Hayden Naughton gets to feel like lord of the manor
I’d like to start with a caveat. I’m not a writer here at Confidentials, I’m the guy who does the social media and got a bit giddy when this trip was offered to us. I leapt before knowing where Caer Rhun was. Much to my surprise, it’s in the perfect location to sample the best of North Wales. When you book in at Caer Rhun you’re excited by the prospect of what you can do within 30 minutes of the manor. The answer is an awful lot.
Having frequented dating apps recently, I can tell you that a lot of people bloody love a mountaintop selfie. Snowdon is the best mountain in my honest opinion and Caer Rhun is 20 minutes away. You could nickname it Basecamp if you so wish.
The manor is impressive in the old fashioned style, but not imposing in the way that would’ve once shooed away peasants like myself
When I arrived at the manor house a piano was being elegantly tinkled in reception. I checked in and was shown to my room, where I suspected that the trip was not intended as a solo one because the bed was enormous. But hey, if you’re given a superking, treat yourself like a superking. As it was still light when I arrived I thought I’d check out the grounds. There were lots of things to find, including a Roman fort, and not just immaculately kept gardens.
Much like the Romans, I retreated to the sanctuary of my room to unpack my phone charger and toothbrush. I headed downstairs for cocktails and canapés and into a room where everyone was decked out in black tie and ultra-fancy clothing. It felt a bit like the occasion suit section of Next catalogue. Feeling underdressed and underprepared I moved into the games room. The walls were clad with playing cards and the room was festooned with models and photographers... you know, the usual crowd.
The beauty of the space was it allowed for conversation, if only in between scoffing the canapés, which came thick and fast. A lot of people in the room had spent the day making content for social media and online, which shouldn’t have been too tricky considering the glorious and eclectic look of the manor. By the end of the night, I was invited to go cold water swimming at 6am. I might well have, if it wasn’t for the words ‘cold’, ‘swimming’ and ‘6am’.
The manor is impressive in the old fashioned style, but not imposing in the way that would’ve once shooed away peasants like myself. You feel as though it’s Downton but also down t’earth.
Rooms can boast impressive baths and views of the stunning Welsh countryside. I wasn’t sure if it was easy to get to without a car but a chorus of ‘it’s easier than you think’ greeted my queries. Rooms appear to be in the £140 - £190 range, but elsewhere you rarely get the quality seen here in that sort of price range.
The following day’s plan to scale Snowdon (or at least semi-scale) was dashed by my weather app, so I decided to visit Llandudno. Fortunately there were plenty of choices to make plans big or small.
You can tell that a lot of work has gone into the revamping and maintenance of Caer Rhun. There are some sheep statues that maybe feel a bit on the nose, but it’s a jewel in the Conwy crown. I’d return in a heartbeat.
Caer Rhun Hall, Conwy, LL32 8HX
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