The Angel Hotel is a luxurious, family-run hotel located in the centre of Abergavenny. Not to be confused with hotels of a similar name, this former coaching inn has offered hospitality to locals and travellers for nearly 200 years.
For 20 of those years, current owners, the Griffiths family have been stewards of the historic property having acquired the hotel in 2002. In the time of their ownership, they have transformed it to the contemporary and stylish establishment, offering warm hospitality and special touches to make guests’ experience extra special.
Sitting distinctively on the main high street in Abergavenny with its standout smart Georgian facade, its location makes it extremely popular for travellers, especially during wedding and food festival seasons. However, as its history suggests, it has been a destination for travellers since 1829, when it was a coaching inn on the London to Fishguard road. The Angel is also renowned for its incredible and time-honoured art of High Tea, and holds The British Tea Guild Council’s top City and Country Afternoon Tea Award and The Award of Excellence.
The interior of the hotel has been designed to a very high standard and has a contemporary look and feel with a homely twist. This is evident in the decoration of the lounge area with its comfy modern seating without losing the charm of the building. We found this room particularly popular in the lead up to evening dinner, where you could get drinks ordered to the room to sip and enjoy. At off-peak times, it was extremely tranquil and offered the perfect hideaway to soak up the surroundings.
The family also own The Art Shop, only a few steps away, where original art curated by Pauline Griffiths will often be selected and displayed in public spaces of the hotel.
Certainly, when you visit, you’ll notice this to be a particular theme throughout the property and it’s really quite lovely to walk around to see what you can find. We only stayed the 1 night and we feel that we’ve barely scratched the surface in what this property has to offer. The outside of the building is rather deceiving and it’s quite extensive with its extension and length of the building. We were mesmerised by the number of stair cases and nooks that make this a labyrinth of walkways and architecture.
Parking, arrival and check in
The Angel Hotel is easy to find with its central location and can be found at 15 Cross Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 5EN.
There is parking available on site, located at the rear of the hotel just off of Castle Street. If you have an electric vehicle then you’re in luck with multiple on-site charging points, which is free for hotel guests – definitely a plus! When we first arrived, all of the chargers were taken. We were told if we had mentioned that we had EV when booking, they would have reserved us a space. Instead, they gave us a call very soon after checking in when a space had become available, which was perfect. The majority of chargers are 3-pin, so remember your cables, there is also a Tesla charger onsite with its own cable – all charging at approx. 2kWh, which is plenty for an overnight charge.
For the adventurers without their own EV, the hotel has its own Renault Twizy (all electric) that guests can use. Very different and I think it’s fair to say it is a unique offering…
Once you’ve parked up, head into the main lobby to register your vehicle with hotel reception.
You will be given a warm welcome and as ever, don’t be afraid to make them aware it’s your first visit (if it is). As they will be more than happy to give you a guide to the town and let you know of any special events or markets taking place during your visit.
If you plan on staying for dinner, I’d recommend making reservations as you check in to avoid disappointed as their dining options are very popular.
Staying the night
The hotel boasts 31 bedrooms and four self-contained cottages, which are all decorated to the same high standards with sleek contemporary furnishings, including Villeroy & Boch or Fired Earth bathrooms, and pocket-sprung mattress with silky Percale bed linens & extra fluffy towels.
There are number of room types to stay in, including Executive, Superior, Deluxe Rooms and Suites. They also have a number of cottages and a larger lodge located near to the hotel itself – available to book on the Caradog Cottages website.
We stayed in one of the Deluxe Rooms, which benefited from impressive high ceilings, a modern four poster and stylish decorations. We found this particular room a good blend of modern and quaint older furnishings. The bed itself struck the perfect balance of soft and sinky, whilst keeping its rigidity so that you didn’t disappear into the silky sheets – although, would that have been a bad thing?
The room benefited from mod cons, a large TV and full free wi-fi access which is available in rooms and across all parts of the hotel. Our room also benefited from a sofa at the end of the bed, and although we didn’t spend much time on it, it was a lovely edition.
The bathroom was absolutely stunning. A fully titled and modern bathroom, which was clean and tidy. There were as a selection of Aromatherapy shampoos and body washes, and a sand soap that left our hands feeling refreshed and soft. Although, be warned, it’s not one you want to take home with you, as you will likely incur an £18 surcharge to your room. It was a very tempting offer though…
Our room was located at the front of the property, which offered views of Abergavenny’s high street. It was a Sunday night, which meant there was little activity going outside so we did get a very peaceful night sleep. As any traveller will know and should expect with any in-town property, there will likely be times and perhaps days of the week that will be noiser than others, so just note that when booking.
Evening dinner at The Angel
Seasonal modern British food is served in the formal Oak Room dining room and Foxhunter Bar which offers a traditional ambience with a modern twist. Whether or not you book for dinner, you can take a seat at one of the unreserved tables and order drinks.
Out of the two options for dinner, we opted to eat in the Oak Room, with its polished and sophisticated styling it was like dining in an art gallery. The Oak Room is situated in the newer part of the hotel. However, you seamlessly transition between the two without even noticing.
The Angel Hotel offers an array of dishes from the ever popular Seafood Platter to succulent Welsh lamb steaks. All of the dishes are devised by Head Chefs Paul Brown and Wesley Hammond, who value the brilliance and simplicity of fresh seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms and producers. The main dinner menu is available in both the Oak Room and Foxhunter Bar and with each new season, the menu is updated and includes specialist set menus for themed nights, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years – so look out for those.
As well as an extensive wine list, local beer and cider there is a refined cocktail menu and non-alcoholic cocktail (mocktails) list. The Angel has become a destination for indulgent Afternoon Teas served in the elegant Wedgewood Room.
For Sunday night dinner, we started with the Dressed Crab, toasted sourdough and Creamy onion and cider soup; Welsh rarebit. Both dishes were recommended to us by our server, based on our tastes and we weren’t disappointed. The soup was impressive and the Welsh rarebit was some of the best we have ever tried, with each complimenting one another perfectly.
Having not tried quite a few things on the menu before we always look to expand our pallets and opt for something new. The Dressed crab was one of these and highly recommended by our waiter, dressed with lemon juice, English mustard and egg whites with toasted sourdough from the Angel Bakery. The blend of sweet and bitter flavours really enhances the subtleness of the crab, not what we were expecting and a pleasant surprise.
For mains, we tried Dry-aged Welsh beef ribeye on the bone 450g; chips, onion rings served with peppercorn sauce (alternatively you can opt for béarnaise or red wine jus) and Whole roast partridge, creamed cabbage, girolle mushrooms and minted new potatoes. The ribeye was full of flavour and having asked for it to be medium-well done, it was cooked perfectly to our liking. It left enough juice without it being over-cooked.
Partridge is another new culinary experience for us, and one that we’ll be more than happy to experience again, it’s a juicy and tender flavour filled meat but not too ‘gamey’. The accompaniments were delicious either paired with the meat or on their own.
We managed to leave a little bit of room for dessert which can sometimes be difficult with the portions being very generous.
Hazelnut and muscovado tart, crème fraîche and you can’t go wrong with some chocolate and vanilla ice cream. What a delightful way to end the meal, the tart had a great balance of moist and crunchy textures. The sweetness of the muscovado mixed with the slight sourness of the crème fraîche left this dessert well balanced.
The hotel has had a specialist baker for many years, Sally Lane, and they bake a delicious range of individual cakes and pastries in a dedicated Afternoon Tea kitchen, with delectable patisserie, savouries, sandwiches and scones accompanied with an extensive library of the most selected teas and infusions. They also have a bakery shop, located across the street from the hotel (50/51 Cross Street).
If you’re looking for a luxury weekend or mid-week getaway in the country, we throughly recommend putting The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny on your list of places to visit. Despite it only being 20-mile/30 minute drive from Cardiff and Newport, it feels like you are miles away.
We also recommend keeping an eye on some of their themed events and packages. Come December, The Angel Hotel is transformed for the festive season, hosting a pop-up Apres ski bar as well as a ‘Petit Paris’ area during the food festival where staff serve oysters and Bollinger to guests. They also run family events in the run up to Christmas with santa sleigh visits and walking tours, so there appears to be no limit to their talents.
