I think we arrived for our overnight stay a little frazzled...probaby best not to follow your sat nav as it takes you on a cross country route of roads only wide enough for one car. There is good parking and the hotel is set in a beautiful garden and valley beyond. Our bag was kindly carried as we were shown to our twin room. The room itself was clean and perfect for the one night stay. The bathroom was more modern than the room and the towels were lovely and soft.

We had our evening meal in the bar. The service was a little stilted and the atmosphere was lacking something. Thank you to the young lad behind the bar, he tried his best but clearly had not been given a proper introduction to the bar himself which made it awkward for all involved. The food was delicious!

Our breakfast the next morning was also yummy indeed. Again the surrounds didn't put you at ease and we couldnt put our finger on what was missing.

We think that the place was perhaps just a little overpriced for what is on offer. We would recommend a visit to Chrik Castle which is about a 5-10 minute car journey away.

We had planned a break in Wales for some time and decided to visit the Llangollen area as we hadn't done so for at least 10 years The choice of hotel was a lucky 'happenstance'.

The Golden Pheasant is situated in a very lovely rural valley and is set in very attractive mature gardens.

The owner, Philippe, greeted us warmly and immediately offered to get our bags from the car and take them up to our room.

The room was large and nicely furnished with armchairs, a desk and a sofa in the window (plus the usual bed, wardrobe, etc.).

The ensuite bathroom had a very good sized bath as well as a shower. There was ample room for toiletries, make-up etc. The complimentary shower gel, etc . was of good quality.

Everything was clean and of good quality.

If there was one thing I would have preferred it would be feather pillows.

The food was very good. A nice selection at breakfast. We also had lunch one day, and dinner one evening. A lot of the food is cooked with locally produced items and you can tell by the tase. The dining room is most attractive, the table linen was first-class.

Unfortunately our visit was a very short one, curtailed because my husband wasn't well. Phillipe and his mother were more than obliging over our problems and gave us all the assistance they could - including making some wonderful ham sandwiches for us late one evening when we'd been delayed at Casualty.

There is a bar, with two fireplaces, and a very comprehensive choice of drinks.

As you will gather, we were more than satisfied. (We' ve travelled a lot too, so have stayed in a lot of hotels.)

The location is rural but many places are within quick and easy reach.

Probably stayed the same weekend as the previous reviewer. We found everyone to be very friendly and helpful. Phil, the owner, is always there to help -- he's never off duty! The Belgian waitress, if somewhat shy, is very pleasant to deal with. Food was great, they have a Welsh chef and a Swedish sous chef, making for some really delicious food. Some rooms were a little cold but the roaring fire in the bar made up for it. Yes, the rooms might benefit from some updating but are still very nice because of the Egyptian linen and fluffy towels, Arran Aromatics toiletries, flat screen etc. The owners are obviously making an effort and do what they can with what there is. This is not a pretentious country hotel but a down to earth country inn. We will definitely return for another weekend, there are some great walks and the valley is stunning -- great place to relax as long as you know how to. Remember that there is only Orange and T-mobile reception at the inn and no reception at all further up the valley.

We have been regular visitors to the Golden Pheasant under the previous owners and so were keen to see how the place had changed since the new management had taken over. What has always set the place apart was the warmth of the welcome and the character of the place in such a beautiful setting. Unfortunately, the warm welcome is no longer in evidence. Instead, we were greeted by a young man who didn't seem bothered if we were there or not - in the quiet bar, we had to remind him twice that we were actually staying there. The food was as good as it has been previously, but the waitress seemed to have very little experience and the long wait for service/wine list, the wrong glasses and the tepid starters in a draughty dining room did not make for a great experience.

We had been told the place had been refurbished, but we saw no evidence of that except a freshly painted lobby. The bedroom was rather shabby with tepid water. The whole hotel was in fact rather cold, unusual as this wasn't a problem during our previous visits.

The Golden Pheasant will always have fond memories for us, thanks to our past visits. I really hope that they manage to recapture some of that warmth in the future, but based on this weekend's visit, they have a way to go yet.