Harbourmaster Hotel

205 Reviews

Star Travel Rating

5/5

Review type

Things to do

Location

Date of travel

April, 2015

Product name

Harbourmaster Hotel

Product country

Aberaeron

Product city

Aberaeron

Travelled with

Reasons for trip

The best way to spend the last night of April and ‘spring’ into May has to be the superb Winemaker Dinner at the Harbourmaster in Aberaeron. As you will know by now, we love the wine tasting evenings at the Harbourmaster once a month over the cold winter months, but once the holiday season starts, we are bereft of such pleasures.

Occasionally through the year, there are wine tasting dinners featuring celebrity chefs. This one, however, was a little different as it featured not only chef Stephen Terry, but also the celebrated winemaker Paolo de Marchi from Tuscany.

With 5 courses and 4 different wines, it was an exceptional dining experience accompanied by the winemaker himself describing how they established the business in the 1950s. Starting with a Rose when we arrived was inspired – we don’t normally enjoy Rose (a bit insipid sometimes) but this was interesting with a lovely fragrance and actual taste. The inspired bit was serving it before food then the same wine at the end with dessert. What a difference! We now know only to serve this one as an aperitif not with food.

We worked our way through belly pork and black pudding, rotolo of salmon, melt-in-the-mouth braised beef brisket, dolcelatte cheesecake and, finally, vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb. Wines went through Chardonnay and two different Chiantis. Not cheap at £60 per person but well worth it. A superb meal, fantastic company, and the sanctimonious feeling that it was really an ‘educational’ event!

To top the evening, we stayed overnight in a room overlooking Aberaeron harbour – clearly, neither of us intended to drive the 3 miles home. So, it was definitely a treat to end the evening by strolling upstairs knowing a tasty, leisurely breakfast would be waiting for us in the morning. Great.

Jacqueline

Join the club

Become a member to receive exclusive benefits

Our community is the heart of Silver Travel Advisor, we love nothing more than sharing ideas, inspiration, hints and tips between us.

Come feel the love on a Princess cruise. You’ll enjoy the MedallionClass experience others simply can’t, and it’s exclusively for everyone. Visit incredible destinations and be involved in the best experiences around each one of them.

Experience more with Princess and connect effortlessly with the world around you, spend time away with loved ones, take a moment for yourself, and fall in love with your holiday of a lifetime, every time.

With over 20 years of experience, Wendy Wu Tours has mastered the art of creating exceptional, fully inclusive tours which showcase the very best of each destination.

Each tour is led by a world-class guide, who will highlight the very best of their homeland, and includes authentic cultural experiences so you are not just seeing the sights, but truly immersing yourself in local life.

Say hello to ease at sea. Ambassador’s purpose is simple: they want to inspire every guest to experience authentic cruising, effortlessly and sustainably. Passionate about protecting our oceans and destinations, their ships comply with the highest industry emission standards and there is no single-use plastic on board.

On your voyage, you will receive the warmest of welcomes from the Ambassador community as you sail upon the friendliest ships afloat.

This is a global co-operative co-owned by local partners using real local experts and guides, which supports local communities, environments and wildlife. It offers travellers quirky places to stay, activity holidays and learning experiences. Not In The Guidebooks gets travellers off the beaten track into local culture with day experiences and longer, immersive adventures.

From wild wellness breaks in Wales to painting in Portugal, sustainable adventures in Mauritius to food safaris in Brazil, this is immersive, exciting travel.

Seabourn’s five intimate ships carry guests to the heart of great cities, exclusive yacht harbours and secluded coves around the world, while two new purpose-built expedition ships will combine exhilarating adventures in remote destinations with the sophisticated amenities of the world’s finest resorts at sea.

From the luxury of all suite accommodations to complimentary fine wines and spirits, and a no tipping policy, Seabourn exemplifies the definition of travelling well.