Bodysgallen Hall & Spa

Bodysgallen Hall carries a rare distinction among British country-house hotels: it is owned by the National Trust, its profits helping to conserve the very fabric guests sleep in. The core of the house is 17th-century, grown around a medieval watchtower from which sentries once watched Conwy Castle—a view modern guests can still enjoy across the treetops from the garden's higher walks.

The 200-acre parkland setting above Llandudno is exceptional even by Welsh standards. Immediately below the hall lies a rare 17th-century knot garden of box-hedged parterres filled with herbs, alongside a walled rose garden, cascades and follies linked by winding woodland paths. Inside, oak panelling, stone-mullioned windows and open fires keep the atmosphere convincingly antique; rooms in the hall are joined by self-contained cottages scattered through the grounds.

Dining in the panelled restaurant makes good use of Welsh produce, while the spa—tactfully housed in a separate building—adds a pool, sauna, steam and treatments without disturbing the house's period spell. Conwy's medieval walls, Bodnant Garden and the beaches of the Llŷn are all within easy reach. Bodysgallen suits travellers who want authentic historic atmosphere and gardens first, contemporary flash not at all.