Dunraven Hotel, Treherbert Review

About the Dunraven Hotel

I stayed at the Dunraven Hotel in Treherbert when visiting a friend in nearby Treorchy.  As you can see from the outside, the Dunraven Hotel is a traditional, well maintained pub with rooms for people to stay in.  I guess it was probably a coaching inn or something in days gone by.   It’s in the Rhondda Valley which I think may be the most dramatic (and beautiful) valleys in the Welsh valleys area.  It’s a good base for exploring the western part of the valleys area or as an alternative to staying in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Accommodation

As it’s a pub there’s no reception desk, you just walk up to the bar to register.  I had a very friendly welcome and was quickly shown to my lovely room, which seemed fresh and recently decorated.  The room had everything I needed.  As you can see it was a twin-bedded room and all the bedding was clean and well presented.  There were some nice touches that can get forgotten.  There was a row of hooks by the door to hang your coats on.  As well as hooks in the bathroom.  It’s nice when there are little touches like this as they make it much easier and comfortable to live in the room.

In the corner (to the right of the picture above, but not in the picture) there was a tea making tray with a range of beverages, milk and biscuits.

Opposite the beds there was a TV on the wall.  I must admit I didn’t try it out as I don’t tend to watch a lot of TV when I’m away, but it’s there if you wanted.  Another thoughtful touch was the desk and chair in a little alcove.  I used the desk as a dressing table, but I had brought my laptop just in case I needed to do some work, so this would have been perfect for that.

The room was situated above an outside seating and drinking area.  There was a bit of noise from this during the late afternoon. It’s what you expect if you book to stay in a pub.  It was nice day when I was there and a few decided to sit outside and I think smokers would use that area too. It was never very noisy though and the pub shut at 10pm and there was no noise once they’d closed for the night.  I didn’t find it disruptive at all as a solo traveller and wouldn’t if travelling as part of a couple or a group.  There might be some issues for families I guess. However, there was a young family staying there the night I did and they seemed to be happy enough.

I was very impressed with the shower room which was finished to a very high standard.  The clean lines of the bathroom suite and the vertical radiator cut a nice dash too.  A great range of toiletries was provided too.

Food and Drink

I didn’t try the evening meal options in the pub as I’d eaten earlier in the day.  However, I did pop down for a few pints in the evening.  It was a welcoming, friendly place and I had a great time.  As a real ale lover, I wasn’t too excited by the John Smiths on tap. But there was a rather nice IPA which went down very nicely for someone who usually likes a best bitter style pint.

The next morning there was a full cooked breakfast to enjoy, which was nicely cooked and well presented.  There were other options available too and there was a degree of flexibility about the orders.  The young family staying there all had different things for breakfast from cereal, through yoghurt, toast and beans or eggs on toast.