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Portmeirion ****

Snowdownia, North Wales

Deluxe

Landmark village with two hotels, self catering cottages, and high conservation values

DESCRIPTION

This extraordinary Italianate village was built by the late Sir Clough Williams-Ellis on its own private peninsula on Snowdonia’s southern shore. It is a 20th Century architectural landmark comprising 50 curious buildings clustered around a central piazza and surrounded by 70 acres of sub-tropical woodlands.

Portmeirion has been named among the best places to stay in Wales and as one of the sexiest in the world.

The Hotel Portmeirion is situated by the shore. It is four star rated and has 14 rooms in the main building and 26 rooms and suites in surrounding houses. Its curvilinear dining room has spectacular views and has been awarded an AA rosette.

Further hotel accommodation is available at Castell Deudraeth, a Victorian castle which was restored and opened in 2001. This is three star rated and overlooks the estuary. It has 11 contemporary style rooms and suites. Its Bar and Grill specialises in local seafood and other local produce.

There are also 17 self-catering cottages sleeping from 2 to 8 people.

The village is a very popular day trip attraction with its shops, restaurants, gardens and beaches. Portmeirion is famous as the location for Patrick McGoohan’s cult 1960s television series, “The Prisoner”. It is also well-known for its Portmeirion Pottery, designed by Clough’s daughter Susan Williams-Ellis.

GREEN FEATURES

Portmeirion is owned by a registered charity, The Second Portmeirion Foundation. It aims to safeguard the heritage of the late Sir Clough Williams-Ellis who built the village from 1925 to 1975.

He wanted to show how “the development of a naturally beautiful site need not lead to its defilement” and fought for Beauty - "that strange necessity". He was a tireless campaigner for the environment and a founder member of both the Council for the Protection of Rural England in 1926 and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales in 1928, advocating rural preservation, amenity planning, industrial design and colourful architecture.

The charity’s objectives are to improve, protect and conserve the rural landscape and the animal and plant wildlife as well as the buildings and their contents.

It sets out to encourage access to its estate and preserve footpaths and commons. It promotes education in Welsh history and culture and in biology, zoology, botany, ecology and related sciences.