful neutral colours, and luxury touches like dressing gowns and Myddfai toiletries.

Your new hosts, David Hart and Gill Brown focus on ensuring that the cooking perfectly complements these bucolic surroundings, with an inventive menu inspired by ‘field to fork’. The breads are baked daily and the award-winning grass-fed fillet is has been supplied by a local farm for nearly thirty years. Tŷ Mawr takes its location seriously in other ways too, there’s a strong sense of carefully curated place that contributes greatly to its faithful following of happy guests. The hotel has a 7kw Electric Car Charging port for guests’ use.

The Brechfa Forest is on the doorstep, a vast area latticed with walking paths and three dedicated mountain biking trails. Salmon and sea trout fishing, game and rough shooting is available locally. Or you may prefer to relax with a good book or enjoy a game of croquet or boules in the one-acre riverside grounds laid to lawns and flowerbeds. The hotel is ‘away-from-it-all’ restful but not forbiddingly remote, it’s genuinely dog friendly too so no need to leave your beloved pet at home. Less than half an hour from the M4, it’s perfectly placed for touring Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire, for visiting Carreg Cennen Castle, or for the green-fingered, Aberglasney and the magnificent National Botanic Garden of Wales.