Palé Hall

About Palé Hall

Palé Hall sits in fifty acres of private grounds in the Dee Valley, on the eastern edge of Eryri, a short drive from Bala. The house was built in the 1870s for the railway engineer Henry Robertson and still runs on hydroelectricity generated from the stream that crosses the estate. It is one of the few genuinely five-star properties in this part of Wales, and the standard is consistent from the entrance hall through to the bedrooms.

There are 22 rooms and suites, split between the main house and a set of garden suites. The castle-named rooms in the original building keep their Victorian proportions, high ceilings, panelling and heavy sash windows looking out over the estate. Bathrooms are large and modern, and several rooms have roll-top baths or freestanding tubs. The garden suites are quieter and more contemporary, with private terraces, and suit guests who want a little separation from the main house.

Dining is the reason many people come. The Henry Robertson restaurant works to a tasting menu and an à la carte, both built around Welsh produce, with a cellar underneath the house that runs well beyond the usual country-house list. There is also a spa offering treatments, a drawing room and library for afternoon tea, and clay shooting on the estate. Breakfast is cooked to order and included with most rates.

The hotel suits couples marking an occasion, small groups wanting somewhere comfortable to base themselves for walking in the Berwyns and Aran range, and anyone treating the food as the main event. It is not the best choice for families with young children or for travellers on a tight budget, and you will want a car — the setting is rural and there is no public transport to the door.