There is a lot of magic to be found in Llanfair Hall. Whether it’s in the night sky, where the entire galaxy in all of its complex beauty and depth introduces itself to the guests. Or its location in a country as old and as wise as the most prolific spell-bender in fiction. Or that it is named after a village which is often written about because, like any magical spell, it is a challenge to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch without an oral run up.
Travelling is going to be a busy affair as staycations are the primary escape for travellers and holiday seekers in Britain. Hungry for a change of scenery guests are wanting to be blown away by their experiences. After so long being stuck in doors and following the same banal routines, we are wanting something magical. Frankly, we are demanding it for our travel this year.
THE SITE
Llanfair Hall, which was founded in 2015 by Lucy and John Miller who still run the site, offers a special brand of travel magic. It is a simple magic, but it will never cease to inspire and affect guests. The grand majesty of tranquillity, isolation and nature.
Even before Lockdown, most of us lived highly connected lives with varying stress levels. These ranged from the lowkey pressure associated with constantly being plugged in to social networks, to high-level stresses that people endure while working in big business.
Lucy explains that both her and her husband have first-hand experience of this. John worked in the nuclear industry and army recruitment while Lucy worked in market research and enterprise education. In fact, she used to work for one of the Dragons from the reality tv show Dragons’ Den and it was not a happy period. One day after commiserating on a mutually awful day her colleague suggested that she start a glamping site.
“I had to find out what glamping was,” Lucy admitted, “But the idea stuck, and Llanfair Hall was the result.”
Their business began with three pods in 2015. The following year they added a log cabin and in 2017, two extra pods found their way to the site. Then in 2019 they restored an 18th century barn that is available for rental. Covering all of the bases for a truly peaceful yet invigorating break
One of the few sites that maintain the same prices throughout the year, Llanfair Hall attracts professional couples, families looking for holidays and groups looking to celebrate special occasions. Providing some of the singularly best star gazing opportunities in the UK with the most reliable comfort and service, they were recipients of the enviable AA Glamping Site of the Year 2020 award.
THE SECRET TO GLAMPING
Every glamping site owner creates a unique visitor experience, using the best of the surroundings, a touch of creativity and innovation and adding a lot of themselves into the mix. Lucy and John’s approach is to constantly be developing and adding and to maintain brilliant relationships with their guests. They have built up excellent repeat bookings via word of mouth recommendations that have proved to be crucial to sustaining a successful business in a very competitive market.
“Everyone wants to feel that they have a secret place that is their own,” Lucy reflects, “This is the beautiful escapism that glamping can offer. Their own personal place to admire the world and nature. When you find it, you want to share that magic with your friends. It’s our job to make sure that same magic continues to grow and enthral the guest.”
To achieve this, Lucy proactively researches and investigates ideas to find new innovations to keep guests coming back and creating intrigue. For example, in Lockdown One, which took place in the first half of 2020, they created a foot pool table and a giant’s chair using leftover materials from their barn conversion from the year before.
“Big and small, we are constantly looking for ways to provide add-ons to the business and create ideas all the time,” she says, “Some are instantly workable, some are useless, and some could be great further down the line. It’s the process of keeping creativity high, producing new ideas and getting our clients excited that counts.”
THE STAYS
The seven units can hold a maximum of 32 guests who can enjoy giant chess, badminton, foot pool and a hot tub (available in the barn only). There are also pizza ovens and private fire pits which Lucy and John have personally tested to ensure the highest standard of marshmallow roasting.
The surrounding area, beyond the truly breathtaking starlit skies, also provides a beautiful coast line and forests for walks and plenty of space to lie about and chillout.
As a director of North Wales Tourism, Lucy understands that even while travellers will be incredibly enthusiastic about their holidays, precautions need to be taken seriously and put into place as conveniently as possible. Llanfair Hall’s approach on this has been so effective that they also received the Business of the Year award for 2020 from Safe2Stay!
“Precautions need to be taken seriously and put into place ahead of time to make it convenient for guests to use them properly,” she says, “Glamping and social distancing go hand-in-hand already. Additionally, hand sanitiser is made readily available for all guests and all units are deep cleaned and fogged after each checkout.”
TRAVELLING IN THE NEW NORMAL
In the immediate future at least, people wanting to travel for leisure will only be able to do so inside their own country. Giving them a fantastic opportunity to discover the many hidden gems that they may not know about. Wales is vast and diverse, with its own pace and style of life. It makes for a perfect getaway and a fantastic adventure and opportunity to delve into the marvellous hospitality that can be found there.
“This year Britons have the chance to discover the magic of Wales,” Lucy says, “And one or two will even learn how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch while they’re here!”
WEBSITE: www.llanfairhall.com
ADDRESS: Llanfair Hall, Dwyran, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, LL61 6AX
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01248 440031/07946 388 869
EMAIL: stay@llanfairhall.com
PRICE/NIGHT: From £75/night
