Review of Grove of Narberth

The Grove of Narberth is just five minutes' drive from the splendid market town of Narberth.

Pembrokshire (Sir Benfro in Welsh) is situated in the southwest corner of Wales, and the county boasts 186 miles of the finest coastline in the world. While Haverfordwest is the county's largest town, the City of St. David's (the smallest city by population in the United Kingdom), and the seaside town of Tenby - are the better known tourist attractions.

Narberth has a railway station - departing westbound for Pembroke Dock and eastbound to Carmarthen and Swansea. It's a request stop, so you need to wave the train down! What fun!

Cardiff Airport is around 65 miles (108 kilometres) away but if you are flying yourself or have access to a private jet, Haverfordwest features a 1500-metre runway. An ex-RAF base, Haverfordwest also offers flying lessons and scenic tours. Speak to the hotel to arrange these aerial activities.

Most visitors to Grove arrive by car. It's a 5-hour drive from London - most of the way on the M4 motorway. The journey takes you over the Bristol Channel by bridge and skirts past Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, Llanelli and through Camarthen to Narberth. The latter part of the journey is particularly picturesque. 

Pembrokeshire offers something for everyone. Castles (Cardigan and Pembroke are my favourites), fishing (sea, lake and river), sports - (golf, tennis, rugby), swimming (sea and pool), surfing, cycling, rock climbing and walking … walking and more walking! 

The Grove and Seren Collection aside - Pembrokeshire offers some of tastiest cuisine in the United Kingdom - with seafood leading the way. LOBSTER AND MôR in Little Haven and any chip shop in Tenby are worth a visit!

The Grove of Narberth has just 25 rooms & suites. Thirteen of these can be found in the main house and the rest in cottages - which are just a couple of minutes walk away.

The hotel is continually refreshing and refurbishing each guestroom - meaning that you really do feel that you are the very first guest to stay in them! 

Each room or suite is named after someone or something connected to Grove.

In the main house there are 13 guestrooms from Classics (27-square metres) to Superior, Deluxe to Junior Suites and finally the Signature Suites (45 and 48 square metres respectively) with delightful names such as Fenton, Awel, Beca and Henry. These rooms are spread over the top three floors of the hotel and enjoy views over the gardens or Preseli Hills. 

There are four suites in The Longhouse, two in Poyer's Cottage and there are 6 Herb Cottages (including the gorgeous Lovage) - four with private gardens.

Each guestroom is designed in the fashion of a Welsh country cottage. The furnishings and furniture are floral, colourful, comfortable, appealing to the eye, and of the very highest quality.

Bedrooms are available with superking or twin beds.  As each room is different, some will feature undefloor heating while others may have an open fireplace. A cottage may have a “central heating system" as well as a wood burner. The bathtubs are free-standing and deep … while the shower rooms - complete with monsoon shower heads - are sizeable and always filled with plentiful supplies of hot water - most welcome on cold mornings!

Tea & coffee facilities are a standard feature - a Nespresso machine with capsules and kettle with Jing teabags or Welsh hot chocolate - and the minibars are the best in any hotel I have seen in the United Kingdom. Fresh local milk for your coffee or tea, complimentary branded soft drinks … red & white wines … Wrexham lager … and miniatures of whisky (Penderyn - Legend Welsh whisky) and Brecon gin and vodka. The kitchen contributes to the minibar in the shape of a homemade fruit bar. It's vegan, gluten free, diary free and nut free. It's an acquired taste but a healthy … treat!?

The bathrooms are a delight. Delicious small bottles of Welsh amenities - Goodwash - are beautifully scented and very stealable! Fluffy towels and Grove bathrobes are in plentiful supply (not stealable). 

The attention to detail in the rooms & suites is what sets Grove apart. “Hidden” reading lights in the headboards. Heated mirrors in the bathrooms for instance - ensuring they don't get steamed up. Special black makeup-remover face towels are welcome & unexpected. As are the “Bobbin Bowls” - ensuring that if you have a loose button or small tear in an item of clothing, you have a handy fix.

Hi-speed Wi-fi is available throughout the estate. Some rooms have USB sockets in the wall-sockets. 

There is one fabulous “family suite” on the top floor of the main house. Also, dogs are very welcome and care packages are available - ensuring your four-legged friend is as pampered as you. There's even a Goodwash doggy shampoo! 

I cannot underestimate how impressive the rooms & suites are. While in keeping with the history of Grove, there are flashes of practical modernity - the glass box lounge in the Longhouse's Byre for instance. Fantastic … 

While Grove has no spa, you can enjoy in room treatments. Massages, reflexology and facials are on offer.

In front of the main building there is a boules pit and a sizeable lake - which is not for swimming in!

Grove has a colourful and diverse Walled Garden. One of the gardening team is always on hand to offer advice and information. I learnt that Cardoon - apart from bearing a keen resemblance to a Triffid-thistle - was once a source of food! It's roots can be boiled and eaten cold. "Not very tasty" was the review from Antonia the Gardener!

There's also a fruit garden, kitchen garden and polytunnels. These are not for show. The Kitchen sources many of its tastiest ingredients onsite.

With 26-acres of estate, you could spend an entire stay at Grove pottering, exploring, and pondering. With the occasional swing chair, dense forest, meadow, lake, and of course “formal” gardens to  wander around, your time is lost in verdant joy. The Kitchen can even rustle up a rather splendid picnic basket, meaning an all-day expedition is not out of the question. 

The hotel does put on jazz evenings, tours of the gardens, barbecues and flower arranging lessons. 

The Narberth Valley, estuary and Canaston Woods are all an amble away. Waun Mawn is also worth a visit. On a clear day, you can see as far as Ireland from the summit. There are still some large standing stones here - of great historical significance. While there is no direct, proven link between these stones and the ones at Stonehenge, the romantics believe there is. Whatever, the truth, Waun Mawn is Pembrokershire's Polynesian-Moais - so visit you must! And hope for blue skies!

If all things green are your thing and the gardens of Grove are insufficient, head to Picton Castle’s Arboretum - a 20-minute drive away and a botanical wonder.

The town of Narberth is close by. It dates back to the Iron Age and is now a thriving market town. There's a castle - the ruins are fun to play around - and a plethora of antique, gift and charity shops, a couple of fabulous bakeries with delicious cakes, museum and great pizza restaurant!

To the south of Narberth is Tenby (10 miles away) - one of the most famous seaside towns in the United Kingdom - complete with sand beaches, obligatory Welsh castle, fish & chips shops and memorable ice cream parlours!

To the south west is Pembroke Castle, to the west, the City of St Davids and to the north, Fishguard and the Strumble Head Lighthouse.

Haverfordwest is home to the Welsh Spitfire Museum - an homage to the World War 2 fighter aircraft. Definitely worth a visit.

Narberth - and indeed Grove - is an ideal centre for exploring the diverse county of Pembrokeshire. 

The Grove's owners - Neil & Zoe Kedward - purchased the estate in 2007. The main building, outbuildings and cottages had been untouched for eight years. The main house itself was in a very sorry state - with a leaking roof and rotten window frames. The gardens and grounds had been neglected and were overgrown. Taking on a restoration project of that sheer magnitude required nerves of steel … and a certain level of madness! 

Apart from a few historical and “before & after” photographs, a guest at Grove today would think that the hotel was built from scratch in the past 5 years. The quality of the restoration, renovation and subsequent refurbishments is so good, one can only marvel at the achievement.

The Longhouse is reputed to be the oldest part of the estate. It dates back to the 15th century. This stone building - set over two floors - would have have been home to the original owners and their livestock. “Ty Hir” (Longhouse) was home to the Poyer Family.  In 1414, Philip Poyer - the Bailiff of Tenby lived in that Longhouse.

In the late 17th, early 18th century, Daniel Poyer is said to have contructed the main house. It was set over two floors. The walled garden was likely to have been planted at the same time. 

Narberth was a named stopping point on the London to St Davids coach route and Grove was its epicentre.

In 1874, a British architect, John Pollard Seddon, who predominanly worked on the remodelling of churches & cathedrals (Llandaff in Cardiff is one of his major achievements) was appointed to add a 3rd floor and to extend the main house. The grand hallway, lounge, master bedrooms,  and library (on first floor) were added.

By the end of the 20th century, Grove of Narberth was abandoned and left to wrack & ruin. Enter the Kedwards in 2007 and once again, Grove of Narberth was on the map - albeit now, an international one!

What sets Grove apart from a host of fabulous country hotels in the United Kingdom is not only the whole story behind the resurrection of the estate - but also its authenticity. From the ingredients used in the kitchen, to the bathroom amenities and the inclusions in the minibar - it's all as Welsh as possible. 

While the Kedwards have had a massive influence on the look & feel of Grove, they have also retained designer Martin Hulbert in more recent renovations. Hulbert has worked on The Grove, Chewton Glen and Coworth Park (Dorchester Collection) so knows what works. Since 2016, Hulbert has been renovating the main house at Grove and most recently, in 2022, updated & refurbished eight of its guestrooms.

Yes - there are USB ports and electric charging points for cars but there are also log burners, open fireplaces, underfloor heating, free-standing bath tubs,  glorious artwork - including a superb wattle fence instillation in the main house, thick drapes, hardwood flooring … bascially, it's gorgeous!

My favourite item in the whole hotel is in the Bar.  Although coal mining in Pembrokeshire was not as prominent as other parts of Wales, the county has had a few collieries and its workers lived in Narberth and surrounding areas. To celebrate and commemorate this, the Grove hangs original & historic photographs of miners and their lives. There is also an opaque table in the Bar which houses pristine lumps of coal in it … such a wonderful work of art and definitely a talking piece.

Narberth town has a museum but the Grove has its own museum - on its walls - not only of the estate but of life in Pembrokeshire. 

There are two main restaurants at Grove - the innovative, haute-cuisine, formal-dining Fernery - and the more laid-back, relaxed Artisan Brasserie.

If Michelin awarded stars for overall hotel culinary excellence - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, picnics and - of course - supper,  Artisan Brasserie and Fernery would win multiple awards. As it stands, Fernery offers some of the best non-Michelin starred cuisine I have tasted in the entire United Kingdom.

Morning starts with a Welsh à la carte breakfast. You can opt for a full fried breakfast or super food porridge or my favourite, an oversized fresh butter croissant with a side order of strawberry jam.  If you ask nicely, you can also try one of the local cheeses - the Caws Preseli - a mild, tangy soft cheese that leaves a rather memorable rasp at the back of your throat! Coffees and teas are made to order. Breakfast is served in the Artisan Brasserie.

Lunch and informal dinner are also served in the Artisan. The Brasserie is made up of a very relaxed set of rooms, with comfortable chairs and natural light flooding through doors and reflected off mirrors. The service is efficient & personable.

On the menu, starters include pork terrine, falafel and kimchi & duck wanton, main courses of burgers, ravioli and seafood, with afters that include, cheese, ice cream, rice pudding and chocolate cake. 

A traditional Sunday lunch is served with all the expected accoutrements. 

Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for.  During summer months, Artisan Brasserie meals can be enjoyed al-fresco. 

A traditional Afternoon Tea is served on Wednesday to Sunday from 2:30 pm-4:00pm. Diners can enjoy a cream tea - as a small pre-dinner delicacy or go the whole hog and devour ham and smoked salmon sandwiches, sausage rolls, Buttermilk scones, cakes, macarons … washed down with tea, coffee, Champagne, Grove Gin and tonic … Pimms … anything & everything! Grove is not a great hotel for those on a diet!

Sandwiches and cakes are the backbone to a Grove picnic! Basketed and designed for your needs.

The hotel offers “good-weather barbecues” - which sound rather fun.

And so to dinner.  Fernery - which is open Wednesday to Saturday.

The experience begins at the Bar - which offers a plethora of wines, cocktails and spirits. Many of the drinks are from Wales - the whisky, gin and vodka for instance. I would suggest a glass of Velfrey, Brut. This sparkling wine comes from the Velfrey Vineyard which is just 6 miles from Grove. It's wines are world-class and are celebrated by Grove. Also, although not much of a beer hound, I thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of chilled Wrexham lager. Quite refreshing!

Fernery is a beautiful room. At first glance, the wallpaper on the walls just bear a fern pattern. On closer inspection, each fern frond is real and has aged gracefully, has been treated with respect and adorns the walls of the restaurant. The restaurant staff source, press and colour the fern leaves. It is simply beautiful ….

The ferns come from the estate's many hedgerows and are nature-given. This mirrors the philosophy of Executive Chef Douglas (Dougie) Balish - work with nature to provide guests the most authentic and seasonal cuisine possible.

His ingredients are as local as possible. Many come from Grove itself - especially the greens - but the lobster from St Davids, aspargus from Wye Valley, seabass from Saundersfoot, eggs from Haverfordwest, “Cheddar” from Hafod, oysters from Angle … the list goes on. But it's up to his and Team to transform these ingredients into culinary masterpieces - and that they do!

You start off with sourdough and homemade butter. While it is very tempting to gorge on just the bread for the next few hours, your main meal is worth the sacrifice!

I opted for the 5-Course Tasting Menu with the wine pairing:

Wye Valley

For the Love of the Sea

Berwyn’s Sea Bass

Meat Matters

Garden Rhubarb

Grove of Narberth generates its electricity from 100% renewable sources, operates a biomass boiler and solar panels for heating. With a focus on sustainable dining, much of the food served in their restaurants is sourced locally and from the hotel's own kitchen garden. The chefs prioritise ingredients from ethical and sustainable sources.  LED lighting, induction stoves, and boreholes for fresh spring water further contribute to their eco-friendly practices. The hotel spearheads a wildlife project to promote biodiversity. The car park offers electric car charging facilities.

During the renovations, the Kedwards stuck to their sustainability principles … even planting 5,000 trees to help bring the estate alive. 

Breathe deeply on a stay at Grove - it's fresh, Welsh air … and it's bendigedig!

Grove has a few thousand membees of staff whose one job is to produce the finest, freshest honey. They do this faultlessly and kindly offer Guests the chance to sample their produce at breakfast!