A Welsh rarebit on the tip of Cardigan Bay, this ‘lovely, wacky’ hotel is a family-friendly, family-run affair. At its heart is the benevolent host, Nick Fletcher-Brewer (‘jolly, jokey, casual, quirky, a real character’), whose family has owned the place for 70 years. A ramble of sitting rooms creates a ‘home-away-from-home’ atmosphere, with books, old maps, vases of tumbling flowers, and help-yourself coffee. Comfy cushions in front of a log fire in one of many tucked-away nooks provide relaxation and warmth after a paddle in the sea (five minutes’ walk away), while a children’s snug with games occupies little ones. Country antiques and watercolours furnish ‘simple, unfussy’ bedrooms. Most have ‘amazing’ coastal views; several can be interconnected into a comfortable family suite. The daily-changing menus, cooked by Louise Fletcher-Brewer and Darren Shenton-Morris, ‘make clever use of ingredients’. Tuck into pan-fried bacon-wrapped venison, sticky red cabbage and baby turnips, or perhaps Porth Tocyn fish pie from the ‘Comfort Menu’. Breakfast, including ‘tasty’ sausages, thick toast, home-made marmalade and ‘delicious local yogurts’, lays the foundations of a classic seaside day. (C and GJ)