Normally, we would reserve 5 stars for somewhere luxurious with meticulous attention to detail and outstanding service. Plas Morfa doesn't tick any of these boxes, so why the 5 stars?? From the outside, the hotel lacks any real character, sitting isolated in its unremarkable grounds looking out across the Irish Sea. We reached it along the coastpath from Aberaeron and were moved to wonder what on earth it was doing there, just a few meters from the shingle beach with scarcely another building in sight. Finding the front entrance was something of a challenge - it's not that obvious! But once inside, we were greeted warmly by the only member of staff we ever saw - she was room service, cook, waitress, barmaid - and we it seemed, were the only guests. So, despite arriving 3 hours before we were due, our multi-talented host showed us to our spacious bedroom and left us to enjoy the peace and quiet of 'our' hotel. The room was huge - not especially luxurious or clean for that matter (not dirty, but just not clinically spotless), but the views out of the many windows were magnificent. The bed was huge and comfy and the bathroom perfectly adequate.
Later that evening, we drank in the bar (alone) and then went through to the restaurant (tastefully fitted and decorated) and ate (alone). The food was excellent. It's not often that the cook takes the order and serves up the food, but she has to be complimented on top-quality cuisine.
We left the bedroom windows open so we could hear the rhythmic sounds of the waves breaking on the shore. That ensured a perfect night's sleep. And to round off our stay, a perfect breakfast prepared and served once again by our versatile host.
So why 5 stars? Simply because we had walked 4 long days along the Ceredigion coastpath and needed somewhere to stay that gave us good food, peace and quiet, a long and undisturbed night's sleep away from the hustle and bustle of coastal tourism. And that is exactly what Plas Morfa provided. It's not luxurious, and yes it is in need of a major overhaul, but none of that mattered one bit. We loved it.