Porth Tocyn Hotel

‘We had a great time at this Boris Johnson of hotels (pretends to be bumbling, actually hugely professional),’ say guests this year of the Fletcher-Brewer family’s ‘lovely, wacky’ hotel overlooking Cardigan Bay. Neither cutting-edge contemporary nor superbly stylish, the hotel has a ‘friendly’, ‘old-school’ feel that endears it to its admirers. Nick Fletcher-Brewer is the ‘jolly, jokey’ manager. Country antiques, books, watercolours and prints give the ‘unfussy’ bedrooms individual character; most have ‘amazing’ sea views. Interconnecting rooms have been designed with families in mind. Gather with fellow guests for aperitifs in the snug bar, then settle down to Louise Fletcher-Brewer and Ian Frost’s ‘outstanding’ dinners – perhaps sea-salt-and-beetroot-cured salmon, caper popcorn, quail egg, citrus crème fraîche; pan-fried pork tenderloin, apple mash, baked courgettes. ‘We appreciated the option of “light-bite” suppers alongside three-course dinners.’ Plenty of opportunity to work it all off: the ‘lovely’ swimming pool awaits; the Wales Coastal Path runs in front of the hotel; the beach is a five-minute walk away. ‘Highly recommended.’ (GC, Carol and Geoffrey Jackson, and others)