Castell Deudraeth revisited!   
article and photographs by Alan Jones

In the last issue I reviewed Castell Deudraeth from a first-impression point of view when we tried the place out during the Non Con in August 2001. Readers will remember that we were very impressed with the layout of the place, the facilities and the wonderful food in its restaurant. We had promised a follow-up article about our trip in November 2001 for Sunday lunch though, as such a long time has passed since then, a more up to date review of Castell Deudraeth was deemed necessary.

On the evening of Friday 8th November, Janet and I made our way from the Wirral to Castell Deudraeth. The weather was atrocious and after a day at work, the last thing I really wanted to do was make such a drive in heavy rain and at night. Nevertheless we persevered and at least I do know those roads like the back of my hand. In fact, I was happier driving through Wales than along the motorway on the Wirral!

The rain had eased considerably by the time we approached the Castell, lit up and looking welcoming, albeit still a little like something from a Hammer movie considering the weather. As we entered the reception with our luggage, the day’s trials and tribulations evaporated.
We checked in and were taken to our room by Chris, who has got to know me after my frequent visits for a drink or a meal over the last year!

Although we had both visited Castell Deudraeth before on numerous occasions, neither of us had ever stayed there and so even going up to the second floor in the lift was a novelty!
The first thing you notice about the Castell’s corridors is their simplicity. No “form over function” here. Everything is stylish in an understated way. The simple white door to our room (Castell “deg” or “ten”) gave no indication of what to expect once inside.



The room was well-lit by downlighters and wall lights with plenty of switches allowing guests to adjust the lighting to suit their mood. The furnishing of the room was modern and comfortable, the decor restful. We both felt immediately at ease which is not something that can be said of all hotel rooms. I was taken by all the sockets, switches, etc. that allowed you to plug in any manner of electronic gizmos that you happened to bring with you. Internet access? no problem. Telephone? How about three? One by the bed, one in the bathroom and a speakerphone on the writing desk. As I said to Jan, “You could run a business from here”. She agreed but pointed out that it would need to be a very successful business!

Walking down the stairs to the bar for a drink before dinner took, oh, what? thirty seconds? Chris took our order and a pleasant meal and somewhat boozy evening ensued including the complimentary decanter of sherry back in the room later.

Breakfast the next morning was, as expected, very pleasant and varied. A full fried breakfast set us up for the day though vegetarians could overdose on Vitamin C with the selection of fruit provided. The dining room looked very different in the bright morning light. Tea and toast seemed to taste better with the view of the Victorian walled garden.
Castell deg is blessed with views of both the walled garden and the estuary. OK, no view of the village but I’ve got a rough idea of what that looks like already and the views from the Castell are very pretty nonetheless.

A pleasant walk down to the village and you are reminded that Castell Deudraeth is indeed part of Portmeirion. So, you can use the hotel bar and then, if you’re feeling very lazy, ask for the minibus to take you back up to the Castell! We decided to walk back but not before I had bought the 35th Anniversary Prisoner and boxed set DVDs together with Robert Fairclough’s new book from the Prisoner shop!

After a lazy afternoon, we got ready and took dinner earlier on Saturday evening so that we could then take in a trip down to the village and the hotel. Jan had never seen Portmeirion at night and I was keen to show her how different it looked from daytime so we got the minibus driver to drop us off at Battery Square. This allowed us to then have a walk around the village before going to the hotel for a drink and to appreciate the tranquility of Portmeirion at night.



Castell Deudraeth is a wonderful venture and has added another dimension to the fantastic village of Portmeirion. Yes, there are some lovely places to stay inside the village but if your tastes tend more towards minimalism than chintz, then the Castell is for you. Sure, the views aren’t as impressive as Portmeirion itself but it’s not like you are that far away and they are still pleasant.

Our next visit to Portmeirion will be for the convention at the end of this month and we will again be staying at Castell Deudraeth, this time in the penthouse. A case of ambition taking over from common sense and any respect for our bank balances. We’ll see you at the Con if we can drag ourselves away from the two widescreen TVs!