Greaves Hall
Sleeps 14-23
Porthmadog, Wales
Gardens and grounds
Bring the kids, bring the dogs, bring your enthusiasm for all things outdoors, for the 15 acres of fine parkland that separate Greaves Hall from the mountains of North Wales and the beautiful beaches around Porthmadog.
Eat out on the terrace table with fine cuts from Cig Porthmadog Meat cooked on the gas barbecue, and wines from Gwyn Llyn. Explore the landscaping, play croquet, cricket and boules. Swap stories in the evening in the central atrium.
Living spaces
Magnificence runs through Greaves Hall like lettering through Porthmadog rock. You’ll stay in a Grade-II*-listed manor house dating back half a millennium and remodelled Arts-and-Crafts-style in the 19th century by Richard Greaves, manager of the local slate quarry. Today, you’ll revel in the oak panelling and impressive entertaining spaces.
Chief among those entertaining spaces is a games room equipped with table tennis, pool and a 65-inch TV with two rows of cinema-style seating. Just add popcorn. Viewing clash? You’ll find four more TVs dotted around the manor and one each in the cottages among mobility-friendly accommodation that’s ground-floor only.
Next up? A little mis-spent youth wasted on the sitting-room’s ten-foot snooker table followed by lounging and lazing on the comfy Chesterfields in front of the roaring fire. It’s a scenario made for late-night games of charades. Or stay strictly 21st-century and bring your devices for the BT superfast FTTP.
Cooking and dining
Load up the large fridge and freezer with deliveries from Tesco, Asda and Waitrose, deli delights from The Big Rock Café and wine from Gwin Llyn. Then show your skills on the Rangemaster Professional with grill, two ovens and five-ring induction hob. Dump the dirties in two dishwashers.
If you’re more white flag than white apron when it comes to cooking, step aside and let our professional chefs prepare you a one-off celebration, barbecue, hog roast or fully catered break. Eat around the baronial, 20-seat dining table or out on the terrace in the sunshine with steaks from Cig Porthmadog searing on the gas barbecue.
Tackle takeaways from Glaslyn Tandoori, Thai Harbwr and New Yamin Chinese. Or head out to hearty pubs such as The Golden Fleece with its trendy beer garden and heated terrace, The Union Inn in Tremadog for gammon steak or lamb shank, or The Australia in Porthmadog for gammon, lasagne or gluten-free fish and chips.
Restaurants include Yr Hen Fecws in Porthmadog, home to crispy slow-cooked belly pork or salmon-and-pea risotto. Try Y Sgwâr in Tremadog for roasted hake or pan-seared venison. Or beachside Dylan’s in Criccieth for a Euro-style menu that includes Menai mussels and salt-and-pepper calamari.
Bedrooms
In 15 acres of lush landscaping and surrounded by the mountainous beauty of North Wales, Greaves Hall delivers deep and delicious sleep for ten adults and four children. The Bothy accommodates another five and The Butler’s House another four. All rooms in the main house are on the ground floor.
Bedroom one (Butler’s Pantry) provides a superking bed and en-suite shower room. Bedroom two (Housekeeper’s) and bedroom three (Larder) are superkings or twins and come with shower en-suites. Bedrooms four (Wood Store) and five (Brushing Rooms) offer en-suite doubles.
For extra guests, The Butler’s House gives you a double and a twin that share a family bathroom and The Bothy provides a double, twin and single bedroom with a shower room upstairs and a family bathroom downstairs. Most rooms will take a cot.
Children welcome
Got a few friends and rellies? Kids won’t want to miss out on seeing them, and Greaves Hall comes up trumps, with accommodation in the manor house for ten adults and four kids, with more bedrooms in The Bothy and The Butler’s House that’ll take another nine. And with room for three dogs, nobody misses out here.
Few holiday experiences excite kids as much as a rambling old house in the country. And Greaves Hall sits within 15 acres of North Wales’ lushest landscaping with great views over Moel y Gest. Stay out there for barbies around the terrace table, croquet, cricket and boules on the lawn and late nights in the central atrium.
Inside, hide-and-seek possibilities are potentially endless but most of their attention might go on the games room. Choose from table tennis, pool and a large-screen TV with two rows of cinema seating. Popcorn optional.
What people say
High holes with great views
Love golf? Enjoy high holes with great views at Porthmadog and Royal St David’s. Ditch the clubs and walk from the door to Black Rock Sands. Ride the 100mph lines at Zip World or the world’s first inland surf lagoon at Adventure Parc Snowdonia. Meet furry friends at The Rabbit Farm or walk with them at Black Rock Llamas.
