Celtic Royal Hotel Caernarfon

Rooms and decor

Celtic Royal Hotel is a restored Victorian building, and its 110 rooms are done in a Classic Welsh Comfort style — king-size beds, good linen, and bathrooms with both a bathtub and a shower. One guest wrote that the room was cleaner and roomier than expected and the staff were friendly and helpful. The upper-floor Deluxe rooms are quieter, and a few look out over the town. The Family Room takes 2 adults and 2 children, which suits families heading into Snowdonia together. The look is classic and on the conservative side rather than modern.

Food and amenities

The indoor pool is what sets this place apart — it's the only one in Caernarfon, and it comes with a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. The Castell Spa runs full treatments with Elemis products, from massage and facials to a couples suite, at roughly $57 to $152. The gym is open 24 hours for guests. The restaurant serves English food alongside Welsh specialties — Welsh lamb, cockle, Bara Brith — and the bar stays open until midnight. Breakfast is the full Welsh cooked spread. The concierge can sort out a Snowdonia tour, a castle tour or a Welsh Highland Railway booking. Wi-Fi is free and fast; parking runs an extra $10 a day.

Location and getting there

The hotel is on Bangor Street in central Caernarfon, an 8-minute walk from UNESCO Caernarfon Castle, built by Edward I in 1283. Castle Square, with its restaurants and pubs, is 5 minutes away; the Welsh Highland Railway steam station and Caernarfon Harbour, with views over the Menai Strait, are both about 10 minutes on foot. Snowdonia National Park sits roughly 15km off, a 25-minute drive, with Llanberis and Mount Snowdon as walking starting points. Bangor Station is 12km away — a 15-minute drive — and trains there reach Manchester in 2.5 hours. Anglesey Airport (VLY) is about 40km out, a 50-minute drive.

Things to know before booking

Rooms start around $120 a night and run up past $300, which is high for a town the size of Caernarfon — though you're paying for the pool and spa nothing else in town offers. Parking isn't included: budget an extra $10 a day. And the styling is classic and conservative throughout, so it won't suit anyone after a modern or boutique feel. For the quietest swim, get to the pool and spa before 10am.

Our take

If you want the highest standard in Caernarfon — and especially the only indoor pool in town — this is the pick. The 8.6/10 on Booking.com reflects a flagship 4-star that families and couples come back to: a spa, a 24-hour gym, a full Welsh breakfast, and an 8-minute walk to the castle. Pay the price and accept the conservative decor, and you get a level of comfort the rest of the town can't match.