Pentre Mawr Country House, Denbighshire
Llandyrnog Denbigh
Reviewed by Helen
A hidden gem in a beautiful corner of Wales
Pentre Mawr Country
House, a 5 star luxury hidden gem tucked away in an unspoilt corner of
North Wales.
It took us only an hour to drive from Cheshire (30 minutes
from Chester); the last part of the journey through winding country lanes as
dusk fell on what had been a gloriously sunny day. The perfect time to arrive and view Pentre
Mawr at its best (in our opinion)! When
we pulled into the driveway we literally didn’t know what to do first; admire
the beautiful building or take in the surrounding stunning scenery.
Pentre Mawr has been in Carrington-Sykes family for over 400
years and was taken over by Graham, his wife Bre and son Conor just over 4
years ago. Between them they have brought
the ancestral home back to life, beautifully restoring rooms and lodges in the
grounds to create a warm and welcoming sanctuary.
The three period ensuite bedrooms within the main house each
has its own unique style; handsome furniture (two with four poster beds) and
plush furnishings. The rooms have tea
and coffee facilities, Ipod docking stations, TV’s with DVD players or you
could simply pull up a chair and enjoy the spectacular views from the windows
and if the weather is good, guests can relax on the terrace by the heated
swimming pool.
Within the grounds there are two contemporarily decorated suites
in the Gardeners Cottage; each comprising of a bedroom, sitting room, small
kitchen area, large ensuite bathroom (with separate wetroom) and with its own
private terrace with a hot tub. Additionally,
Pentre Mawr is the first place in the UK to bring luxury Safari style Glamping
with canvas lodges each with terraces and hot tubs (see review of the Safari Lodges in Something Different category).
Dining at Pentre Mawr is pretty special, both Bre and Graham
are trained cooks and have an AA dining award.
Everything is homemade and with the kitchen garden being reinstated their
dream is that very soon they will be providing all the vegetables for the
restaurant. We didn’t get the
opportunity to eat dinner (the menu itself was a mouth-watering read), we did however
enjoy a very hearty Welsh breakfast; a delicious spread of fresh fruit, cereals
and a full cooked with locally sourced ingredients and delicious homemade
bread.
It’s the little touches though which makes Pentre Mawr so
special; the warm welcome from our hosts (including their extended family of
dogs and cats) and in countryside just waiting to be explored picnics are
provided, lifts given to starting points and dog owners can bring their well
behaved four legged friends. Each guest
receives a personalised welcome letter and is free to use the sitting rooms in
the main house each fully equipped with big comfortable settees; sit and relax,
have a game of chess or borrow a book or DVD from the well stocked library.
We were only there for a short time and it was over far too
quickly.. but as we were leaving we were already planning our return visit!
Review by Helen