The quiet Carmarthenshire town of Laugharne sits on the banks of the Tâf estuary in South Wales. Apart from the Norman castle, Laugharne is best known as the home of the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas.
Dylan Thomas And Laugharne
Dylan Thomas lived in Laugharne periodically during the 30s and 40s and from 1949 to 1953 his family home was the Boathouse overlooking the estuary. He was renowned for liking a drink or two and Brown’s Hotel, only a short walk from the Boathouse, was his favourite bar in town.
He visited Brown’s most nights, often accompanied by his wife Caitlin. Thomas was there so often that he would give the hotel’s phone number as his own.
Dylan would regularly walk past Laugharne castle on the way to the pub and he described the ancient stronghold as being as “brown as owls”.
Brown’s Hotel
Brown’s Hotel is a luxury small boutique hotel, in the centre of Laugharne. We booked a classic double room through booking.com for £117, including breakfast for 2. The Burgess room we were allocated was a reasonable size and we thought decorated to a good standard in shades of white, grey and blue. The paintwork had a couple of minor scuffs but nothing too noticeable.
The room had a mini-fridge with complimentary water as well as tea and coffee making facilities, digital radio with an iPod docking station and a hairdryer. A coffee pod machine was a nice touch for those that love their Nespresso. There was a heater in the room as well as air conditioning and as we were there in the Spring we used both and can say they worked well!
The bathroom had a roll-top bath and an over-bath shower. It was decorated in white and black and was very clean. Complimentary sachets of eco-friendly toiletries were included. Perhaps it would be nice to have larger toiletries that are refillable to save plastic. The bath was on an elevated stand, which Il found a little hard to get in and out of as I (Mel) am only 5ft 2inches so bear that in mind if you are short like me.
The room was at the front of the building looking out onto the main road in Laugharne. There was a little traffic noise but not enough to bother us.
Dylan’s Bar & Dexters Steakhouse
The hotel itself has a cosy bar serving Penderyn Welsh whisky and local ales, and a restaurant called Dexters Steakhouse and Grill. Dexters Steakhouse focuses on the Dexter breed of cow, locally bred in Carmarthenshire, producing high-quality steak. We had booked the restaurant for that night so we were looking forward to seeing what it was like.
That night our meal didn’t disappoint. A tasty 300g sirloin steak served with chunky chips was delicious, and the chargrilled free-range chicken with a morel and Maderia sauce served with dauphinoise potatoes was excellent too. We didn’t have dessert but I like the sound of the sticky toffee pudding and the citrus posset.
We really liked Browns Hotel, and it’s come a long way since its days as a rough and ready drinking hole although it still retains some of the character such as the low wooden beams. If you are a fan of Dylan Thomas it’s a must-see or if you just need a night away why not stay in this individual boutique hotel. Recommended.
