“What do you mean you haven’t seen Pride and Prejudice?” my girlfriend demanded.
I turned to her warily.
“The one with Colin Firth in a wet, white shirt which makes women of a certain age get a little floaty feeling?”
“All women, Alex. All.”
“Oh. Well no, I’ve not seen it, nothing against it, just haven’t got around to it,” I said. “I will one day maybe.”
I was met with a hard stare.
“I saw the one with zombies in it.”
Her eyebrows drop a full inch.
“We’re watching it tonight,” she states.
“Nah, there’s loads of stuff I’ve got to get through, we’ll watch it soon though I promise.”
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The following day, after watching the entire BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen classic in one sitting, we were sitting around talking about the perks and pitfalls of life in a ’simpler’ age.
Wouldn’t it be difficult to heat a house that size? Wouldn’t it be a little boring? Wouldn’t having someone at your beck and call make you feel a bit uncomfortable?
There was much to discuss. The one thing that could be agreed upon was that the splendour and gravitas of the stately homes across the UK was impressive.
We searched the internet for some of the series’ locations and found that most of the main locations were now National Trust and therefore open to the public. We made plans to visit one or two.
Living in north Wales, where folklore and an imposing landscape is only ever a stone’s throw away, we began to search for historically significant buildings in the region.
We certainly weren’t short of options but one name routinely popped up at the top of our searches: Bodysgallen Hall. The photos looked exquisite. We clicked through.
A quick peruse through their website and a short email exchange later, we were booked into to explore this alluring, courtly edifice located just a couple of hours drive away from our doorstep.
Located near Llandudno – a lively, Victorian-era town located in the shadow of The Great Orme in Conwy - Bodysgallen Hall offers a sumptuous selection of rooms, dining options and spa facilities which were too tempting to resist.
First impressions were favourable; driving up the serpentine driveway, you could almost feel the decades drip away, leaving you in the middle of ancient woodland with a sense of great anticipation.
The hall is set in over 200 acres of wooded parkland and exquisitely manicured gardens. An evening strolling around the sweet-scented gardens and gnarled woodlands will see you find cosy, hideaway benches, kissing gates, ominous rustlings, fruit bats, croquet pitches and expansive views across Snowdonia and the fairytale Conwy Castle.
The stunning scenery only provides a suitable frame for the gorgeous 17th century house however.
Guests are welcome to choose from 15 bedrooms, including four principal suites, or 16 cheerfully characterful cottages.
The rooms are spacious, well appointed, and pleasing traditional. You won’t find tea or coffee facilities in the room – there’s room service for all that – and the TV set appears an almost incongruous addition set in the room’s lavish interior.
The house, which was lovingly restored in the late 20th century before it was handed to the National Trust a decade ago, is as much fun to explore as the gardens around it.
There are paintings which will pique your interest, armchairs and writing desks in dimly lit snugs that’ll have you reaching for your book, or little details which hint towards the huge amount of history soaked into the four walls surrounding you.
The building itself is believed to have started life in the 13th century as a watchtower for the aforementioned Conwy Castle but only became comfortably habitable in the 1600s.
Gareth, the porter at Bodysgallen, is a wealth of local heritage and anecdotes for the hall and will gladly regale guests of the history of the building if he is asked.
Gareth was one of the spa hotel’s greatest treasures and made our stay incredibly comfortable. He even promised to take us for a tour of the building’s oldest corners but alas, the Welsh weather made the trip too perilous.
After fully investigating every nook and cranny of our suite, the expansive view over the grounds, the springiness of the bed and the quiet solitude of the estate, we made our way down for dinner.
We were quickly shown to a seat and offered a drink and we glanced through a tantalising menu – or ’bill of fare’ as it was referred to – and a pleasingly hefty wine list.
After choosing a bottle from the ’bin list’, found on the very last page of the comprehensive listing, I was delighted with the robust red I had chanced upon. If the bottles they are willing to part with have any reflection of the bottles they’re happy to keep, I assure you that you’ll not be disappointed by the options available at Bodysgallen.
The food, served in a artfully lit dining room where no table quite imposes on another, was as well considered and pleasant as any other aspect of the hall.
The egg starter, the oriental duck and a diverse cheeseboard proved to be the stars of the show but only with the assistance of an ever-present, but never pushy, waiting staff. Even with the young woman on the adjacent table, who had a very particular palette, couldn’t stump them, despite her numerous and increasingly desperate attempts.
The restaurant earned every one of its three rosettes that evening.
Following dinner, where any complaints could be put down to personal taste as opposed to any shortcomings in the kitchen, another short trek around the grounds at nightfall – past a huddle of families whispering over their G&Ts – saw us eventually end up deposited at the colonial-style bar in the recesses off the reception hall.
Here we were offered a seemingly endless range of cocktails and mocktails which were mixed by the ever-charming Gareth.
One small smudge on the shine of the experience came while we were exploring the bar’s ’no mobile phone/laptops allowed’ placards on one of the sofas around the corner of the bar.
One of the hotel’s senior staff, who wasn’t aware we were in the room, marched in and made some fairly blunt comments about the guests, including us, about respective bills. I only mention it as it was in stark contrast to every other staff interaction we enjoyed at Bodysgallen.
From there, the night passed very comfortably. The rooms were neither too warm nor too cold, the bed inviting, and bathrobes plump and fluffy. A good night’s sleep was followed by a warming breakfast before heading over to the spa to sweat out the evening’s excesses.
The gym, pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi were all satisfactorily punishing and the staff were more than happy to assist wherever they could. No one on Earth would be upset by the range of therapies on offer and the aromatherapy treatments were simply exquisite.
Relaxed and very pleased with everything, I was delighted to have a quick chat with the hall’s general manager, Elgan Roberts, a man who runs a relentlessly efficient yet personable operation.
On departure, I spotted a brochure offering a Christmas stay at Bodysgallen Hall and would have no hesitation in recommending the historic hall for a festive treat sure to be like no other.
One final note. If I were to return, I would perhaps look to book one of the cottages on the grounds. Each one looked well presented in a friendly, ramshackle manner – a property to delight anyone who dreams of spending a night at Hogsmeade, the village below Harry Potter’s Hogwarts.
Whether a literary buff, a history nerd, or simply someone hankering for the traditional alongside exemplary service, Bodysgallen Hall will be sure to provide what you’re looking for.
Room rates start at £190 for a double. For more information, visit www.bodysgallen.com.
For more ideas of places to visit in the UK and beyond, go to our Travel Features page