Is this the most expensive night out in Wales?

WITH Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the romantics among us will be looking for somewhere to take our loved one away for that special weekend. And those with deep pockets and a taste for the good things in life can treat themselves to a little luxury – and what could be the most expensive weekend in Wales.

A weekend break at Ynyshir Hall, in Powys, will set you back £1,500 for a two-night stay for two under its ‘star grazing’ package. For around £750 per day, you get a deluxe double room and a cookery demonstration with the hotel’s Michelin-starred head chef Shane Hughes.

You also get an upgrade to the ‘gourmand’ menu for dinner on one night with wine to match each course. Dinner is included on the second night’s stay, and you also get breakfast, afternoon tea and a hamper of local food.

Pricey though it is, the food is certainly of a very high standard. The luxury Ynyshir Hall, once owned by Queen Victoria and which has played host to guests including Richard Gere and Led Zeppelin frontman, Robert Plant, last week regained a coveted Michelin star.

The star grazing package has been designed to celebrate it.

Normal room prices at Ynyshir Hall start at £250 a night for bed and breakfast and go up to £405 for a luxury suite.

Value for money? Andrew Davis, chairman of von Essen Hotels which owns Ynyshir Hall, certainly thinks so.

He says: “Our hotels continue to be recognised as fantastic place to visit, stay and dine at and I am grateful to the dedicated teams both front of house and in our kitchens.”

And in press material sent out this week, the company said: “Ynyshir Hall, under the culinary guidance of Shane Hughes, has become one of the most sought after spots in the UK to unwind, recharge and enjoy fine cuisine.”

But prospective punters are not so sure if they’d splash out for such luxury.

Nicky Howson, 26, from Swansea, has been going out with his girlfriend for two years.

He said: “I would never spend a couple of thousand pounds on a weekend away, I’d want a few weeks in the sun for that price.

“If you splashed out that much for Valentine’s Day, what on earth would you get your girlfriend for her birthday?”

Rhys Dwyer, 30, from Cardiff, said spending £1,500 on a weekend break for him and his wife would be a “once in a lifetime” gift.

“You couldn’t spend that much every year,” he said.

“Maybe if you were going to propose to your girlfriend or if it was a 30 or 40-year anniversary. But it is a lot of money when you think about what else you could buy.

“I think most men feel the pressure of trying to get something good for their wife or girlfriend so maybe some men would pay it to make sure their partner is happy.”

Elsewhere in Wales, there are plenty of other places to part with your cash.

Those wanting to make a grand gesture need to look further than two of the capital’s best hotels.

The plush St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay is offering bed, breakfast and dinner and its best room for £679 per night – or £1,358 for a weekend.

Cardiff’s Hilton Hotel will give you the “full run of the hotel” for just shy of £1,400 for Valentine’s weekend.

This includes bed, breakfast, and the presidential suite with access to the executive lounge.

Further east at the Celtic Manor Resort – due to host the Ryder Cup in October – a romantic escape is on offer from £356 per couple.

That’ll get you a two-night break, full Welsh breakfast and the full use of the health club.

A Valentine’s dinner will set you back anything from £50 to £80 a head in one of its four restaurants.