Plas Dinas Country House

With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family manages to be luxurious yet relaxed. One reader felt ‘at home’ in this ‘incredible historic country house’. Annie and Daniel Perks have preserved the romance of this Victorian home with 17th-century origins, where Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon spent weekends, while introducing modern comforts. Antiques, family portraits, memorabilia and signed photographs by Lord Snowdon decorate the rooms. Bedrooms, recently fully renovated, are furnished with bold wallpapers, swagged curtains and a mix of antique and bespoke furniture. Some have four-posters or carved beds, others a fireplace or window seat. Bathrooms vary from compact to opulent with gold fittings. Guests gather in the welcoming drawing room with its open fire and plump sofas before dinner. The highly praised monthly-changing menu might include smoked duck breast with five-spice pear, grilled halibut with saffron potato, and ‘absolutely glorious’ steak. ‘The most wonderful country house. I have never felt so relaxed.’ (Mrs Duckett, and others)