Fodor's Expert Review Ynyshir Hall

This luxurious Georgian mansion is the place to stay in this part of Wales if money is no object—as the photos of its world-famous guests on the lobby walls will attest. Idyllic gardens and grounds surround the place, once kept as a hunting lodge by Queen Victoria. Antiques and Welsh pottery fill the public areas; the guest rooms, named after artists (Hogarth, Matisse, Goya) have antique beds. The outstanding contemporary cuisine in the romantic restaurant uses local ingredients, from wild salmon and venison to farmhouse cheeses. Ynyshir Hall is 13 miles north of Aberystwyth.