Royal Oak Hotel, Betws-y-Coed
Having never really explored Wales before, I was excited when I was asked to Betws-y-Coed to stay at the Royal Oak Hotel, right in the heart of the village. The hotel captures themes of the Victorian age, in a nod to its coaching in routes, with décor that takes this into consideration with the added flair of modern facilities. The perfect combination!
Betws-y-Coed is very reminiscent of a lot of quaint villages and towns in the Lake District. Every building is built from slate, boasting rich tones of greys and blues against the backdrop of lush greenery from the trees and mountains that stand proudly in the background. As a big fan of the Lake District I thought I would never find anywhere that would come close in comparison. This stay certainly put rest to that opinion.
Upon arrival, we found parking directly opposite the hotel, who gave us a ticket to make us exempt from the usual charges. We checked in and were offered a newspaper as well as a booking in the Grill Bar. (Please note that newspapers must be collected from downstairs- they are not delivered to your room.)
The room looked directly over the car park and the river running through the centre of the village and the green, so we could keep an eye on things.
With a large bed, dressing table, tea and coffee making faculties, free Wi-FI, a flat screen TV and MP3 docking stations- there was everything we needed for a comfortable stay. The bathroom had fluffy white towels and use of shampoo and body wash had we forgotten our own products.
The breakfast was buffet style for pastries, bread, cereals, juice and fruits, with waitress service for the cooked meal. I was glad to see salmon on the menu which has been hard to come by in many other hotels I have stayed in. My partner enjoyed traditional Welsh breakfast, which set us up for the day.
I would highly recommend that you use the hotel as a base to have a look around the village. With cafes, a delicatessen, gift, walking and book shops- there is plenty to see in just a small area. A mere half an hour away you can also find Bodnant Welsh Food Centre and Bodnant Garden which are well worth a visit too.
A welcome arrangement the hotel has with Stations Leisure Complex, is use of their swimming pool, sauna and steam room. With your booking card you can use the facilities for free and it’s just 10 minutes up the road. We found this a great precursor to our meal on the Saturday evening to work up an appetite before visiting the Stables Bar Bistro.
Overall, a weekend at The Royal Oak Hotel, was a welcome break for me and my partner. With a slower pace of life and relaxed atmosphere it’s a great place to unwind and take in either your natural surroundings or the more commercial areas of Wales.
The Stables
The Stables or Y Stablau is a great place to grab a table on a Friday or Saturday night if you are staying in Betws-y-Coed. With a chilled out atmosphere and friendly locals and visitors, you are surrounded by people just looking for good food, drink and company. That is exactly what you will get at this pub.
With views of the village, it is a great place to sit and admire your surroundings. The food is good quality and reasonably priced, but of a much better standard than your average pub. Just order at the bar and enjoy eating outside in the sunshine- if you are lucky. If it’s get a bit chilly towards the end of the night there are heat lamps under the canopies to take the edge off once the sun goes down. That way you can comfortably drink into the early hours.
We enjoyed one of the chef’s curries; the Chicken Tikka Masala, finished with fresh coriander and natural yoghurt with rice, chips, a poppadum, mango chutney and onion rings- everything was well cooked and offered healthy portions for big appetites. If you have just come back from a walk then this is the place to be to recoup your energy.
There was variety of drinks at the bar including a large selection of cask ales so something for every palate.
One of its many accolades is that it has been voted the best local venue to watch Rugby and Football International. It hosts live jazz every Thursday, and has events throughout the year including the Slate Hobbits, the Oakfest, the Merry Little Oakfest as well as many other bands lined up for the remainder 2014.
The Stables ticked every box for us- it was affordable, the staff were welcoming and it had a wide selection of food and drink so everyone should walk in hungry and walk away happy!
Grill Bar
If you are staying in the Royal Oak Hotel, I highly recommend that you dine in the Grill Bar, located within the building. With locally sourced food and very knowledgeable staff, it makes the whole experience run smoothly.
We enjoyed starters of Wok Fried Strips of Beef with hoi sin sauce, chilli ginger and vegetable noodles and Smooth Chicken Liver Parfait with homemade fruit chutney and crostini.
For our main course we had Welsh Mountain Lamb Rump with leek dauphinoise potato and caramelised red cabbage and the Famous Royal Oak Mixed Grill. My only advice if having the latter is not to eat anything all day, for my partner, who usually has a big appetite was defeated!
The deserts sounded lovely but we were far too full to indulge in anything more from the menu. All of the food was perfectly cooked with wonderful flavours from the accompaniments and the staff member was extremely helpful and advised us what to pick when we just couldn’t decide from the large choice of dishes.
Based on this experience alone, I was surprised to find that the hotel was only rated as a 3 star establishment as its food is very deserving of an extra star.
Tagged in Wales