Local restaurants
Head to The Olive Tree, a sweet French restaurant on Glebe Street (+44 (0)29 2070 7077), for succulent pancetta‑wrapped scallops and the best slabs of cheesecake in town; you’ll need to book – tables are precious. or the ultimate rough and ready seafront fish ’n’ chips, Chandlers on the Esplanade (+44 (0)29 2070 3401) is a hangout that’s proud not to have changed for 22 years. Or, for seafood with an Italian kick, Mediterraneo (+44 (0)29 2070 3428) is only a little further along.
Local bars
Terra Nova Bar & Kitchen on Stuart Street in Cardiff Bay (+44 (0)2920 450947) is open all day for cocktails and tapas. Nearby, Ba Orient at Mermaid Quay (+44 (0)2920 463939, www.barorient.com) is a great dim sum and cocktail bar that turns into a late-night drinking den. Across the Quay inside the Millennium Centre, Brazz (+44 (0)2920 459000) is perfect for a pre-show drink.
Local cafes
The Blue Pelican Café in the Hamptons Store on Ludlow Lane (+44 (0)2920 705391; www.hamptons-design.co.uk) serves a champagne afternoon tea and 'Lifeguard Lunchbox' lunch. Foxy’s Deli and Café on Victoria Road (+44(0)29 2025 1666) has the best pick 'n' mix of Welsh jams, cakes and cheeses in Penarth.
Nightlife
Nightlife is scant in Penarth, so head to the Mermaid Quay development of Cardiff Bay.
Worth getting out of bed for
Head to picnic‑perfect St Mary’s Well Bay, a pleasant two‑hour clifftop stroll from Holm House. If you chat to locals about timing it right, you’ll be able to walk all the way out to Sully Island – just be careful not to get tide‑trapped.
Don a raincoat: the hotel can arrange for you to go on fishing charter boats from the marina.
For a full list of bars and restaurants in Vale Of Glamorgan, click here
