The Grove at Narberth, is that rare thing — a hotel that makes you feel at home. Tiffany Daneff finds out how. The grove was derelict when it was spotted by Neil and Zoe Kedward who happened to have taken a wrong turn driving home.
They fell in love with the derelict Arts and Crafts manor which had been empty for eight years: the roof leaked and the gardens were overgrown. They bought it in 2007 and, at first, ran it as a B&B since when it has gradually expanded. The designer Martin Harbult, who has been working here since 2016 renovating the rooms, has done a magnificent job taking his cue from the remaining Arts & Crafts detailing.
The sitting rooms are cosy yet smart — look for the Welsh spoons hanging on the wood panelling. There’s another seating area upstairs too. I loved the mix of old and new; Welsh dressers and carved oak chests with modern nest tables from Zara Home and tapestry hangings from Ikea all underpinned by first class fittings.
It’s this mix that makes it feel natural, a bit like you’d do at home. There are 25 suites and rooms across the main house and cottages in the grounds, each of them different. We stayed in the Bramble Suite on the ground floor of the 15th century cottage that adjoins the main house.
White-washed walls decorated with antique pitchforks and dark wooden floors were combined with the most comfortable furniture: traditionally upholstered wing chairs by the wood burner set in the old fireplace; an excellent bed with a bedhead ma.