Near Crickhowell, Usk valley · Hotel
Italianate Victorian house above the Usk near Crickhowell, with 33 acres of gardens, its own fishing beats and 23 individually decorated rooms.
Gliffaes stands on a wooded bluff above the River Usk about four miles west of Crickhowell, reached by a long private drive off the A40. Built in the 1880s in an Italianate style, complete with campanile tower, it has been run by the same family since the 1940s and has the settled, slightly eccentric character that comes with that.
There are 23 bedrooms, all en suite and all individually decorated, priced according to size and outlook. The cheapest are genuinely modest; the best have river views and space to spread out. Public rooms include a panelled sitting room, a large terrace overlooking the valley and a bar that fills with anglers in season. Thirty-three acres of gardens and arboretum surround the house, with rare trees, spring bulbs and paths down to the water.
Fishing is central to the hotel's identity. Gliffaes holds around two and a half miles of fishing on the Usk for wild brown trout, salmon and grayling, and non-residents can buy day tickets. Even if you never pick up a rod, the river frontage is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. The kitchen serves modern British cooking with Welsh sourcing, and afternoon tea on the terrace is something of an institution.
This suits couples, keen anglers and walkers heading into the Black Mountains, which begin immediately north. Dogs are welcome in some rooms. The atmosphere is country house rather than boutique hotel, so expect character and comfort rather than cutting-edge design. It is often cited as the only four-star hotel within the national park boundary, and rates reflect that, though the range of room prices means it is not out of reach.