A wet weekend in Wales?

Lumpy beds. Congealed bacon and porridge like wallpaper paste. Sullen service and overpriced crisps. Oh, and endless dripping rain. Yes, this is your average holiday in the UK; expensive, gloomy and grey. Or is it? We often tend to have a Spring break in Spain, where in latter years one was guaranteed Sangria, sun and very good value for your sterling, but at the mo’ with the pound so low you just don’t get, ahem, much bang for your buck anymore.

We have therefore decided to spend all our holidays for 2009 exploring the UK; already this year we have been to Dorset and Somerset for little jaunts, but we have just spent a few days in Wales, and rather lovely it was too.

First up was a rather gruelling drive to the Brecon Beacons. I’d been there as a young and enthusiastic Venture Scout and had hiked my way up Pen Y Fan in the company of equally enthusiastic boyfriends, but as we checked into Peterstone Court Hotel, nestled quietly in the foothills below this lovely cloudswept mountain, I wasn’t even sure I was going to make it up the flight of stairs to our room, such was the mound of equipment we were carrying. Travel cot, assortment of nappies, suitcase full of toys, decaf teabags, Dan’s nocturnal supply of Minstrels, books and snacks, plus, oh yes, the baby. The room couldn’t have been nicer actually, with plenty of space to put up the cot in lovely surroundings. Each room here is decorated individually, and ours had a rather lovely red and gold theme, along with a huge flat screen TV, bathrobes, slippers and even jars of lollipops and home-made biscuits, plus a wonderful view of the mountains wreathed in grumpy looking clouds.

Downstairs is even more interesting, with a comfortable library with DVD's to borrow, a morning room and a small bar, plus the friendliest and most charming staff I've met in a long time. Nothing was too much trouble, and I even got a guided tour of the other (empty!) bedrooms from one of the chambermaids.

There is also a small spa offering treatments along with a jacuzzi and relaxation room; I had a very soothing aromatherapy massage, but didn't manage to convince Dan that he too would benefit from one, even after six hours of the SatNav taking us around the countryside in its own convoluted way and him still not knowing the difference between left and right....

The full Welsh breakfast was great, with the baba getting a very tasty bowl of porridge and syrup, plus some delicious (and I imagine home-made) muesli bars; the waiter all smiles even when confronted with a cornflake covered carpet and everything within a two foot radius of the baby being smeared in crumbs/porridge.

Apparently it gets fully booked at weekends and during the wedding season, but it felt to us like we had the whole place to ourselves. It made a great base to explore the area; there are some amazing waterfalls to the south, with amazing drives and walks over the mountains, and we can also recommend both the George Hotel in Brecon, and the Ford Inn just down the road for really good food with lovely friendly service. In fact, that pretty much sums up our stay really; friendly, relaxed and a great little break. Not quite the same as Spain perhaps, but not an airport check-in sight!