Pembrokeshire · Wales
Penally Abbey
A Gothic house above Carmarthen Bay, with a ruined chapel in the garden
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Penally Abbey stands on a bluff in the village of Penally, a mile and a half from Tenby, looking out over the dunes and the long sweep of Carmarthen Bay. The house is Georgian-Gothic with pointed windows and castellations, and there really is a ruined medieval chapel in the garden, one of the oldest Christian sites in Pembrokeshire.
It is small — a dozen or so bedrooms across the main house, the coach house and a converted lodge — and was thoroughly refurbished by its current owners, who stripped out the florals in favour of soft greys, velvet and modern art without losing the Gothic bones. The restaurant is intimate and built on local seafood and Welsh meat.
Five acres of grounds slope towards the sea. The coast path runs past the bottom of the garden, Tenby's harbour and walled town are a twenty-minute walk along the beach at low tide, and Caldey Island boats leave from the harbour in season.
At a glance
What to expect
- Sea-view rooms
- Restaurant and lounge bar
- Ruined medieval chapel
- Five acres of grounds
- Coast path from the garden
- Walking distance to Tenby
- Log fires
- Free parking
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