Castle

My, how Aberaeron has changed. Twenty years ago, this Georgian harbour town was a bit of a backwater. Now, it’s a fashionable destination thanks to new life and new businesses, a prime example being The Castle.

You can’t miss it, standing on the corner, a boldly red beacon. There’s a bold palate inside too. The handsome Grade II listed building has been stripped of its old ‘pubby’ feel and reinvented through snazzy interior design.

Today’s tastes are much in evidence, from the Café/Bar and Mediterranean Restaurant, which combine continental and traditional touches, to the well-appointed bedrooms with their distinctive ‘modern Welsh’ feel and tasteful tapestries from the local woollen mill. So you come here for croissants not heavy-duty cakes, Egyptian cotton bedlinen not creaky beds, and a warm welcome from enthusiastic hosts Dai James and Meinir Bowen – plus juicy food that’s local, seasonal and natural.