Log fires, hearty food and four-poster beds, the best pubs with rooms in Wales

The Felin Fach is as down to earth and cosy as can be, but still reveals tasteful hallmarks thanks to the razor-sharp eye of owners. So in the beamed pub at the heart of things there’s lots of soft lighting, chunky country-cottage tables and squidgy leather sofas – a good spot to put your feet up, read the paper and enjoy a pint. Rooms are dressed in plaid fabrics with shelves of books, fresh flowers and Roberts radios. Food is sourced locally and seasonally, mostly hailing from the kitchen gardens and the Welsh borders; expect starters like truffle soup and mains such as Sirloin of Welsh beef, paired with excellent, inexpensive wines.

Flaunting 600 years of history (it opened in 1432) this old coaching inn in the lovely market town of Crickhowell is stuffed to its oak rafters with old-school character. Its location on the edge of the Brecons makes it a terrific base for hikers exploring the moors and mountains, while inside the rooms are as cosy as can be, with log fires crackling in grates in winter and low oak beams. After a muddy ramble in the hills, pull up a chair and check out the local characters over a pint and a bite to eat – perhaps rarebit, tender lamb shank, or even bouillabaisse and crayfish – in the low-beamed bar, where ceramic tankards line the wall.

With polished flagstone floors, oak beams, old photos and botanical sketches, the former 17th-century coaching inn has morphed into a boutique retreat without losing a jot of character. The 11 gorgeous bedrooms feature subtle country and floral décor and come with warm Welsh blankets and vintage wooden furnishings; the more luxurious among them have roll-top bathtubs and four-poster beds. The Bell’s sterling culinary reputation is well known (and well deserved). Starters like Per Las blue cheese brûlée with pear and walnut are the prelude for mains such as slow-roasted pork belly with buttered mash, raisin and pine nut jus.

Step inside this inn and everything is a-bustle with locals sipping after-work pints and hikers relax with dogs at their feet. Old climbing gear dangles from the rustic bar area and everything from the yogurt to the oak beds is beautifully handmade. The artfully lit conservatory sparkles with fairy lights and thrums with couples and groups who have dressed up in anticipation of the outstanding à la carte dining. Much is locally sourced and everything is delicious. There might be white crab rillette to start, made with apple jelly, coriander ketchup and a ginger crumb. For main, perhaps cider-cured sea trout. They’ve won plenty of awards.

This pub breathes history; stepping into the bar is to step into one of the historic photos on the wall: it has been wonderfully preserved down the centuries. The 13 individually decorated rooms are characterful and stylish, from the red velvet bed built under the eaves in the Suite to the pretty window seat of the grey and yellow-decorated Standard Double. Charles Dickens stayed here when he visited Anglesey to report on the famous sinking of the Royal Charter in Moelfre, and each room is named after a Dicken’s theme. The Coach restaurant has been carefully styled with historic artefacts among more modern artworks. Here, pub classics are done well, such as beer-battered cod and curry.

The Angel, a listed former coaching inn in Abergavenny, a town renowned for its Food Festival and gourmand shops and restaurants, has 32 elegant rooms, a stylish restaurant serving great food and a separate cosy bar. The latter, Foxhunter Bar, is a good spot for post-walk grub if you’re tempted by sandwiches, burgers and curries – and cocktails. Interiors have a subtle country feel, with warm wood flooring, elegant chandeliers, big ferns in vases and works by local artists. In the rooms, percale bed linens and fluffy towels and bathrobes complete the picture.

A traditional, Virginia-creeper-covered pub, accommodation in standalone buildings, and a townhouse with bigger family rooms comprise the King’s Head Inn. The country pub element is straightforward: exposed stonework, low beams, walls overflowing with photos and paintings. Country-style rooms keep elements of the exterior’s rusticity but give it a layer of polish in smooth Spanish stone floors and tawny wooden surfaces. Classic Gower cuisine – based around meat and fish, fresh ingredients – is mixed with pasta and stone-baked pizzas, pub grub and the likes of Thai curries and Greek salads.

The low-slung, creeper-clad, slate-roofed and somewhat Tardis-like inn was converted from the village post office and cottages in the 1980s. There are just four bedrooms, all in a separate building and utterly different in style from the inn itself with a bright and fresh seaside look (blue-and-white colour scheme and bare-boarded floors). The inn has won various awards for its food; daily offerings include haddock, mackerel, seabass and seabream are marked up on a blackboard. Drinks on offer include Welsh beers and ciders, and for breakfast you could try laverbread bacon and oatmeal cakes.

Famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas used to frequent the timber-beamed pub at Brown’s which brims with cosy nooks and local characters, and serves Welsh ales and Penderyn whisky and gin. It draws a mixed crowd of regulars, music and poetry lovers (there are occasional Sunday gigs and poetry readings), Dylan fans and coastal ramblers. The original Georgian flair of the building has been preserved in the irregular-shaped, creaking wood-floored, incredibly cosy rooms, of which no two are alike. They’ve been given the retro designer treatment, with sleek 1950s-style wooden furnishings and pops of rich colour.

The current building, the site of an inn in medieval times, is packed with character and original features including a section of old town wall, leaded light windows, low ceilings, slate floors, wood beams, plus modern country art. You’ll see soldiers’ names scratched into an old beam – the 15th Hussars, stationed here in 1817 to quell disquiet, were at Waterloo two years previously. Charles II visited in 1660 and his coat of arms is on a wall outside. As well as the bar and separate, cosy restaurant with chunky wooden tables, there are 11 guest rooms with four-poster beds, neutral tones and subtle country patterns.

This pleasant, well-run inn is a popular haunt with locals for food and a quiet drink, and has a friendly, casual atmosphere. Inside, the homely bar-lounge area features warming burnt orange walls, quirky, interesting local artwork and artefacts, big sofas and chairs and a real fire in winter. The other side of the bar is the cosy restaurant which uses local produce including rare pedigree beef and pork and artisan breads. There are four individually decorated, homely rooms with tasteful décor and interesting shabby-chic furniture. There are also occasional Pizza Nights using a wood-fired oven.

This friendly, country-chic, road-side inn is characterful and cosy, with soft chequered carpets to quirky wallpaper in alcoves. The 12 rooms have been individually styled; some with exposed brickwork, floral and colourful wallpaper and chequered fabrics. The beer garden across the road is the perfect spot to enjoy a ‘Hedgerow Fizz’ (prosecco, elderflower and berries) or a local Welsh beer over sunset, while the food, which has been awarded an AA Rosette, is locally sourced wherever possible. Lunch and light bites are served here, plus packed lunches available for £7.