The Manor Hotel, Crickhowell

...a meeting in Llandrindod Wells the next day, which would have meant a 5.30 start.

Now I am by no means a wimp, but two full days, combined with very early starts and 600 miles of driving, not to mention giving two presentations meant I was feeling decidedly wimpish.

I initially tried for accommodation in Llandrindod Wells, but the Metropole, with its full leisure suite was full, and finding details on other hotels ...
.../> LOCATION
Situated on the side of the Black Mountains in Crickhowell (where? I hear you say), it is a couple of miles up the valley from Abergavenny and about 12 miles from Brecon. It is easily accessible off the main A40 between the two towns and is clearly signposted from the main road.

Access is up a long winding country drive in substantial grounds set in beautiful countryside. Car parking is ample and situated on two ... more

A midday meeting in London meant a 4.30am start, followed by a meeting in Llandrindod Wells the next day, which would have meant a 5.30 start.

Now I am by no means a wimp, but two full days, combined with very early starts and 600 miles of driving, not to mention giving two presentations meant I was feeling decidedly wimpish.

I initially tried for accommodation in Llandrindod Wells, but the Metropole, with its full leisure suite was full, and finding details on other hotels in the area was decidedly difficult.

I am not quite sure how I stumbled across this outlet, but I did, so here goes.

LOCATION
Situated on the side of the Black Mountains in Crickhowell (where? I hear you say), it is a couple of miles up the valley from Abergavenny and about 12 miles from Brecon. It is easily accessible off the main A40 between the two towns and is clearly signposted from the main road.

Access is up a long winding country drive in substantial grounds set in beautiful countryside. Car parking is ample and situated on two levels, alongside and in front of the hotel.

CHECK-IN
When I arrived in what appeared to be an unmanned reception, I was politely told that it had in fact moved to a makeshift desk around the corner. This was because front area was being refurbished to make a comfortable seating area.

The floors are solid brown wood covered by rugs, and reminiscent of this buildings history, which stems back to the 18th Century, when I am guessing it was a family home for one of the local noblemen.

Check in was swift, requiring signing of the registration card and the customary swipe of the old credit card. What I was intrigued about was that the card was not required again on check-out, quite a rare practice that I have actually encountered twice in the last couple of weeks, here and the London Heathrow Marriott.

Again, here, like the Wynnstay in Crickhowell, there are no lifts, but unlike the Wynnstay, the stairways are to say the least, large and grand, and the corridors wide, so if you did have mobility problems, even though they don’t appear to have any downstairs rooms, you could possibly get around with a little assistance.

THE ROOM
Here again, I wasn’t to be too disappointed. It was a large spacious en-suite room with double glazed windows, demonstration that the owners have managed to combine the beauty of its historical past with the requirements of a modern hotel. The bedding and the chairs were covered in a cream coloured throws, there was a double built in wardrobe with trouser press inside. There was a double bed and a number of table lamps and wall lights, and some of the bulbs were out of action, but on notifying reception, this was quickly resolved.

Terrestial / Satellite remote controlled colour TV was provided, although the controls are limited to channel changes, volume and on/off switch, and took some effort to work out how to use it. The TV was also placed on a small round coffee table, and gave me something of a crick in the neck trying to watch it.

There was a desk type work area, although it was quite old fashioned and did cause me a few problems because it was on two levels, and caused me a few problems using the laptop. You won’t find any high-speed or wireless internet access here, but there was a dial-up connection which set me back around 5p per minute and gave me a speed of around 53K which is quite impressive. A hairdryer was also provided.

The bathroom was standard fayre with bath and shower, with toiletries and towels provided, although the water pressure could have been better.

There was no iron in the room but one was supplied within minutes of requesting it, although horror of horrors, on the way to my meeting, I suddenly thought I might have left it on, and had to ring the hotel to check, whether I did or not remains a mystery, but I didn’t hear of any fires in the area, so am guessing it is still standing. This also made me recognise the benefit of the iron and board supplied in many larger hotels, where the iron is actually attached to the board and has a timer switch allowing it to be on for a maximum of 20 – 30 minutes at one time.

There was literature supplied with the room advising guests of the many features of public interest in the area, and I was intrigued to notice a statement on this literature advising customers that a full inventory had been taken of the room prior to check-in, and that any missing items would be charged to the customers credit card. I forgot to ask on check-out about this statement, although would query the legality of it if the customer has not signed any inventory forms prior to their stay. I can only assume that the hotel or the owners, have, at some time in the past, experienced problems with theft, which may explain the totally inadequate, difficult to use, TV remote control.

There was a radiator in the room which was off, however, the piping for the hotel appeared to pass through my room, and therefore it was very warm, but again, this is not an uncommon feature of many hotels, and at least, unlike the Glasgow Moat House, I could open the window.

LEISURE FACILITIES
The main thing that attracted me to this hotel was the mention of leisure facilities, there is nothing like a good swim and spa bath to sort you out after a long day on the road. The leisure facilities are situated at the front of the hotel and clearly visible as you approach the main entrance.

The changing rooms were, to say the least, SMALL, i.e. can’t swing a cat around for fear of serious damage, small. With a short workbench that could probably accommodate a maximum of three medium sized people, there was some old fashioned school clothes hangers, two showers and a toilet. I did ask about lockers but was advised that customers leave the belongings in the changing rooms, I wasn’t particularly comfortable with this, despite the area being very quiet, and hence left my bag on one of the comfort areas around the pool.

The pool was probably around 10 metres long and quite shallow with steps to access it. There was also quite a powerful spa bath, a steam room and sauna. I don’t tend to do Saunas, and I didn’t find the steam room the most effective I have used, but according to a local who was there the same time, it was particularly cool that evening and was usually far better. Towels were provided, but in common with many of other hotels I have used, these were midget size and had seen better days.

There was also a gym at the hotel but I didn’t make use of it, preferring the swim, relaxation approach.

FOOD
The hotel was very informal and staff were very friendly, although I did get the impression that they had recently taken on quite a few new members, making me wonder how long the place had been open.

I was amazed to discover that they actually sell real coke in Bottles, and this went down very well, but of course, they also did the beers and spirits I tend to be rather partial to when staying away from home. From memory, half a lager was around £1.20 and a double Gordons and Tonic just under £6.

The hotel didn’t specifically advertise room service, but I ordered the meal in the bar and had it delivered to my room. This hotel is renowned for its cooking locally and further afield, and therefore what I am about to say next is probably more to do with me than the hotel.

I ordered Steak with deep cut home cooked fries and pepper sauce for around £17. The steak itself was superbly cooked, although I wasn’t keen on the sauce which somewhat spoilt the experience for me. The fries were home cooked, but very, very large and I wasn’t keen. The mushrooms were large field mushrooms, not something I am a big fan off, and it was all rounded off with a bowl of freshly cooked veg including new potatoes, broccoli and carrots. This was all accompanied with the largest chunk of superbly fresh ciabatta bread (and butter) I have seen in a long time.

Breakfast, as would be expected for a 22 room hotel, was partially buffet style for the continental side, the usual offenders of juice, cereals, pastries, yogurts and fruit. The hotel meal was cooked to order and I could have had a full Welsh breakfast complete with black pudding and mushrooms, although I opted for bacon, sausage and scrambled egg. I had to return the scrambled eggs despite requesting them to be well cooked, but sadly again, this is not something uncommon. It was all freshly cooked and very tasty, although the waiter did look a little aghast when I requested tomato ketchup. For those that fancy something a little special, there is smoked haddock and other similar offerings for an extra charge

What I did find rather novel, was that the breakfast room was laid out so each room had a dedicated table, obviously this is not possible in larger hotels, but did smack of a crossover between caring for the customers, and remembering the old fashioned B&B’s we used to see on TV thirty years ago.

RATES
Single rooms between £35 and £65 a room
Doubles between £65 and £80 a room
Superior doubles between £90 and £110 a room

You get the Master bedroom for £95 per night if you stay for more than 3.

There is no live on-line booking, but there is an accommodation request form on their website (http://www.manorhotel.co.uk) . However, requiring a room the following night, I telephoned the hotel directly.

I was quite explicit about my requirements, I wanted a double room for single use, and was quoted a rate of £65 including breakfast as it was a company paying (even though I would be paying and claiming it back).

I also asked about smoking / non-smoking rooms and was advised that the property was all non-smoking, as was the restaurant, but that guests could smoke in the bar and the grounds. Having said that, there was a clean ashtray in my room on arrival.

OTHER NOTES
The setting of this hotel is fantastic, the surrounding valley is stunning, and in summer, I should imagine it would be heaven, although in the current weather I would maybe query the sanity of staying there. If you like to get away from it all, then you won’t really go far wrong with this outlet; it has reasonable leisure facilities, good cooking (if the style suits you) and despite it picturesque remote setting is only a short drive away from the market towns of Abergavenny, Brecon and Crickhowell, and not a million miles away from Cardiff and Newport.

The owners have a number of properties in the area, including a pub just down the road called the Nantyffin Cider Mill, where the food is apparently superb, and Peterstone Court hotel in Brecon. This looks fantastic from the website, but doesn’t have the much desired (on my part at least) indoor swimming pool, although it does have a health club and outdoor swimming pool.

The hotel has spacious conference facilities accommodating up to 200 people, and its fabulous setting would make a great setting for a wedding or similar large family events.

TEMPTED?
For the manor hotel visit: http://www.manorhotel.co.uk

Or contact them at:

The Manor, Brecon Road, Crickhowell, Powys, NP8 1SE

Telephone: 01873 810212

Their other outlets can be found at: http://www.cidermill.co.uk/ and http://www.peterstone-court.com/

My Verdict:
If you need to stay around here, you could do a lot worse, therefore recommended.
 

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