Penally Abbey Country House Hotel and Restaurant

Been going to this establishment for 2 decades for dining. This is the first time staying there. A regency era Rectory built in Penally in Tenby’s heyday. Love the beaches but I’m not a fan of Tenby’s commercial hustle during the peak seasons but areas like Penally, Manorbier, Stackpole and Waterwynch Bay offer quieter retreats that better capture the natural outdoor beauty of South Pembrokeshire. The Penally Abbey Hotel is one of them. Come at the right time of year when the plants and shrubs are blooming and the gardens at the hotel can be stunning with a beautiful outlook to the sea, Caldey island. The garden includes its own derelict chapel. The hotel accomodation facilities are excellent, we stayed in one of the eave rooms, the interior had careful and considered attention to detail and bags of character. Service is warm, friendly and accommodating. The restaurant has quality sourced ingredients and cooked beautifully. There was real invention in the starter dishes (brown crab caviar dish) and dessert dishes (Hafod cheeseboard but not a cheeseboard with apple sorbet). Top drawer dishes. The main dish lacked flair and for £32 or £34, requiring an £8 side dish, pushing it over £40 for a main means you have to deliver something more than proficient cooking. Otherwise charge less. Morning breakfast is a delight on a sunny day. I recommend the afternoon tea as well which we’ve had on separate occasions. The hotel needs a little more attention to detail in housekeeping : the cleaning of surfaces in the lounge; the downstairs toilet near reception look tired and needed fresh towel linen. Naturally we will stay again.

The building is beautifully turned out, fresh, modern, with many interesting touches. The view is mesmerising, far out over Camarthen Bay, heavenly to watch. The hotel restaurant, The Rhosyn, is exceptional, and deserves a review of its own. Our bedroom (No. 8) had everything we needed, a large, firm, very comfy bed with beautiful linen, curtains that blackout the light, places to sit and lounge and read and look at that view, and a lovely bathroom with bath. But like every hotel, all of this is for nothing if the staff are not up to snuff. This staff is. They are very very lovely. The woman who was front-of-housing whilst we were there was a delight. Restaurant staff excellent as are reception staff. The young man who served breakfast whilst we were there is delightful - very capable of the multi-tasking no doubt needed in the hospitality industry - for instance he dispatched the person who could (and a big thank you to him) to our room to rescue one of my earrings that I had stupidly dropped down the sink, whilst simultaneously searching out some marmite. Brilliant. We were able to explore this lovely wild area, the delightful coves and beaches, and then come back to the luxury and charm of Penally Abbey. Thanks so much to all staff, we had a wonderful break. I will now write a separate review for Rhosyn whose food and attention to detail is extraordinary.

Excellent hotel - small, but very cosy. Lovely bar and room to sit and relax with a drink in the evening. Best restaurant in local area too. Great staff. Walking distance from Penally rail station and right next to bus stop for Tenby. Beach a 10 min walk too Only improvement would be to add curtains in the bedrooms to where the shutters are as it was quite light in the mornings Thanks!

This is a lovely hotel with a hospitable, welcoming atmosphere and friendly and accommodating staff. It's a lovely location, a short walk from the sea. I must say though, the food in the restaurant is seriously overpriced for what you get. Even worse: cocktails are £14, or in some cases £16 a go. Last time we stayed here a couple of years ago I tried a vodka martini and it was poor; I asked for a dry one and it was anything but. This time, I risked an Old Fashioned. Too dilute. Quite honestly no-one should be asked to pay £14 for a cocktail anywhere. I chose to overlook the price this time but the least I was entitled to expect is that it would be expertly made. It was poor; far too dilute. I've had Old Fashioneds made by talented cocktail waiters in even more sumptuous and elegant surroundings at substantially lower cost. Penally - if you're going to offer cocktails made by enthusiastic amateurs, at least reflect this in the asking price. If I could I'd offer a score of 3.5 here. An "average" rating seems miserly, but "very good" would be overstating it.

On our visit to Tenby last summer we found this stunning hotel, classy with decoration it is spot on! Everything was perfect the location was near the beach , but not crowded with lots of people which is perfect for restarting yourself from a business life.

What an amazing place. The ambience of the place is perfect. The staff are amazing and extremely professional and knowledgeable. Attentive without being intrusive . From the moment we arrived we felt valued and special. The food menu is excellent we were actually stuck for choice there were many dishes that sounded stunning. The food is absolutely outstanding from the quality of the ingredients to the presentation. Best food we have had in a while. The restaurant is in our opinion top notch and the best restaurant in Pembrokeshire. We can not wait to return. Thank you so much !

I can honestly say it is a wonderful welcoming hotel, the rooms are really special and very peaceful. The breakfast was perfectly cooked and the service was good. Unfortunately the evening meal was not so good… we love good well cooked food that is freshly cooked and locally sourced….we also like something different. I feel the food was not cooked to order…easy to heat through menu..although different…sides were not included in the meal which I feel have been so over priced…£8 for a few heated through potatoes.. Avoid the mushroom dish…pickles and drizzle used far too much…totally over priced…the staff were excellent. We have visited several times over the years…the food is too fancy and lacks substance.

I really wanted to be able to write a wonderful review. Had high hopes. The decor etc is stunning and services excellent. I chose here to spend our daughters 30th birthday. I knew they didn’t do vegan and asked on the phone that my other daughter and son in law be sat on the table with us for a drink. When they arrived it was separate tables on opposite sides of the room. So we all had to squeeze on a small table! The afternoon tea was meagre and poorly executed. With wafer thin sandwich’s with crusts on one minuscule tart bite size which was the tastiest item and a small selection of cakes very disappointing. £32 per head plus 17% charge very very disappointed. Not again thank you!

A simply beautiful hotel! We booked in for the festive afternoon tea and it did not disappoint. The food, service and atmosphere are just perfect. The hotel is stunningly decorated and feels so relaxed and cosy. We will definitely be back.