Penally Abbey has been chosen as Hotel of the Year in the Sawday’s British Hotel awards.

From swish suites with lofty ceilings to beds under heavy beams in quaint cottages, Sawday’s brand new edition of Special Places to Stay British Hotels & Inns ed.18 has nearly 300 inspected and selected hotels across Britain, so winning an award this year is a real achievement.

Sawday’s travel guides have been championing excellence and character for more than 20 years and are well known for their policy of ‘inspection and selection,’ taking the hard work out of discovering Britain’s loveliest hotels and inns.

Penally Abbey’s entry in the guide sayds: “This beautifully refurbished country-house hotel sits high on the hill with long views over Carmarthen Bay. Outside, there’s a small courtyard, then five acres of lawns and woodland, where bluebells run riot in spring. Inside, chic interiors come with cool colours, painted panelling, parquet flooring and the odd Doric column. There’s an elegant bar in deep charcoal with fine art on the walls, then a big drawing room with an open fire and huge sea views. Big windows in the main house flood the rooms with light, while doors in the sunroom open onto a graveled terrace, where you can read the papers, dig into afternoon tea, or fall asleep in the sun. Bedrooms have a stunning new look: off-white walls, beautiful beds, crisp white linen, elegant fabrics. Big rooms in the main house have vast windows to frame the view, all have sublime white marble bathrooms. You eat in style in the restaurant - period colours, grand chandelier - perhaps steamed clams with lemon and ginger, chicken with chestnuts and a pear tart tatin, a dark chocolate tort with pistachio ice cream. There’s fine coastal walking, too.”

Sawday’s Special Places to Stay: British Hotels is available from all good bookshops or online directly from Sawday’s priced at £15.99. For more information on the book or any of the places featured, visit www.sawdays.co.uk