When I booked my room, the co-owner Sylvia Pritchard said that she would have a pot of tea waiting for me when I arrived. She was as good as her word, with a couple of Welsh cakes thrown in.

It’s a long, though pleasant, journey to get here. Llandovery is halfway up the Heart of Wales line, a one-carriage train passing from Swansea to Shrewsbury on the edges of the Brecon Beacons.

The New White Lion can be found off the main square near a pub, opposite a pub – and unsurprisingly it used to be a pub. Sylvia and Gerald Pritchard took three years to transform the property into a swish six-room guesthouse.

The door opened to Sylvia’s smile and I entered what is a huge departure in style for the area. Chandeliers, duck-egg-blue walls, fairy lights and a Liberty store of textiles and patterns made it at once comforting and chic. The lounge is on the left in gold, fawn and brown, while on the right is the dark grey dining room with black chandeliers and silver wallpaper.

The bedrooms are named after Welsh characters of legend, and obviously after being sized up, I was given the Twm Sion Catti – a no-good boyo of a highwayman. Decor is pared down, with just a large bed, a small flatscreen TV and a tiny bathroom. Smart, but tight.

Dinner starts with wine in the lounge, and if you’re lucky Gerald will entertain you with stories about the area – Llandovery beating Cardiff at rugby recently will live on in folk memory. The lounge holds an honesty bar, and guests are allowed to look at the bottles, choose and open their own – a sensible departure from gazing at a wine list.

Sadly, the food wasn’t good. Sylvia’s service was jolly, but I heard the microwave ping so much that I thought it was a mobile phone. Homemade pâté with an oversweet onion relish was fine, but the pork slices in gravy were dry and flat, and Gerald’s veg had been zapped at the last minute.

On the whole the food wouldn’t stop me from returning – my breakfast, made from local ingredients, was tasty – because the combination of genuine Welsh welcome and contemporary style is a winning one and Gerald and Sylvia deserve recognition for that.

Bottom line: Kieran Falconer paid £80 for a double B&B.
Sampling the fare: £17.90 for a three-course meal.
What we think: Warm welcome and good style make up for the culinary calamity.
Worst thing: Ping!
Best thing: Sylvia and Gerald Pritchard – both great ambassadors for Wales.

Need to know:
New White Lion, 43 Stone Street, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales SA20 0BZ.
01550 720685
www.newwhitelion.co.uk

Access all areas: One downstairs bedroom is wheelchair accessible and there is a bathroom wheelchair for the shower.
Value: 7 out of 10.
Room: 7 out of 10.
Food: 5 out of 10.
Service: 9 out of 10.

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