Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the monarchy and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall spent the night recently in a sumptuous Western Wales Bed and Breakfast Inn situated on an old estate in the village of Myddfai, near Llandovery (you’re on your own for pronunciation, this language desperately needs vowels). That would normally be a significant enough development in itself, much like the signs you used to see in parts of the USA saying, Abraham Lincoln slept here or George Washington spent the night here, etc. What most do not know is the owners are the ones who slept there that night.
Charles purchased the property for £1.2 ($2.3) million pounds then commissioned £1.8 ($3.5) million pounds in princely upgrades so it is indeed a property fit for a future king. The great news is when Charles and Camilla are elsewhere, which is most night even you can stay the night. While not officially open for evening rentals, local estate agents expect the costs to come in at about £500 for a night (other establishments in the area would charge about 10% of that amount) but hey, he’s got the draw and star power and retiring the renovation debt takes some doing in this economy, even for a Prince.
So how does a Prince renovate a B&B? Well first you hire a royal architect to develop a master plan. Craig Hamilton was commissioned to create something that “celebrated the Welsh vernacular.” It was not an easy project.
The first step was to bulldoze a series 1960s farm buildings and replace it with a line of cottages to recreate the property’s original 18th century courtyard. They then gutted the carriage house – the main home where Charles and Camilla stay and focussed on the interior.
• Interior doors were all made from Duchy of Cornwall sourced oak
• Flagstones on the downstairs floors that give a monastery look and feel (and since the property overlooks ruins of one they are right at home)
• Traditional Welsh textiles throughout
• Solid wrought iron window and door handles
• Welsh antiques galore and pottery galore
• Guest kitchen decked out and away from His Majesty’s private one
• Welsh tapestries hung over lime plastered walls
• Curtains woven from a century-old Pembrokeshire (west Wales) mill
• Welsh floor coverings from the same mill
• Wooden beams
• Each bedroom is an en-suite
The upstairs double bedrooms are to be used by groups linked to the Prince’s charity work and, conceivably, are were you and I would stay if lucky. According to The Telegraph, “The estate has also undergone a subtle name change and is now known as Llwynywermod, believed to be the authentic lost Welsh spelling for the site.” (How can they tell it was lost?)
Here’s the deal. I’m used to sitting by the fire with a cigar and brandy chatting up the owner and/or other guests at a B&B. Can you imagine sitting down with Charles and Camilla for an evening by a roaring fire. Nope, me neither.
OK, just remember kids, no running on the stairs and touch nothing! At these process we cannot afford to replace anything that breaks.
