Combine nature with nurture at a peaceful spa hotel in Snowdonia

Nestled deep in the Dwyryd Estuary on Snowdonia National Park’s western edge lies the Portmeirion, created between 1925 and 1973 by Clough Williams-Ellis. This Welsh architect had a vision: to build a Welsh coastal village in an Italianate style. Today, this seaside getaway includes a flower-adorned piazza with benches for watching the world go by, woodlands for wandering in, award-winning restaurants and a spa overlooking the water.

There are two attractive accommodation options here: a room at Hotel Portmeirion, where you’ll find individual touches like mosaic tiles in the bathroom, charming circular windows and intricate chandeliers – or one at Castell Deudraeth. This Gothic castle has been renovated into a contemporary haven. Floors and walls are finished in Welsh oak, slate and stone and there’s comforting warm underfloor heating throughout – just the thing for your weekend of pampering.

On arrival, take a dip in the heated outdoor swimming pool (May-September) before heading to the Mermaid Spa. Here, you can choose from a wide range of treatments including facials and body wraps, scrubs, aroma massages, hairdressing, manicures, pedicures, waxing and tinting. Therapists use products by natural and vegan-friendly Tropic Skincare – try the full body massage with aromatic seaweed body wrap, a luxurious 2 hour treatment. Children aged 7 and older can also indulge, with a nurturing massage, facial, pedicures or manicure.

At Hotel Portmeirion, slide into on your most elegant outfit for a meal in the Art-Deco, walnut-panelled restaurant. Fine dining options abound – think dishes like wood pigeon, caramelised celeriac, pistachio and pickled blackberries. Or, snuggle into your pyjamas and have a restorative evening in. Through the hotel’s room service, you can order dishes like seafood chowder with crisp potato dill and Welsh rarebit, radicchio, walnut and apple salad to savour in the privacy of your cosy bedroom.

Find your weekend bliss in this waterside spa hotel, with rooms and suites that come with private balconies, Egyptian cotton sheets and natural ESPA toiletries to make your stay extra luxurious. On arrival at Quay Hotel, quench your thirst at the Terrace bar with an ale brewed in nearby Llandudno, taking a moment to linger on the veranda as you absorb views over the Conwy River.

If you’re not quite ready to tear yourself away from the captivating river scene, pull up a chair in the Marina Restaurant where you can look out on the Conwy Mountains, the estuary and Conwy Castle over a sumptuous meal. Dine on delights such as fresh crab followed by roast rump of Welsh lamb, perhaps treating yourself to a third course of Welsh cheeses, like the creamy Perl Las or deliciously rich Snowdon Black Bomber. In autumn, sample succulent mussels fished from the deepest Conwy waters.

The hotel’s Marina Spa includes a swimming pool, sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy swimming pool, and offers an extensive programme of facials, massages, scrubs, wraps, manicures, pedicures, nail care and eyebrow grooming. Also available are holistic treatments such as reflexology and ‘hopi ears’, where impurities are drawn out of the body via the ears using an ancient Indian technique. Facials start with a detailed skin analysis using SkinVision technology, which identifies conditions that are invisible to the naked eye, enabling therapists to tailor your treatment specifically to your needs. Stimulate the senses with invigorating options including a salt and oil scrub, a detox wrap or a soothing hot-stone massage. Couples can indulge in the Mr & Mrs treatment where either a full body massage or a radiance facial are carried out in the doubles treatment room.

Set in over 200 acres of parkland, this Grade I listed hall combines tastefully decorated rooms, suites and cottages with a boutique spa where you can nourish your body – and mind. Bodysgallen Spa has a large indoor swimming pool, plus a spa bath, steam room, sauna, therapy rooms and relaxation room. The eclectic menu of treatments includes massages, facials, scrubs and wraps as well as eyelash tinting and shaping. Give your skin a natural-looking glow with an Xen Tan treatment – it uses a time-release component so that your tan lasts longer after your trip. For men, refinery treatments are carried out using pure extracts and essential oils to enhance mental and emotional wellbeing.

Come evening, allow the hosts at Bodysgallen’s Dining Room, with its three AA rosettes, to serve you a dinner fit for a king: think dishes like wild garlic and artichoke gnocchi followed by rhubarb cannelloni with tonka bean ice cream. When it’s time to retire, head to your private quarters and lose yourself in a novel, surrounded by antique wooden furniture and tasteful artwork. Later, draw your cosy floral curtains, turn out your ceramic vintage lamp and cosy up for the night under your thick, cosy cotton quilt.

A stay at Bodysgallen Hall is not complete without taking an hour or two to explore the hotel’s meticulously preened gardens, either following a set itinerary (maps are available from reception) or taking your own path. Happen upon delights such as a sundial, a lily pond or a cascading waterfall, and admire the angular shapes and symmetry of the 17th-century parterre as you breathe in the sweet scent of herbs and shrubs, including fragrant lavender.

Check into this spa hotel on the seafront on Llandudno Bay, with period features – from a resplendent façade to charming floral soft furnishings – that exude Victorian charm. Pick a room with a view and start the day admiring vistas over the bay, Llandudno Pier or out to Snowdonia, followed by a full Welsh breakfast made with free-range eggs and meat and washed down with a pot of fairtrade coffee.

To digest your early-morning feast at The Imperial, opt for one of the many activities available in the surrounding area – sail the seas on a boat trip from Llandudno jetty, meet owls and birds of prey at the nearby Bodafon Farm or head out into the mountains of Snowdonia National Park to experience Wales’ wild charms. When you’re ready to be spoilt, the hotel’s Mint Condition spa and fitness centre awaits. At the centre, you’ll find a 45 ft heated swimming pool, a spa bath with powerful jets to soothe your muscles, plus a sauna and a steam room. In the Beauty Lounge, choose from Swedish and hot stone massages, microdermabrasion – a type of exfoliation that results in brighter-looking skin – slimming body wraps and luxury facials using products by British brand Eve Taylor. Treat your hands to an anti-ageing treatment using flower-enhanced coconut oils by Pure Fiji, then follow it up with a Shellac manicure for a polished finishing touch.

The Victorian theme continues with the hotel’s exquisite afternoon tea offering; sit back as you’re brought treats served on three-tiered stands. Feast on treats like finger sandwiches of Scottish smoked salmon and sweet-tooth pleasers such as homemade scones with fresh clotted and cream and buttered bara brith, a traditional Welsh fruit loaf, all washed down with an earl grey tea or glass of celebratory bubbly.

On the island of Anglesey, Wales’ north-westernmost point, stands this 19th-century country house spa hotel. The peaceful setting at Tre Ysgawen Hall offers an idyllic location where you can spend quality time catching up with a partner or friends for a true getting-away-from-it-all break.

Start with a refreshing few lengths in the spa’s 52 ft swimming pool, then head to the thermal suite. Here, enliven your senses among the aromatic essences of the herbal sauna, then cool your limbs with cold flakes in the ice fountain – flitting from hot to cold boosts circulation, eliminates toxins and helps clear the sinuses. In the salt inhalation therapy room, breathe in air filled with ozone-rich Anglesey sea salt, where you’ll feel the same benefits as you might from a brisk walk by the shore. Treatments include massages, facials, exfoliations, reflexology, waxing, manicures, pedicures and Shellac nails.

If you’ve had a windswept hike or scramble up nearby peaks Tryfan or Glyder Fawr, an invigorating leg and foot massage will revitalise those weary muscles, while a re-hydrator facial will regenerate skin that’s been exposed to the elements. Finish off your spa visit with a Caribbean rain or monsoon experience shower, where colour therapy and aromas are used to enhance your mood.

When food beckons after a spa day or a local stroll, the hotel’s award-winning Noëlle’s restaurant is all set to satisfy. Discover contemporary amuse-bouches such as Anglesey potato salad with cream cheese gel, and comforting mains like pan-fried loin of cod and rolled saddle of lamb.

Book a room or suite here with either a contemporary or traditional decor, perhaps opting for a four-poster room for a romantic weekend à deux. All rooms offer views of the courtyard, the front lawn or Snowdonia Mountains – spend a moment contemplating your new surroundings before snuggling down into your comfortable bed and dreaming of rolling landscapes.