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–> 2014 marks the centennial of Dylan Thomas, and his native Wales is going gonzo to celebrate his work. Arguably the best poet Wales has yet produced (in a land famous for pumping them out like Xeroxes), Thomas stands apart from his airy or florid predecessors by being painfully aware, and often writing about, the slipping away of his youth (we’ve all been there). His work looks back fondly on childhood and innocence, but is an all-out rage against time and mortality.
It was at Laugharne (“Larn”), a town on the River Taf whose virtual immunity to time must have resonated deeply with Thomas. A place where the belfry is still the tallest building, it was here that Thomas wrote much of his work, and which stood in as the prototype for Llareggub, his fictional setting for Under Milk Wood.
It is also here that we come to the “thing” about Wales. Nothing against the cities of Cardiff, Newport, and Swansea, but the Welsh have just never been all that good at making large urban centers. Yet when it comes to the little ones, the Welsh are absolute masters. Laugharne, Hay-on-Wye, Llansteffan, Bettws-y-Coed, Llandridod Wells — every last little bump on the log is a pinnacle of charm, tranquility, and agelessness.
Even better, its not like these towns are all one-note or lacking in the proper distractions, and this goes double for Laugharne. True, if you are a circuit boy, you will find yourself on a different planet entirely, but if decompression from the rat race is your gig, it’s a “bingo!” The ruins of Laugharne Castle are straight out of Beowulf, and the Thomas Path, up Sir John Hill, traces the route the poet took for inspiration. That Laugharne has 5-star accommodations is just icing on the cake.
Those stars are to be found at the Brown Hotel, which, by the way, was the favorite haunt of Thomas and whose regulars served as basis for the cast of Under Milk Wood. The pub is as rollicking as ever, but unlike America’s clubs, the pubs of Wales, and the UK for that matter, aren’t suggestively lit and ear-splittingly loud, but rather bright and alive with conversation, with maybe a guitarist strumming away in the corner or the latest rugby match on the telly. The food is hearty, the drinks more so, but just wait till you see the rooms upstairs.
Unpretentious on the outside, the Brown is downright lux within, from the sparkling fixtures to the creamy white softness of the beds. Open and spacious, each room even has a little library. Thomas would approve. Be sure to contact Steele Luxury Travel to assist in all your Wales travel planning at 646-688-2274.
Steele Luxury Travel
