Fforest group opens first hotel: the Albion in Aberteifi

Outdoor lifestyle and staycation group Fforest has opened its first hotel across two Grade II-listed former warehouses.

The hotel is themed around Cardigan's maritime past and the local legend of the brig Albion, which sailed 180 passengers from Cardigan to Canada in 1819.

The first phase of opening has included 12 double bedrooms in the ‘Bridge' warehouse, with 11 further rooms and family suites to open in the second Granary warehouse building in spring 2023.

Interiors have been designed around the theme of ships' cabins, with reclaimed timber wood panelling, as well as Welsh wool blankets, cushions and bedhead covers made from wool woven at the nearby Melin Teifi mill.

The Galley cocktail bar will be open to the public, while the first floor has a guests-only lounge/workroom, which will also serve breakfasts prior to the restaurant opening later in the year. Yr Odyn restaurant (the Kiln in English), named after the remnants of the lime kilns forming part of the wharf complex, will open this autumn serving local and seasonal cuisine, including meat from animals reared at Fforest farm, with an emphasis on cooking over fire and influences from Scandinavia and Japan.

Other features to come will include an outdoor sauna and onsen in a private woodland glade behind the hotel, planned to open in December 2022.

The refurbishment of the Albion has retained as much of the original buildings as possible, including historic graffiti etched into the original limewash walls of the third floor. The hotel will also display pencil sketches depicting tall ships, as well as documents with signatures and calculations for rope and sail cloth, dating to the second half of the 19th century.

Steffan Walker, general manager of the Albion, said: "As a local to Cardiganshire, I am thrilled to be opening a world-class venue on my doorstep and to encourage more visitors to beautiful West Wales. I look forward to welcoming our guests from near and afar this summer."

Richard Easton of the Development Bank of Wales, which part-funded the project, said: "Working with our colleagues in Welsh government, we are working hard to fund projects that help to boost our vital tourism and hospitality sectors in Wales. Our continued support for James and the wider team at Fforest is a reflection of our belief in their business and the opportunities that they are bringing to Cardigan. Their creativity combined with business acumen means that they have made a long-lasting impact in the local community, creating much needed jobs and putting Cardigan firmly on the map."

Fforest is run by husband and wife James and Sian Tucker, and has three locations across Cardigan: Fforest Farm, Fforest Coast and apartments and culinary venues such as Pizzatipi.

James Lynch added: "This has been a real passion project of mine over the pandemic. With funding from the Development Bank of Wales, the ambition was to restore the existing building; to emphasise its heritage qualities, its original and unique features, then design and craft spaces within the open floors that would embrace and complement those qualities. To fold rooms into the shell created, that deliver on comfort and beauty as standard, but make every stay a special experience of its own. Contemporary services, comfort and style with the particular qualities of these heritage buildings: historic, high quality, unique; the essence of place, and of history, embedded in the fabric."

Room rates will be from £165.

The project has been supported by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Welsh government.