A Pembrokeshire hotel has been named the best in Wales in an awards ceremony celebrating the best of the UK hospitality industry.

Penally Abbey Hotel, located near to Tenby, was named the Hotel of the Year-Wales at the highly anticipated AA Hospitality Awards 2023.

The glittering award ceremony to celebrate the UK’s top hotels, spas, restaurants, and pubs and the people behind them was held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London earlier this week. The awards were presented by TV presenter and broadcaster Claudia Winkleman.

Penally Abbey, which also has two AA rosettes for culinary excellence and an AA small hotel award was singled out for its ‘friendly team with a genuine concern for guest comfort and enjoyment’.

AA inspectors went on to say of the 11 bedroom family and dog friendly hotel:

The hotel has been fully restored by the owners and a warm welcome is assured from the personable team.

“The distinct Gothic windows frame the sea views from many of the spacious bedrooms. A number of the Coach House rooms accept dogs.

“Dining is in the award-winning Rhosyn restaurant from highly seasonal modern menus in a small plates format.”

Penally Abbey is located on a hill overlooking Carmarthen Bay. It sits on a monastic site, with the 12th-century ruins of the original chapel still visible in the grounds.

It was also once the home to the Irish whiskey distillers, Jameson.

Western Telegraph: The hotel was singled out for its ‘friendly team with a genuine concern for guest comfort and

The hotel, which suffered a major fire in 2020, is no stranger to accolades; last year it won the Good Hotel Guide’s César Award and was named as one of the top 50 UK hotels by The Telegraph.

The hotel’s Rhosyn restaurant was named in the AA Restaurant Guide for 2023.

“The award ceremony was pretty special…and not just because we met Claudia Winkleman,” said Lucas Boissevain, co-owner of the hotel.

“We’ve been running Penally Abbey for the past nine years and we were amazed to win the AA Hotel of the Year Wales 2023/24 at the AA Hospitality Awards ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel in London’s Park Lane.

“The AA has been at the heart of the hospitality industry for 115 years and is the industry flagship annual award, which makes us doubly proud to be selected.

Creating Penally Abbey has been such a unique and special experience for us all and it was lovely for this mad adventure as a family with all the wonderful Penally team to be recognised.

“This award is really for our incredible team, who over the years have made the hotel the special place that it is.

"We owe so much to our team for their commitment and patience and for working alongside us through lockdowns, a major fire and everything in between.”

Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media added: “We would like to extend a massive congratulations all the winners and shortlisted establishments for their hard work, passion, and dedication.”