THE CASTLE HOTEL CONWY
Shakespeare and Dawson's Bar & Cuisine North Wales
The
Castle Hotel in Conwy, on the coast of northern Wales in the shadows
of the
Snowdonia
mountains is not in a castle, but near one of the world’s
most impressive monuments of the medieval era, Conwy Castle. Located
in the center of the town of Conwy on High Street, a few blocks from
its most famous sight, the Castle Hotel is a former coaching inn, joined
from two former inns called “The Castle" and ‘The King’s
Head” which hosted travelers through the Welsh north country since
the 15th Century, a stop on the way from London to Dublin. A Cistercian
Abbey once
stood on the site, but after the “dissolution” under
Henry VII, the center of Conwy became a commerce center in the Elizabethan
era with its estuary harbor protected from the north seas. 
The
façade
of The Castle Hotel is one of the most photographed buildings in Conwy
with its gothic revival blue-gray granite and red brick façade
added to the inn during Victorian times. The hotel with its romance style
has
been the accommodation of choice for famous figures visiting the town’s
infamous fortress and in the 1800’s, the Welsh resort town of Llandudno
a short trip away. Writers like William Wordsworth (see Lake
District Touring) and Robert Lewis Stephenson, graced the
historic inn’s
rooms for a short stay, but the artist most associated with the Conwy
Castle Hotel stayed for much longer and left his mark behind.
Shakespeare Murals
Shakespeare
never got to Wales, as far as anyone knows whether as actor, playwright
or
prosperous merchant (see Shakespeare Houses Stratford),
but Victorian era artist and book illustrator John Dawson Watson did
find his way to Conwy and stayed at the Castle Hotel…and stayed…and
stayed. Dawson was a real fan of the Bard of Avon, so much that
in a portrait of the artist in the British National Galley, he seems
to
be
channeling Shakespeare in affected Elizabethan ruffled collar. 
Whether
in barter exchange
or by commission, to pay for his lodgings at the hotel while staying
there in the later days of his life he painted a series
of scenes based on Shakespeare’s plays and characters to decorate
the hotel. The paintings in period costumes of Portia, Hamlet, Romeo
and Juliet and a pantheon of others, still hang in the bar-restaurant
named for him, Dawson's Bar and Cuisine Restaurant. Most of John
Dawson Watson’s oil paintings were small canvases, but the dramatic
Shakespeare inspired illustrations in Conway fill the walls as a backdrop
for fine dining.
Castle Hotel
The
Castle Hotel of Conwy had been through a series of owners over the
centuries,
falling
into neglect for a time. Since being acquired by its
current owners, the Lavins in partnership with award winning chef Graham
Tinsley, the Castle Hotel has been returned to a worthy romantic hotel
destination for a visit to the World Heritage site of Conwy. With a focus
on the food, the restaurant with its Shakespearean icons watching over
you is a destination on its own, featuring
local produce and dishes with Tinsel mentoring young Welsh chefs of tomorrow
as part of the Welsh Culinary Team.
The hotel was awarded
the AA Hotel of the Year for Wales in 2005 and 2006. The hotel has antique
furnishings in the halls and common space, 28 bedrooms and suites, with
modern facilities, wireless, broadband and private bathrooms, a few with
views of the castle. The Caer Rhun Suite has
a two person jacuzzi bath and an ornately carved four
poster bed, dating from 1570 is featured in the Wynn Suite, named for
descendents of 16th Century merchant, Robert Wynn, whose historic townhouse
Plas Mawr, one of the best preserved Elizabethan era houses is one of
the walled city of Conwy’s most visited attractions and virtually
across the street (see Plas Mawr).
The Castle Hotel in Conwy, part of the Welsh Rarebit Hotels of Distinction and Historic Hotels of Europe groups, is two blocks from the castle for which it is named and the railway station (see Castle Conwy). The harbor quay, Plas Mawr and the city’s medieval walls are an easy walk. There is parking for the hotel in it own lots. Packages for a day trip to Mt Snowdon with a lunch and a guide if desire can be arranged and well as getaway weekday and weekend breaks, golfing at Conwy’s golf course which has hosted the British Seniors Championships and to the coastal views at Llandudno and Prestatyn. Prices start at under £60 per person double occupancy on a bed and breakfast basis, a £20 supplement will include dinner in the Watson Bar and Grill, but with a little talent and good negotiating skills, maybe you can paint for your supper. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Castle
Hotel Conwy
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SEE ALSO:
PORTMEIRION
"Prisoner" VILLAGE AND GARDEN
PENTRE-MAWR
FARMHOUSE B&B
HARLECH CASTLE SNOWDONIA COAST
RUTHIN CASTLE HOTEL - HAUNTED LUXURY
BRITAIN IN WWII ON THE HOME FRONT - LLANDUDNO
