Wales


<p>As if you needed another excuse, Wales is serving up a whole host of shiny new reasons to visit (on top of all the usual ones, obviously). Over the coming months, a flurry of hotly tipped restaurant openings and hotel launches will be landing firmly on your must-visit radar, from stunning waterfront stays to buzzy neighbourhood-style brasseries. Consider this your inside track on the names to know &#8211; and what&#8217;s coming soon.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hotels">HOTELS</h2>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ty-gwyn-abersoch-llyn-peninsula">Ty Gwyn Abersoch, Llyn Peninsula</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1061" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/The-Abersoch-Hotel.jpg" alt="TyGwyn Abersock Hotel " class="wp-image-3421" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/The-Abersoch-Hotel.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/The-Abersoch-Hotel-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/The-Abersoch-Hotel-1024x724.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/The-Abersoch-Hotel-768x543.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>After a long and winding road, this much-anticipated £30m waterfront stunner is *finally* eyeing a Summer 2026 debut. Rising on the former Whitehouse Hotel site, Ty Gwyn Abersoch has been more than a decade in the making (ownership changes &#8211; and even nesting birds &#8211; have had their say), but promises to be well worth the wait. Run by Bespoke Hotels, the finished look is set to be seriously luxe: 46 bedrooms and suites, a destination restaurant, a bar with sea-view terraces, plus a spa with pool, thermal suite and treatment rooms, alongside a gym and flexible event spaces. The cherry on top? Eighteen sleek private apartments crowning the upper floors &#8211; perfect for the most stylish of staycations. One to add straight to your Abersoch hot list, with serious wow-factor written all over it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-penmaenuchaf-dolgellau"><a href="https://penmaenuchaf.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Penmaenuchaf</a>, Dolgellau</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1143" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.33.19.png" alt="room at the Penmaenuchaf Hotel (Dolgellau) Wales" class="wp-image-3424" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.33.19.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.33.19-300x229.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.33.19-1024x780.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.33.19-768x585.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>This recent addition to the Seren Collection has been quietly levelling up &#8211; and if you haven’t checked in lately, now’s the time. With just 13 bedrooms, the refurb here is intimate rather than all-guns-blazing, but it’s already making waves. Four rooms and suites are freshly finished, another five arrive this spring, with the full glow-up landing throughout 2026. </p>



<p>Interiors are by Nicola Harding (think Beaverbrook, The Mitre), serving up her signature grown-up country cool: jewel-toned palettes, sage and teal greens, blush pinks, a splash of mustard, plus florals, panelled bathrooms and swoon-worthy double-ended tubs. Antique-meets-modern, romantic but never twee &#8211; and when it’s finished, this under-the-radar beauty may well outshine its headline-grabbing sister, <a href="https://grovenarberth.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grove of Narbeth in South Wales</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-college-aberystwyth-nbsp"><a href="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/oldcollege/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Old College</a>, Aberystwyth&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="642" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.41.51.png" alt="Old College Aberystwyth " class="wp-image-3428" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.41.51.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.41.51-300x193.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.41.51-768x493.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Big plans, big impact. This landmark seafront icon is in the midst of a major transformation, with a 2027 opening firmly pencilled in &#8211; and it’s set to put Aberystwyth squarely on the luxe staycation map. The headline? The town’s&nbsp;only&nbsp;4-star hotel, bringing 31 smart new bedrooms to the promenade as part of a much broader reimagining of the historic Old College. When complete, the site will span seven floors, housing 143 rooms in total, plus a suite of flexible event spaces for 60 to 200 guests. A bold, future-facing revival of a much-loved Welsh heavyweight &#8211; def one to watch.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restaurants">RESTAURANTS</h2>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ogof-cardiff"><a href="https://www.ogofcardiff.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ogof</a>, Cardiff</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1050" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.50.11.png" alt="dish at Ogof a new restaurant in Cardiff." class="wp-image-3433" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.50.11.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.50.11-300x210.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.50.11-1024x717.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-12.50.11-768x538.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>You’d be forgiven for missing this one amid the Christmas chaos &#8211; but consider this your nudge to get it firmly on your radar. Opened on 18 Dec and billed as &#8220;a neighbourhood restaurant and wine shop&#8221;, Ogof is the new, ingredient-led opening from a local chef with a cult pop-up following, now putting down permanent roots on Kings Road. This isn&#8217;t white-tablecloth fine dining, but it <em>is</em> seriously food-forward: seasonal plates driven by top-notch produce, paired with a sharp, natural-leaning wine list and an effortlessly cool, neighbourhood feel. Understated, buzzy and already pulling in Cardiff&#8217;s in-the-know crowd &#8211; add it to your rotation now.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thomas-the-brasserie-cardiff"><a href="https://www.sevenrooms.com/experiences/thomasbytomsimmons/brasserie-launch-4956401783226368?utm_source=ig&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=link_in_bio&amp;fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnPdCC6xpmsIFuED48g6jMAFtWgZKSb3hOdno-pBHGvxeOz5S5wEnjaGL3VAY_aem_-VP50GEQaFkbLOWD0nyFng" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thomas The Brasserie</a>, Cardiff</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1875" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/597574843_1430463122417156_8339296253475944304_n.jpg" alt="Chateaubriand at Thomas The Brasserie opening in Cardiff" class="wp-image-3438" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/597574843_1430463122417156_8339296253475944304_n.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/597574843_1430463122417156_8339296253475944304_n-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/597574843_1430463122417156_8339296253475944304_n-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/597574843_1430463122417156_8339296253475944304_n-768x960.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/597574843_1430463122417156_8339296253475944304_n-1229x1536.jpg 1229w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Pontcanna favourite Tom Simmons is shaking things up &#8211; and we’re very much here for it. Reopening in <strong>January 2026</strong>, Thomas by Tom Simmons is relaunching as Thomas The Brasserie, swapping fine-dining tasting menus for a relaxed, neighbourhood-style brasserie with genuine all-day appeal. Expect top-notch Welsh produce, a fixed menu alongside daily specials, and comfort classics done&nbsp;<em>properly</em>&nbsp;&#8211; think Friday fish and chips, bang-on Sunday roasts and seasonal plates without the fuss (or eye-watering prices). Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, it’s all about high standards, warm vibes and food you actually want to eat on the regular. And that&#8217;s not all&#8230;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lofft-cardiff">Lofft, Cardiff</h2>



<p>Upstairs at Thomas The Brasserie, this is where things get seriously special. Launching on <strong>14 Feb</strong> (what a love-rly treat for V Day), Lofft is Tom Simmons’ new intimate chef’s table &#8211; a front-row seat to the action, with dishes served straight from the pass as you watch them come together in real time. Open Wednesdays and Thursdays for lunch, plus Fridays and Saturdays for lunch and dinner, it’s a slick, immersive experience led by GM Adam Day and Executive Chef Tom Peters (ex-Maaemo and Roux at Parliament Square). Smart, stripped-back and quietly thrilling &#8211; this is one for food lovers who like their dining experiences intimate, immersive and impeccably executed.&nbsp;Book early.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE?</h2>



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<li><a href="https://wales.muddystilettos.co.uk/wellbeing/gotta-have-it-dirwest-alcohol-free-spirits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gotta Have It: Dirwest alcohol-free spirits</a></li>
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Coming soon! Wales’ hottest hotel openings and must-know foodie news

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