The Grove

Mr & Mrs Smith have just returned from a stay at this rural boutique hotel in Wales, and just as soon as they've unpacked their holiday reads, cosy jumpers and local cheeses bought with dinner parties in mind, a full account of their country break will be with you. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside The Grove…

Driving down the Grove’s winding driveway, flanked with wildflowers and leafy beech, oak and spruce trees, your city-life worries and everyday decisions will blur into a hazy fog. The white-walled Georgian house is an elegant and enticing rural retreat, surrounded by a 15th-century long house (currently being sprinkled with the owners’ dazzle-dust as it’s converted into new rooms) and four luxury self-catering cottages. The Grove’s warm and friendly owners, husband and wife Neil and Zoe, will meet and greet you with a welcome tea or coffee and Welsh cakes when you arrive. Take a moment to admire the hotel’s entrance hall, though, with its arched timber wall decorated with glittering stained-glass windows and the antique pieces, including a leather-inlaid desk and heavy filing cabinet.

The Grove is a luxuriously cosy and romantic getaway. A derelict house before Neil and Zoe’s intervention, it has undergone a triumphant two-year-long renovation. Rooms have been regally furnished under Welsh designer Leslie Taylor’s expert eye – and beautiful wallpaper, opulent fabrics, delicate fireplaces. striking colour schemes and wonderful wall murals all feature. The bathrooms’ deep, decadent cast-iron baths make for seductive soaping. In addition to its star-style restaurant, the Grove also boasts beautiful gardens, dreamed up by architect Peter Holden and designer Cheryl Cummings. The gardens are the perfect lush location for hand-in-hand promenades or impromptu picnics. A sweeping meadow of bluebells leads from the cottages to the main house and, as another addition to the gardens’ magical charm, the original stone wall is set to be restored.

However beguiling the Grove is, be sure to wander into nearby Narberth for a pub lunch and a boutique-browse, or head for the waterfront and admire Pembrokeshire’s beautiful coastline. The Grove places you at the very tip of this Welsh wonderland, and its laid-back luxe and historic charm provide the perfect complement to the scenic seascape surrounds.