Penally Abbey Blog

Places to stop on the journey to Pembrokeshire...When travelling to Wales, many will cross the magnificent Seven Bridge and travel via the trusty M4 motorway, that then turns into the A48, and runs the length of South Wales. Pembrokeshire is the pot of sparkling gold at the end of this strip of road but there are some gems along the way that are sure to make your journey more enjoyable. If you have...

I am SO excited to share with you that our new restaurant Rhosyn will be opening this February! I hope that the opening of Rhosyn will welcome so many more locals into the Abbey and that diners will enjoy the much more relaxed atmosphere that both the surroundings and our super friendly staff provide. Putting together the concept of Rhosyn has been a particularly enjoyable project for us...

Last year, Pembrokeshire won the prestigious ‘Holiday Destination of the Year’ for 2018 in the BBC Countryfile awards. This award is one of the 100s that the county has won over the past few decades and for very good reason. Words barely do justice to the bewitching, magnificent wealth of natural beauty that Pembrokeshire has to offer. It is exhilarating whilst simultaneously calming and ...

Christmas 2018 has arrived at our little hotel by the sea...This will be our fifth Christmas at Penally Abbey. Our fifth year of decorating this beautiful building and learning what works for both our guests and ourselves at this magical time of year. When we first took over the hotel I had very little understanding of what Christmas spent at a hotel entailed.I was naïve and unaware that...

...and other great Christmas events in Pembrokeshire!The festive season is firmly on the way here at Penally Abbey as large, jingling bags of decorations are being brought precariously down from the attic in preparation. The date is in the diary for the Christmas trees to be delivered from our local garden centre at Lydstep, and the anticipation is mounting as we start thinking about which Christmas...

September has arrived and whilst the school summer holidays have ended, it feels as though it is the adults turn to pack their bag and escape to the seaside. With 52 beautiful empty beaches to chose from and the weather still reaching 20 degrees, it is the perfect time to take a holiday to Wales. If, unlike me, you require a little extra convincing when deciding on whether to head to Penally ...

When running a hotel in Pembrokeshire, within the UK’s biggest coastal national park, we feel it is integral to welcome dogs! With the majority of our front of house staff owning dogs, and here at the hotel we have two friendly spaniels, it means that we have an abundance of advice on where the best spots to take your furry friend are. Here is the roundup of the best beaches, pubs, walks and places...

 Summer has arrived in all its glory. With Mediterranean temperatures, blazing sunshine and endless blue skies, Pembrokeshire has captured the hearts of all who have visited its beaches and basked in its staggering beauty over the past few weeks. Some say that it has felt as though they have been abroad, however I believe that when the weather is wonderful in Wales, there truly is no better...

Those who travel to Pembrokeshire tend not to come for theme parks, packed out beaches and wild night life, but to escape to the coast for lazy, tranquil days exploring the coast line and watching vast arrays of wildlife in their natural habitat. Skomer Island is a place I would describe as being the pinnacle of what Pembrokeshire represents and offers, completely breath taking, unspoilt natural...

The Little Black Book of Wedding ContactsWeddings are one of our favourite celebrations to host at Penally Abbey and we felt it was time to share our little black book of the very best wedding contacts you need to plan your wedding in Pembrokeshire.It can be an agonising task choosing who will do your photos, plan your day, feed you and your guests and style your hair for your wedding. We always provide...

MAYFestival of the SeaSaturday 19th May | Gupton Farm, Freshwater WestOn Saturday 19th May the National Trust and Pembrokeshire Beach Food are coming together to celebrate all things coastal for Visit Wales' 'Year of the Sea' 2018. The festival will be located just up the hill from Freshwater West at Gupton Farm. It promises to be a fantastic day full of innovative Pembrokeshire based artists...

...and the sunroom is back!As I write this blog, I am sitting in the beautifully serene sun room high up on the hillside in Penally. It seems almost a cliche to describe the scene before me as I gaze across a calm, glassy sea, with only the magical sound of the birds singing and distant waves hitting the shore as I write.Today, at long last the sun is shining and I am thrilled that we are...

Escaping to Pembrokeshire for Easter couldn't be more fun filled and rejuvenating! The hedgerows are full of wild Spring flowers and the sleepy coastal towns are coming back to life ready to welcome back smiling visitors with a fresh lease of life.  Waving goodbye to the dark months of Winter we are ready to welcome the arrival of buckets and spades, children eating ice creams ...

HAPPY ST. DAVID'S DAYAs a little girl born and bred in South Wales, March 1st meant being dressed up by my parents and sent off to school wearing a little welsh girls outfit, complete with a little black hat and a wilting daffodil pinned to my front. Welsh songs would be sung and the famous welsh cakes would be devoured. THE PENALLY ABBEY WELSH CAKE COMPETITIONAs an adult, however, our traditions...

Since bidding our final guests of 2017 farewell on the 1st January it has been all hands on deck carrying out the last bits of work to complete our original vision of Penally Abbey. Going into our fourth year at the hotel is quite surreal and as we wipe away the final bits of dust, in the last of the newly refurbished bathrooms, it is hard to remember where we were at the beginning.It has been an ...