Vale of Glamorgan · Wales
Hensol Castle
A Gothic Revival castle on an 800-acre estate, twenty minutes from Cardiff
7 photographs · select any to enlarge. Credits are shown with each image.
Hensol Castle is one of the earliest Gothic Revival houses in Wales, Grade I listed and built around a seventeenth-century core, with crenellations, pointed arches and a long history that took in a spell as a hospital before its restoration. It sits at the centre of the 800-acre Vale Resort estate in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The castle itself holds twenty-three individually styled bedrooms, so staying here is a genuinely castle-bound experience rather than a modern block with a historic name attached. There is a gin distillery in the vaults, private dining in the panelled state rooms, and the castle is a well-known wedding and event venue.
The wider estate offers two championship golf courses, a large spa and leisure club and several restaurants, all available to castle guests. Cardiff is around twenty minutes east, the Glamorgan Heritage Coast twenty minutes south, and Cardiff Airport is close by.
At a glance
What to expect
- 23 castle bedrooms
- Gin distillery and tasting
- Access to resort spa
- Two golf courses
- 800-acre estate
- Private dining in state rooms
- Near Cardiff and airport
- Free parking
Keep exploring
More in Wales
Château Rhianfa
Victorian French-fantasy château on the Menai Strait with private beach and sea views.
The Parkgate Hotel
Cardiff's grandest new hotel, in a converted Edwardian building with a rooftop spa.
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa
Grade I listed National Trust hall with parterre gardens, spa and Snowdonia views.
Hotel Portmeirion
Stay within the famous pastel village, with estuary-front hotel rooms and castle suites.