Trying to persuade the younger members of any family to go on holiday can sometimes be met with blank stares and the muttering of ‘boring’, and this might have been the case when I pitched the idea of staying for a few days at a place they’d never heard of in Wales.
But then I brought out my joker card – the photos of the luxury lodge and facilities at the resort I was thinking about visiting and the fight between what looked like a fun few days of luxury at an intriguing location called Dylan Coastal Resort with having to spend time with ‘the old folks’ began, and I won. The idea of the infinity swimming pool, hot tub and spa curbed the grumbling, at least at the start of this travel journey.
Easily signposted from the main road that meanders down into the pretty township of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, the lane that leads you to the entrance of this hidden gem of a holiday destination is flanked by period properties and traditional terraces with no hint of the luxury experience waiting for you up on the hillside. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I stayed at Charlotte Church’s life-changing wellbeing rural retreat and I am desperate to go back
This special spot next to the Taf estuary is already a landmark location for being the site of famous Welsh poet and author Dylan Thomas’s boathouse, a pretty cottage nestled next to the water that he called home and where he did some of his most acclaimed writing. See inside the boathouse and meet the staff here.
But on the elevated top fields of this hillside hides another potentially special location, Dylan Coastal Resort, and it was to be our home for a few days – I was intrigued and excited, everyone else was ‘mid’ in their level of anticipation which, apparently, means anything from average to unimpressed.
I had checked out pre-visit that there was a TV in the luxury lodge where we were staying (there were actually four in total!) and good Wi-Fi coverage so I was relieved that there was a safety net for any accusations of ‘boring’.
The site was once a caravan and cabin park, owned by a local family for decades, but over recent years they have spent an eye-watering amount replacing the worn out structures with high-end, detached lodges that happily drink in the stunning estuary views from their elevated position.
And that’s the first thing that smacks you completely and utterly in the face as soon as you drive through the entrance of the resort – to the right is the mesmerising, panoramic and far-reaching view that boasts layers and layers of stunning landscape to create a mesmerising perfect picture that you never want to stop gazing at. Yes, I was smitten by the location.
During my stay I realised that the this incredible view is forever changing, hour by hour and even minute by minute as the weather builds and fades and dawn turns to day turns to dusk – it is such a vital part of Laugharne’s identity and is the ‘living’ backdrop that ensures this resort is truly unique.
Out of the dying light of the first day a spectacular sunset was born and we watched it intensify to a mesmerising level before the calm of a clear starry sky took over – all from the sofa on the terrace on the roof of our luxury lodge – total bliss and a great start to our trip.
Once you’ve parked in the visitors car park when you first arrive there’s a pleasant walk along the driveway, with the view as company, or you can press a button at the barrier from your car to get the main reception staff in the resort’s central building called Milk Wood House to give you access.
The resort’s HQ is a detached, contemporary, mainly glass, stone and slate structure that impresses as soon as it emerges at the end of the driveway. Wandering inside we were given a warm welcome from the reception staff who could not have been more helpful, from that moment to the moment we departed.
I’ve always thought that a hospitality business is only as good as its customer-facing staff and a building is only brought to life to create an inviting ambience by being filled with positive and vibrant people, and I have to say that the staff at Dylan Coastal Resort brought both in bucket and spades full to their workplace.
Without exception the staff were helpful, knowledgeable and, without promoting, told me how much they enjoyed working at the resort, from meeting and helping guests and local visitors to appreciating the incredible view out of the multiple windows as their workplace bonus.
Picking up the keys for our luxury lodge and driving to the top of the site I thought I spotted the first challenge of staying here – the site itself is nestled into the hillside so the walk back to the lodge from Milk Wood House after a spa day, pamper session or restaurant visit was going to get you breathless.
But this is where the intimate knowledge the owners have of the site and the location, having owned it for decades, has been converted into its thoughtful redevelopment.
In this instance the potential drawback of the location was easily rectified as there’s a free concierge taxi service on site. You just ring the mobile number given to you on a card at reception and a member of staff turns up at your lodge within minutes to drive you down to the site entrance or Milk Wood House, and then you call them again when you want a lift back up to your lodge.
I have to say, wandering down or up the hill in dappled sunlight surrounded by water, country and village rooftop views was not a hardship but I did indulge in the taxi service after feeding my face at the restaurant in Milk Wood House – for which I got mercilessly teased about from the family. I’m not a demanding princess, I was just a sleepy person with a full belly and grateful for the evening ride up the hill which, I have to point out, the family took too.
The restaurant is on the first floor of Milk Wood House and is a stunning space designed to fully connect with the estuary and coastal view that sets it apart from most. The floor-to-ceiling windows mean that the ever changing landscape is a constant and welcome guest at your table.
If the weather is suitable, the outside covered terrace is the prime spot to feel so immersed in the view that there’s a danger of forgetting to eat. We sampled the lunch, dinner and breakfast menu and, although it was all yummy, the breakfast was so epic we still reminisce about it to this day.
The relatively recently appointed restaurant manager Gareth told me that the menu was under reconstruction to expand and include a French cuisine section, as well as offering locally sourced classic dishes, and that the interior would likely be getting a revamp too, although I found it to be a very pleasant place to relax and dine as it was.
There’s also the Glan Y Mor Terrace that serves pizza that can also be ordered as a take away, and at the bar end of this inviting first floor of Milk Wood House is an indoor seating area lavished with comfortable chairs for snuggling and an outside terrace to enjoy a drink accompanied by, you guessed it, the incredible view.
The staff tell me that the resort is keen to keep connecting with the local community, so non-residents are welcome at the restaurant and can also become members to use the gym and leisure facilities.
As well as finding out that the site employs the vast majority of staff from Laugharne and the surrounding area I could see the benefit of the resort to the township’s tourist economy as it is an all-year round, all weather site thanks to the addition of the wonderful Milk Wood House.
The facilities within this building are reason enough to stay and offer the welcome chance to fully immerse yourself in relaxation. After using the well-equipped changing room you have a choice of a gym with arguably the best view in Wales or heading into the spa area.
I felt a little nervous about wandering around the spa area in a swimsuit on the first day but you are given a dressing gown, towel and slippers either from your luxury lodge or reception, so popping into one of the pools and then relaxing at one of the seating areas or on the mezzanine level is easy.
The infinity swimming pool is found within an impressive double-height space with a huge wall of multiple glass windows on one side perfectly framing the immense view. Hot enough to potter about in and cool enough to do some more energetic lengths, the pool was forever tempting a visit and a popular feature with visitors.
Adjacent to the pool is a sizable sauna and separate herbal steam room, both with a wall of glass so your connection to the landmark view continues – relaxing in the sauna looking out over the pool and then the landscape beyond was instantly relaxing.
A cold water shower and wash facilities by the side of the pool can soon wake you up, or a trip up to the comfortable mezzanine seating area that offers some peace away from others, are both options. Meandering back towards the changing rooms there were two tempting spaces that became my favourite places to visit.
One room, again with a glass wall so the view is the backdrop, at first confused me – it contained four ‘beds’ made out of concrete and topped with metallic mosaic tiles, what’s tempting about that? But the secret is that the beds are heated and this makes them marvellous as part of a space called a tepidarium, which I have never come across before.
The beds were so relaxing that one member of the family actually fell asleep on one and was walking around with tile imprints on his back for the next hour – the teasing about taking the taxi back up to the lodge was returned with interest.
But maybe my number one space at Milk Wood House was the infinity hydrotherapy pool. It’s actually outside but tucked under the first floor so you get the combined benefit of fresh estuary breezes and birdsong wafting towards you as well as the protection from any rain that tries to interfere with your relaxation.
This pool is warmer than its larger counterpart and it was instantly wonderful to feel immersed in the heat. There was a surprise structure hiding under the water – a sloping ‘bed’ made out of metal pipes – it sounds odd and uncomfortable but actually it provided an angle to lay back and see the view as we floated in the hot water.
It was only on the second day when we saw someone press a button embedded on the top ledge of the pool that we realised that these pipes can actually pump out bubbles, making it a fabulous hot tub experience if you want to disrupt the still water – it was a revelation but our naivety of not knowing about the button’s existence has remained a secret, until now.
When we were staying at the resort, in June and not within a school holiday, it was fairly busy but the spa was never uncomfortably packed – when a group descended on the hydropool, or the hot beds were full, there were other wonderful facilities and areas to enjoy and people regularly moved between spaces.
Extra temptation is on offer as you can book a pamper treatment. I indulged in a facial as this poor, weather-beaten, city polluted face hadn’t seen much love recently. Obviously, although not guaranteed to go into the spa room looking middle-aged and coming out looking like a teenager, I certainly felt refreshed and my face was glowing, in a wonderfully pampered way and not in a menopause random hot flush way!
The room was as relaxing as I had hoped for – wonderfully scented, atmospheric with dim lights and soft, relaxing music that was on the verge of sending me to sleep as Cara, the wonderful therapist, lavished love on my skin. I was told that the resort had recently extended the treatment on offer, dedicating a whole lodge near Milk Wood House to popular offerings such as manicures and pedicures as well as holistic treatments.
The treatments need to be booked in advance or come as part of a pamper package but are open for non-residents too, so the local community or visitors to the area can also happily pop up the hill to have their nails done or indulge in a facial or massage.
We were having a wonderful time but sometimes the best way to find out what people really think about somewhere is to eavesdrop, not in an intrusive way of course, but in the changing rooms I couldn’t help but hear one woman chatting to her sister about their stay at the resort.
The family had all gathered for a few days of luxury having hired three lodges and the group included toddlers up to grandparents and everyone was having a fantastic time and doing what they wanted – splashing about in the swimming pool, relaxing in the hydropool, working out in the gym, or enjoying total peace back at the lodge.
That’s one of the main advantages that was obvious from day one of my visit, that there are choices that the resort offers that you tailor to what you want to do.
The detached lodge offers privacy cocooned in spectacular panoramic views and I’m pretty sure our neighbours never moved from the deck and hot tub at their lodge the whole time we were there. But Milk Wood House can tempt you to leave too, offering a spa day using the facilities for free as part of your stay with family and friends or on your own with added paid-for pamper sessions – you do as you please.
Of course the site has a location that can easily tempt you to use it as a base and leave it to explore the glorious surrounding landscape and access to local areas around Laugharne, from stunning beaches to visit such as the famous, seven mile, Pendine Sands to the countryside of Carmarthenshire to explore.
But we were happy to spend most of our time at the resort, either at Milk Wood House or at our lodge. Every year we cram into a small but pretty apartment on the coast in Cornwall, we love it and appreciate that we are lucky to be able to do this, but it did mean the three bedroom luxury lodge in Laugharne with open-plan lounge kitchen diner felt very spacious.
The front deck easily tempted us out for alfresco evening drinks under the stars and our sunken hot tub with multiple LED light choices was a favourite at the end of the day for relaxing and chatting. We stayed in one of the Sonnet lodges, which could also boast a roof terrace with a sofa as the best place to enjoy the panoramic views.
The kitchen was well-equipped and there were two luxury bathrooms, plus dressing gowns and slippers waiting for each guest in each of the three bedrooms’ wardrobes, so lolling about feeling like we were special was super easy.
READ MORE: The cutest of historic cottages going to auction for just £55k is truly one of a kind
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I met the people who live in ‘Wales’ strangest town’ and they’re unforgettable
There are different ways you can stay at the resort – you can buy one and use it exclusively whenever you want to, which takes the pressure off second home ownership in the area somewhat, or buy one, use it yourself and then rent out any free periods, or you can book directly with the resort to use one of the lodges that they own, which is what we did.
I was keen to chat to Simon, the general manager at the resort which is owned by Luxury Lodges, to find out about the range of prices charged for staying at the resort and it became clear that, depending on the length of stay, time of year, size and location of lodge, and group size, that a stay at the site can start from as little as £389.
Administration and reception staff team member Ann Marie told me that the resort is becoming more and more popular with hen weekends and family and friend gatherings to celebrate a special event or anniversary or just as a welcome treat, with the cost of the larger lodges being shared by up to six people so it becomes a potential option for many people.
We really weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived at Dylan Coastal Resort – the photos looked tempting pre-visit of course, but would the experience match the anticipation?
Our time at the site was way beyond what we had hoped for – the location, the facilities, the staff, the lodge and the restaurant all provided a fabulous and vital piece to the jigsaw of our stay and I can honestly say we all can’t wait to go back, and next time no-one will be grumbling or making ‘mid’ comments.
Find out more about Dylan Coastal Resort at www.luxurylodges.com.
