Enjoying the countryside of Wales was traditionally accompanied by uninspiring accommodation and eating options. But that's been changing: the new breed of gourmet restaurants that emerged in the 1980s has been followed by places spread throughout Wales offering good food, modern comforts and contemporary style using Welsh products wherever possible.
Bae Abermaw, Barmouth, Gwynedd
At Barmouth, a US-based architect has taken one of those stern Victorian edifices that climb the hill behind the town and dragged it into the age of Conran. From the dining room, with its polished wood floor and Welsh stone fireplace, you can wander out into a garden that overlooks the harbour and Cardigan Bay. Dishes such as hot apple and rum charlotte with cinnamon custard and caramel should see off the heartiest hillwalker's appetite. A bar takes up the lower ground floor space created by the steeply sloping site.
Bedrooms are white-walled with recessed lighting, Conran furniture and plain fabrics in whites, creams and browns enlivened by splashes of brighter colour in cushions or flowers. Bathrooms are generously proportioned and well-equipped, as you'd expect from the American influence.
Where to book: Tel: 01341 280550, abermaw.com. 14 rooms; B&B £50pp.
The Bell, Skenfrith, Monmouthshire
The Bell is a revitalised country inn that offers interesting food and non-rustic levels of comfort to reach out to the wider market while continuing to welcome locals. Its whitewashed 17th-century exterior faces a ruined 13th-century castle and mill across the River Monnow. Inside, the ground floor has been opened out, with informal dining areas, sofas and an open fireplace creating a relaxed, spacious feel. There's also a proper "drinking bar" and a games room with old church pews.
In the restaurant, dishes of metropolitan sophistication use ingredients from within a 20-mile radius. A dish featuring Trelough duck breast, for example, comes with artichoke mash, pancetta, field mushrooms and jus. There's also a bar menu and an award-winning wine list.
There are eight spacious suites and bedrooms, some with four-posters, decorated in tints of white.
Where to book: Tel: 01600 750235, thebellatskenfrith.com. 8 double/twin rooms; B&B £85-£140 per room.
The Big Sleep, Cardiff
John Malkovich slept here. Not only that, but he's an investor in the business. The owners have converted a disused city centre office block into the kind of funky, relaxed, inexpensive hotel they had found lacking outside London.
The top two of 10 floors have been completed so far. Much of the furniture and fittings, from bedside tables to interior signage, is formica. The updated rooms are uncluttered and spacious, decorated in a palette of blues, browns and greys. The industrial effect is taken through to office-style wall fans and clothing racks. Views can reach as far as the Severn Bridge. Standard - ie unreconstructed - rooms, offer much the same facilities but with veneered wood instead of formica as the base material.
The Big Sleep has a small, 1960s-styled bar and a dining-room offering buffet-style continental breakfasts.
Where to book: Tel: 02920 636363, thebigsleephotel.com. 81 rooms; B&B £58-£69.
Castell Deudraeth, Portmeirion, Gwynedd
After 70 years of neglect, this neo-gothic mansion was finally added to the range of accommodation at Portmeirion in 2001, under the aegis of Clough Williams-Ellis' grandson, Robin Llywelyn. The Castell's fusion of contemporary style and local materials immediately won plaudits: original period details have been restored and augmented by furniture, textiles and art. The overall effect is modern, only the arched shapes of doorways and fireplaces reminding you of the building's origins.
Surrounded by full-height windows, the restaurant is light and airy, with plain wooden tables, leather chairs and flooring of slate and oak. Crab, lobster, scallops and beef from Llyn, oysters from Anglesey, and lamb from around Bala feature in a Mediterranean-influenced menu. From the restaurant, you can stroll out to a terrace and Victorian walled garden.
The 11 spacious bedrooms strike a note of chic luxury, using oak, slate, leather and wool in rich but subtle colour combinations. Every room has underfloor heating, a kitchen area and marble bathroom with whirlpool bath. Most have views across Cardigan Bay.
Where to book: Tel: 01766 770000, portmeirion.com. 11 rooms; B&B £175-£235 per room.
The Felin Fach Griffin, nr Brecon, Powys
Three miles north of Brecon, this salmon-pink-washed former farm takes as its motto "Eat Drink Sleep", and Charles Inkin, who manages and cooks, aims to combine excellence in all those areas with the informality of a country inn. Downstairs the interior style is rural, cosy even. The flagged floor, low-beamed ceiling and open fireplace are still there, but plain painted walls, blue panelling and leather sofas evoke the urban bar-restaurant.
Menus blend modern British and European influences, using produce from neighbouring farms - Tregoyd pheasant, creamed mash, parsnips and morel jus - and seafood delivered daily. The seven bedrooms continue the updated country theme: big beds with white linen and bathrooms with stripped floorboards.
Where to book: Tel: 01874 620111, eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk. 7 rooms; B&B from £82.50 per double/twin room.
The Harbourmaster Hotel, Aberaeron, Ceredigion
Aberaeron's handsome Georgian terraces are sprinkled with jolly pastel colours. Even so, the vibrant blue of the Harbourmaster, in prime position on the quayside, stands out. Glyn and Menna Heulynwere inspired to create a small, stylish hotel that would rival the best they'd seen on their travels around the world.
Each bedroom is different, with a tiled bathroom and windows everywhere - it was the Harbourmaster's house, after all. Unusually, there are two single ensuite rooms connecting to larger rooms - good for families with a teenager.
The restaurant is relaxed, but the menu is a serious effort to combine the best local ingredients with global influences - like chargrilled Welsh black beef fillet, parsnip and black pudding mash with red wine jus.
Where to book: Tel: 01545 570755, harbour-master.com. 7 rooms; B&B £75-£95 per double room.
Morgans, Swansea, West Glamorgan
The Morgans have lavished care and money on the meticulous conversion of the historic Port Authority building into this luxury 20-room hotel. Victorian virtues have been retained - wood panelling, high ceilings, plaster mouldings, stained glass - and 21st-century comforts and style discreetly dovetailed in.
There's an airy main bar and lounge furnished with soft leather sofas. Upstairs, in the former boardroom, the restaurant offers menus strong on seafood; there's also a champagne bar and informal bistro. Outside, a small decked courtyard is sheltered by a large sail.
Bedrooms are spacious, with large wood-floored bathrooms to match, some with double-sized showers.
Where to book: Tel: 01792 484848, morganshotel.co.uk. 20 rooms; B&B £100-£250 per room.
St David's Hotel & Spa, Cardiff
The wedge-shaped St David's juts out into Cardiff Bay like the prow of an ocean liner. With its 10 floors of white concrete and glass, it dominates an otherwise low-slung skyline. The design is modern, and the well-equipped spa is a major attraction.
Olga Polizzi, sister of owner Rocco Forte, oversaw the interior design. Bedrooms are airy and spacious, using fine materials to stylish effect. All have luxurious bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows and decked balconies separated by canvas sails.
In the Tides restaurant and bar, the view has to contend with food overseen by Marco Pierre White.
Where to book: Tel: 02920 454045, thestdavidshotel.com. 132 Rooms; doubles/twins from £200 including use of spa.
Osborne House, Llandudno, Gwynedd
Osborne House sits on Llandudno's well-preserved promenade. Inside, an extravagant belle epoque style prevails. With the huge cast-iron four-posters, the swag curtains, Victorian fireplaces, polished floors and Persian rugs, "bordello" springs to mind, although owner Elizabeth Maddocks prefers to talk about "romance".
Each suite incorporates a separate sitting-room and marble bathroom with claw-footed bath and walk-in shower. From your window, you can gaze out to sea.
A brasserie-style restaurant is due to open in May. Breakfast is delivered to your room, there's complimentary champagne on arrival and no resident staff.
Where to book: Tel: 01492 860555. 6 suites; £150-£200.
