Castles, Coastlines and Starry Skies: A luxury travel guide to Wales

Steeped in myth and legend, and blessed with dramatic landscapes, Wales is considered the castle capital of the world with more than 600 strongholds, alongside the architectural patchwork village of Portmeirion and more land protected by Dark Skies status than any other country in the world. 

Add world-class golf at Celtic Manor, fine dining and heritage at Palé Hall, and a stay by the water at Cardiff Bay’s Voco St David’s, and you’ll discover a stargazing paradise where your imagination can run wild. 

Read on for Connecting Travel’s guide to glorious Wales.

Enjoy a private tour of Cardiff Castle

Of the 600 castles in Wales, Cardiff Castle is one the finest examples. Located in the city centre and surrounded by parkland, the site was originally a Roman fort.

Over the centuries, it’s been destroyed and rebuilt by various forces before passing into private ownership. In the 1860s, the world’s richest man at the time, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, resided here. 

Today, visitors can immerse themselves in 2,000 years of history in this leading attraction with richly designed rooms full of colour and character. The best way to hear all about this history is with a private Connoisseur Tour of the Castle Apartments with a personal guide who will give insight into the castle’s spectacular rooms, including the ornate Arab Room, dating from 1881, with marble walls, a wooden ceiling decorated in gold leaf, mashrabiya window shutters and Egyptian-style stained-glass windows.

The 90-minute tour for up to eight people will also take a deep dive into the personalities that transformed the castle and the brightly coloured Smoking Rooms of the Clock Tower. www.cardiffcastle.com