The Quay Hotel & Spa, Deganwy, North Wales – Review

North Wales has to be one of the most enchanting places in the UK, from the high snowy peaks of Mount Snowdon to the miles of untouched coastline and sandy beaches… It`s one of those places I`ve been waiting for an excuse to go back to since I was 10, and an invite to review the The Quay Hotel & Spa in Deganwy was all I needed!

Approximately a 4 hour drive from London it`s not an unreasonable distance for a last minute get away from the `Big Smoke`… especially if you`re looking for stunning views, fresh air and a huge variety of activities. Boredom up here is not an option!

Not quite sure what to expect, we arrived at The Quay Hotel & Spa in good time and was surprised to see the amount of property development that has taken place over the past few years. Situated in the heart of this new development was The Quay hotel, which from first impressions lacked the `country retreat character` we were perhaps expecting. However, turning the corner you see just what a superb position The Quay Hotel & Spa is in… directly on the Quay looking out across snowy peaks, an estuary, a castle and a couple of fishing villages – making it possibly one of the finest views in the area.

Greeted by friendly staff, we were given a brief overview of the hotel and the facilities on offer. A cheery porter kindly carried our luggage to our room pointing out the eagerly awaiting spa facilities. We were given a suite which offered a huge amount of living space all with mod cons including free Wi-Fi, TV with on demand films and an extremely comfortable bed for 10! The room decor itself was a trying to be something that it perhaps wasn`t. Yes, it was modern and comfortable, we just felt that it lacked a personality or high level of creative concept you`d expect from a luxury hotel. There was nothing wrong so much with the finishing and quality BUT perhaps lacking a little imagination on the Interior Designer`s part.

After our journey plagued by snow storms and force 9 gales we felt like chilling out so prepared for the spa without delay. The facilities were great, a gym, pool, sauna, steam room and hydro pool… all of which we made use of. It was relatively quiet and therefore was plenty of room to really relax. We`ve been to more luxurious spas BUT it`s perfectly adequate if you`re looking for a well priced escape to North Wales.

We were lucky enough to experience a 60 minute Espa massage which we must say was incredible. They are doing some incredibly good deals in the spa at the moment so before you book it`s well worth you dropping them a line and seeing what`s on offer.

In the evening we trialled the delights of the in house Vue restaurant. It`s very easy to understand how the restaurant gets its name… the views across the harbour to the snowy peaks and medieval castle are stunning. The food is also delicious, well proportioned although we felt slightly overpriced. Nouvele Cuisine is the order of the day here which is well presented and very tasty. What let the experience down a little was the lack of `character ambiance` once again. Not a candle in sight and whilst I love Stevie Wonder we didn`t feel it suited the environment – something that brings with it ambiance (possibly modern classical) would have gone down a treat!

To sum up, whilst The Quay Hotel & Spa offers some of the most stunning views in a fantastic location you could get from a hotel in North Wales, with a few tweaks here and there it could be amazing. BUT saying that, they have some fantastic deals on at the moment and you can get a room for as little as £35 (up until March).

If you are looking for `the ultimate hotel experience` then this may not be for you. However if you’re looking for a well priced, pleasant and relaxing base with all the mod cons with fantastic views whilst you tour the magical Welsh countryside then this is ‘certainly the place for you’.