The joys of Wales

But I have to admit I found myself reaching for my camera at dinner in the Best Western Falcondale Mansion Hotel in Lampeter to take a snap of my boyfriend looking very happy with what he had just been presented with.

The hotel restaurant really was one of the major highlights of our stay.

As well as being beautifully presented the food was fantastic and the selection very impressive.

The service was also extremely good. Even our breakfasts at our short break at the country hotel were special occasions.

Of course, it helped being able to look out of the window on to the lush Welsh landscape beyond.

It also contributed to our enjoyment of our meals, and indeed our whole stay, that the building is both old and attractive.

Sometimes hotels are so standardised that although they are well presented, they are bland.

But this hotel had real character. This wasn’t just the case in the public areas but also in our room, which boasted original wooden shutters and antique furniture, not to mention another great view across the landscaped grounds to the hills beyond.

With only 19 rooms the hotel is fairly small which meant that the staff remembered us and we felt that we received a more personal service.

It really lent itself to a relaxing break, which was what we were there for.

This was just as well because although this area of Wales is very attractive, we didn’t find a great deal to do.

Lampeter itself is very small and it took us less than an hour to explore it, so we headed further out.

Just down the road from the hotel is a National Trust property, Llanerchaeron, which is worth a look.

The 18th century Welsh gentry estate features a house as well as farm and walled gardens.

The villa, designed in the 1790s, is the most complete example of the early work of John Nash and is very pretty.

There are some nice little seaside places to visit such as Aberaeron – a pretty harbour with colourful, and very photographable, cottages, as well as lots of places to treat yourself to a nice lunch.

Nearby New Quay is busier but less attractive although you can go on a seal-spotting boat trip from here as well as following the Dylan Thomas trail, dedicated to the famous Welsh poet who lived in the town and composed several works there, including Quite Early One Morning.

It’s also worth visiting the little cove of Llangrannog, which is recognised as one of Wales’ most attractive seaside destinations.

One thing to be aware of when you’re exploring this part of the world is that the roads are very windy and it’s very hilly. What looks like a short hop when you glance at a map can turn out to be a journey of epic proportions.

We found this when we decided to visit the Felinwynt Rain Forest Centre near Cardigan. This little butterfly house is worth a visit if your nearby but it isn’t worth the trek of more than an hour that it took us to get to what was essentially a large greenhouse, even if the enthusiastic co-owner, John Devereux, was fascinating to listen to.

The moral of the story is, this is a part of the world to be taking it easy. Trying to whiz around from attraction to attraction isn’t the way to go. Taking your time and soaking in the beautiful scenery is much more rewarding.

Best Western Falcondale Mansion Hotel double room including breakfast, from £139 per night. For more information, visit bestwestern.co.uk or call 0800 601060.