Hotels in Pembrokeshire

Choosing where to base yourself in Pembrokeshire matters more than it does in most counties, because the road network is slow and the coast is long. A hotel at Tenby and a hotel at St Davids are forty miles and an hour and a quarter apart, and the drive is not a pleasant one in August traffic. Decide which stretch of coast you actually want, then book within it.

Families generally do best in the south-east corner. Tenby and Saundersfoot put beaches, boat trips and food within walking distance of the room, which removes the daily car park scramble. Manorbier and Penally sit slightly outside the crush with easy access to both. Expect to pay a premium for anything with a sea view here, and expect the town centre hotels to be Victorian buildings with narrow stairs and no lift — ask before you book if that matters.

Couples and walkers are better served in the west and north. St Davids has the highest concentration of good small hotels in the county and sits within twenty minutes of half a dozen serious walking circuits. Newport, Dinas Cross and Fishguard on the north coast are quieter still and noticeably cheaper for equivalent quality. Inland, Narberth trades sea views for the best restaurants in the county.

Price expectations should be set honestly. A well-regarded three-star hotel or good B&B will run around £110 to £150 a night in shoulder season and £160 to £200 in July and August. The county's handful of genuinely luxurious country house hotels start nearer £250 and climb well past £400 for suites at peak. Two-night minimum stays over summer weekends are standard, and bank holidays often carry a three-night minimum.

Book early. Pembrokeshire has limited high-quality stock and it goes fast: the best rooms for July and August are typically gone by February, and half-term weeks fill the moment school calendars are published. If you can travel in May, June or September you will find both availability and rates dramatically better, with weather that is often no worse.