An Italianate village on the coast of Wales: is it possible? Portmeirion is the most charming place in the Principality. It was begun in 1925 by architect Clough Williams-Ellis, who called it "a lighthearted live exhibition of architecture, decor and landscaping." His intention was to prove that buildings could actually enhanced an already beautiful landscape. Towers, spires, turrets, domes, campaniles, triumphal arches, murals and weatherboard cottages make up this joyous fantasy, in a thickly wooded setting on the edge of a big sandy bay.
Portmeirion, Gwynedd
It is familiar to many who haven't even been here from the cult T.V. series The Prisoner. Many of the cottages offer first-rate accommodations as part of the Portmeirion Hotel. One of the most elegant and unusual places to stay in Wales, this waterfront mansion is located at the heart of Portmeirion. The original part of the building is Victorian, although it was greatly expanded in the 1920s.
