We’ve visited before, and we stayed here at the brilliant Tŷ Milford Hotel – part of the Celtic Collection. If you’re booking, go water or dock view. Last time we were 418, this time a little lower, 218. These corner rooms have, in our humble opinion, the best panoramic views. They are great rooms; spotless, tastefully designed with classy furnishings and a super comfortable bed and a good size TV. You can also stay in their very cool flotel cabins for an on-the-water experience.
The idea was to stay for a couple of nights and just chill. Perhaps go out for some food and explore the Haven and Pembrokeshire – all very relaxing. The forecast was good but as the weekend got closer the idea popped into our head to do something a bit different. We’d never been kayaking so we thought we’d give it a shot and booked ourselves in on the Saturday afternoon at Milford Beach Activity Centre which is situated just beyond the harbour with ramp access to the estuary. We’d also eaten at Dulse, Tŷ Milford’s in-house restaurant, previously and it was very good, so we booked a table on our first evening.
After a leisurely two-hour drive from the Vale taking in a light lunch at Ultracomida in Narberth, we arrived at Tŷ Milford, checked in and decided to take a wander around the harbour. It’s lined with plenty of indie businesses. There are gift shops, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, galleries not to mention the beautiful boats of all shapes and sizes in the harbour which adds to the charm. There’s a lovely chocolate shop called Trwffl which is owned by a lovely lady by the name of Sandra together with her daughter. Their home-made chocolates are divine. I can highly recommend the Milk, Sea Salt & Vanilla (OMG). They also stock other Welsh products so it’s perfect for gift hunting. We popped into Scott’s as well to buy a few old school sweets.
If you fancy a little live entertainment or a movie while you’re away, the brilliant Torch Theatre is a mere ten-minute walk away. We popped in while we were in town and there was an excellent exhibition on featuring the work of Chris Prosser, one of the Torch team, who is an ex-art teacher. Superbly atmospheric work – we really liked it. There’s a great little café there too which also has art adorning the walls.
Back at the hotel, and after a quick freshen up, we were sat in Dulse. It’s a great space with tables and booths overlooking the harbour and adjoins the main bar to the left or reception. After a few hours walking, we felt we’d earned a good meal.
We’ve eaten at Dulse several times previously and can honestly say each time it has been exceptional. Our starters of Dulse Welsh Tea Hot Smoked Salmon and Tempura Monkfish were just superb. For mains, Jennifer’s Rump Steak was perfectly cooked and my Lamb Rump With Rosemary Jus was full of flavour. I cheekily asked for a side of gravy and it arrived in minutes. Have to say, the service at Dulse is excellent. A Crème Brûlée & Welsh Cakes and the Popcorn Panna Cotta brought things nicely to a close. If you do book a room here, I would strongly suggest you dine here too. It really is excellent.
The following morning after breakfast, again overlooking the marina, we enjoyed another stroll around the waterfront. We popped into the Waterfront Gallery for a mooch. Some lovely art in there. It’s an old building that used to service the Nantucket whaling ships. It has regular exhibitions so definitely worth following on social media. We also found Dilly’s Chocolates, set up by graphic designer and amateur chocolatier Dilys, who turned her hobby into the now successful Dilly’s Chocolates – handmade, artisan chocolates in a range of tantalising flavours and, as you’d expect, beautifully presented and packaged.
Another must visit is the award-winning Milford Haven Museum. I believe this to be one of the best museums in Wales. It punches way above its weight and is literally packed full of great exhibits. It celebrates the history of Milford Haven beautifully and never fails to enlighten us. From pre-history through to the oil refining industry it is utterly fascinating. We must have visited several times in the last five years, and we always leave a little more enlightened. The staff are lovely and always on hand if you need to know more. It is, in a word, brilliant.
“This centre is a celebration of creepy crawlies.”
In the afternoon, we headed out towards St David’s. We like St David’s a lot but didn’t actually get into the city this time. We were distracted by a brown Bug Farm sign on the outskirts and decided to check it out. What a find. Another gem in Pembrokeshire’s tourism crown. Set up and run by Sarah and Andy (they have a great family story about the farm and land), this centre is a celebration of creepy crawlies, and the Grub Café also serves a few of them up on its menu (quite delicious). Kids love it here, naturally, but there is an incredibly serious side to the business. It’s carrying out cutting edge research and for that reason alone would give it five stars. Honestly, though this is a superb attraction with something for everyone. We were literally clapping when we left.
Running slightly behind our schedule (we were having so much fun with the bugs), we zipped back to Milford to try out kayaking at the Milford Beach Activity Centre run by owners Chris and Sam. Jennifer and I had never tried kayaking on the open water before but what a great experience. Chris, our instructor, was excellent – offering advice and lots of encouragement. What an absolutely brilliant experience. I would highly recommend it, and you see the Haven from a completely different perspective.
“You can stay at Tŷ Milford Hotel or you can get closer to the water by booking one of the amazing flotel cabins.”
Our reward for such an active day was a superb meal at Martha’s Vineyard which also overlooks the marina. It felt a little like Spain; tucking into seafood and looking at the beautiful boats moored along the jetties. To be honest Dulse was going to be a tough act to follow but I’m delighted to say Martha’s Vineyard did so admirably. The food here is extremely good. Jennifer had a beautiful bowl of fresh prawns to start, and I ordered a delicious scotch egg. Both were excellent.
For main’s, Jennifer ordered steak with was requested as blue but arrived rare (I think restaurants are a little reluctant to go blue these days). My seafood curry was, apparently, one of their best sellers and I’m not surprised. It was fresh, fragrant and filling. Portion sizes here are perfect. A scrummy Eton Mess for dessert was the icing on the proverbial cake. A relaxing stroll along the waterfront brought the perfect day to a close.
The following morning after breakfast, we bid goodbye to Milford Haven and headed back to the Vale. But we’ll certainly return soon. There’s never a dull moment in Pembrokeshire, and Milford Haven and the Tŷ Milford Hotel are the perfect base from which to explore this stunning county.
MILFORD WATERFRONT & MORE
Useful links…
Milford Haven Waterfront
www.milfordwaterfront.co.uk
Tŷ Milford Hotel
www.ty-hotels.com
Trwffl
www.trwffl.co.uk
Waterfront Gallery
www.thewaterfrontgallery.co.uk
Torch Theatre
www.torchtheatre.co.uk
Dilly’s Chocolates
www.dillyschocolates.co.uk
Milford Beach Activity Centre
www.milfordbeachactivitycentre.co.uk
Martha’s Vineyard
www.marthasvineyard.co.uk
Seasonal events
Please check out www.milfordwaterfront.com for latest news on events throughout the summer.
FIVE STAR ATTRACTIONS
Milford Haven Museum
www.milfordhavenmuseum.co.uk
Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm
www.thebugfarm.co.uk
TY MILFORD ROOM GALLERY
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