Gwesty Minffordd Hotel

Anyone who books this hotel should be aware that the kitchen closes its door firmly at 7pm. I was staying there with friends, who had booked their table at 7pm, having been told that they would not be served after that. I would be arriving on the 7.30pm bus, so I emailed the hotel the previous day, asking to pre-order before 7pm so that I could join my friends' meal. The email not having been answered, I phoned the hotel before taking the bus to be told that they 'did not do pre-orders', that they 'couldn't keep the food warm'. I ended up hungry and having a flapjack and some beer for supper. Apart from that the hotel was fine - clean, good shower, comfy bed, good breakfast. But be warned about the early, strict cut-off for the evening meal.

Couldn’t have been cosier, caught my eye on the way past & very glad I stopped in. Service was great, extremely accommodating and did me an early dinner in the bar so I could hike to my overnight stop. Talked me through the beer selection & made me feel at home. Lovely atmosphere & perfect hospitality. The host (I didn’t catch his name) chatted with us & it made for a great atmosphere of all tables in the bar. Would happily stay & it’s a fantastic location for mountain walks. Food was delicious & very reasonably priced (I forgot to leave a service charge & feel very guilty, couldn’t have been more deserving - please drop by and have a drink on my behalf)!! I’ll be back :)

Strengths: - the location is 5 minutes walk from the Cadair Idris trail so really the perfect spot for hikers. - building has lots of character. - easy to book and good email communication before arrival. - single rooms are available so good for solo guests. - plenty of parking. - quiet accommodation (we were the only guests staying). - a packed lunch is available (pre order). - you can eat dinner there which is convenient after a long day of walking. - there is a lounge area. - plenty of fresh fruit for breakfast and variety of cooked breakfast items. - the owner is well intentioned and clearly takes some pride in his work. - the phone signal is very minimal and no tv but this was known prior to arrival so we were prepared. Less favourable points- there was not really anything that the host could easily rectify so none of these were raised during our stay. - we had booked a table for dinner at 7:30 but the host wanted us to eat ASAP so that the chef could go home (only 2 other people were in the restaurant). We were driving a fair distance so could only arrive when the traffic dictated. Surely it is easier to just say the kitchen closes at 7 than change peoples' table times. - we felt rushed when eating as the host repeatedly came up to the table to check if we had finished. He then cleared the table completely as soon as we had taken the last mouthfuls and started setting up for breakfast. This was efficient but also felt like we were imposing on him by staying sat at the table. - it was difficult to get any privacy to talk as the host approached us so often and because there were no other diners or music so it was silent. He did not seem to trust us to be alone in the lounge either. - the rooms are very dated and in much need of upgrading. - at times the heating was on (in August) which meant that the rooms were hot, hot, hot. - there were lots of spiders and webs and we both found a spider on our bed. To be expected for the age of the property but not for everyone. - Very old, stained carpet in communal areas. - the 'no vacancy' sign was outside but most of the rooms were closed for business. The host spoke of the challenges of changing beds and doing laundry. These tasks sounded very effortful for him. All in all, quite a memorable experience and very convenient for climbing the mountain. The main mystery is how the business makes any money as they seem to be actively discouraging guests and diners. I expect there will be a reply from the owner to quash the points raised but I am only sharing our experiences of the place with no malice intended. We wish them well but feel it would be best to sell the business to someone with more vim and vigour.