Mr & Mrs Smith

We had a wonderful time in Aberaeron at the Harbourmaster and thoroughly enjoyed both the bar food (excellent steak) and the seafood in the restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised by how reasonably the wine and champagne were priced (£67 for a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rose) and the service was faultless (with the exception of a slightly surly person at breakfast one day). We had a fantastic walk along the coastal path to New Quay and would recommend it for a little light exercise. New Quay is nothing as pristine as Aberaeron, but not a problem as it is fine for a well deserved drink before getting the bus back. Buses depart on the hour every hour.

Wow a piece of seaside chic in unspoilt West Wales. My husband and I arrived early afternoon and the restaurant and bar area were buzzing, felt like a friday night out on the town. Stayed in the aearon queen suite which has the most beautiful view of the tiny harbour and what a view to wake up to. The complimentary half a bottle of champagne was waiting for us on ice and the little touches like complimentary fresh milk in the minibar and bottled water were very welcome. Amazing dinner in the hotel the first night of our stay beautiful local potted cardigan crab and local sea trout and black welsh beef fillet with an amazing bottle of spanish albarino. Dinner was so good we ate at the hotel both nights and ate wonderful seabass and fresh lobster the second night.

The staff are friendly and the owners Menna & Glynn really helpful & approachable. Highly recommend the coastal walk from Abeaearon to Newquay absolutely breathtaking scenery need to allow 3 - 4 hours walking time though & sturdy shoes!. If you want a couple of days of total escapism from the daily grind cannot recommend the Harbourmaster Hotel enough, will definitely be returning in the near future.

The Harbourmaster was just the break we needed, especially as we were informed on arrival of our upgrade to the Master Suite. Anything to do with Mr & Mrs Smith? Well done if so. The views over the picturesque sleepy little harbour are splendid. However, the unexpected highlight of the trip was the Welsh breakfast. The choice was admirable but what really shone through was the quality of the bacon. We'd never eaten such thick tasty slices of bacon, with such minimal fat before. On enquiry, we discovered the bacon is sourced from Rob Rattray's (+1 (0)1970 615353) in Aberystwyth. Having spoken to him personally since, we have discovered he doesn't do private deliveries (although developing a website allowing such purchases is on his list of 'Things to Do'!) so we suggest a day trip up the coast to acquire some for yourself. If you like bacon you will not be disappointed!

We had two nights in Aeron Queen and if the weather had been wet and windy we would happily have never left the room except to visit the restaurant. The harbour view through the enormous window (with louvered internal shutters for privacy) can be enjoyed from the settee, armchairs or the bed (very big and comfortable). The large bathroom has a heated slate floor, querky bath, double wash basins and the best shower we have ever come across. The room is quiet, being sound insulated from the bar below.
However, the weather was kind and we walked along the (fairly well signposted) coastal path almost to New Quay and back (12 miles) - the hotel guide advises getting the bus back from New Quay which sounds a good idea. One word of caution, it is easy to lose the coastal path at the Llanina Church on the outskirts of New Quay - you need to go down to the shore there and walk along the beach as some of the other rights of way down to the beach seem to be non-existent.
On the Friday night the bar was too noisy and busy for us to have a peaceful meal in the bar after a three hour drive. By contrast, the table we were given in the circular bay window of the restaurant was absolutely delightful. The food is not as ornate as in places with, or aspiring to, Michelin stars but the quality was superb - up with the best we have had anywhere. On the Saturday evening, our restaurant timing was influenced by a Wales-Ireland rugby match on the bar TV, the bar was very busy but again the restaurant was quiet.

It is attention to detail which makes this place so special: real coffee in the room, Molton Brown in the bathroom, enormous wardrobe, iron and ironing board, a really good hair-drier, complimentary real milk and cold bottled water in the minibar and the half bottle of Champagne courtesy of Mr and Mrs Smith was already in an ice bucket in the room when we arrived!