A MONTGOMERYSHIRE hotel has been named as the 'Best Place to Stay' in Wales.

The Royston, at Llanbrynmair, picked up the accolade from The Sunday Times.

It featured in the newspaper's 'Best Places to Stay' list - a comprehensive guide of the top 100 hotels in the UK.

The Royston, a seven-room B&B, only opened at Easter, this year.

It is owned and managed by two former advertising creatives, Clive Sweeting and Rob Perham, who moved from Brighton to Mid Wales to take over the former Victorian gentleman's residence and then set about a six-figure, three-year refurbishment programme.

The work included rewiring, replumbing, fixing a cellar so damp that it had resident frogs – then, at the last moment, decided against fitting TVs in the bedrooms. “We want people to take a step off the merry-go-round,” said Mr Sweeting.

County Times:

In its review The Sunday Times writes: "First impressions: it’s more Brighton than traditional Wales. The lounge where you check in has limited-edition graphic prints on smoke-grey walls, squishy chairs in acid-green fabrics, a woodburner in the fireplace and wild flowers on a beaten copper table. There are slow-lifestyle magazines on a midcentury sideboard. Curios are carefully placed in a cabinet. It feels – is – a product of things collected over time, less a B&B than the home of friends, albeit friends who are cooler and more glamorous than you. Just look at the honesty bar: besides the usual booze, it offers Aperol (bang on trend), premixed negroni, plum vodka and vermouth.

"The rooms share that design-conscious DNA: more prints on inky walls, more midcentury furniture alongside original built-in wardrobes, more vintage finds. Clever touches include an option for hypoallergenic sheets on beds. (Mine was hugely comfy.). The bathrooms are calm and minimalist, with metro tiles and toiletries by the Danish brand Meraki. Book Room 3 for a bathtub.

"None of the rooms is poky, but I’d urge you to go for a Superior. As well as additional space, your extra £30 buys views up the Twymyn Valley – tiny fields, oak woods, white farmhouses aloft on swells of grass and clouds sailing over the Cambrian Mountains. Without the distraction of a TV, it’s mesmerising.

"Don’t worry – the wi-fi is fast, so you can still stream Netflix. But, if you allow it to, the Royston will help you remember how to relax. There’s great walking and mountain-biking nearby, and the beach at Aberdovey is a belter. But you’ll be as happy idling with a book or gazing at that view, perhaps taking a stroll before the chaps’ terrific homemade dinners (fishcakes, pesto chicken salad, pizza, minted lamb and feta burgers), made with ingredients from their kitchen garden. Fancy a nightcap around a firepit afterwards? Why not?"