A 25-year-old Welsh woman has described visiting Portmeirion, one of Wales' most famous attractions, as underwhelming and too expensive, after paying a £20 entrance fee and staying only around two hours.
Taite Johnson, an Audience and Trending Writer, visited the Italianate-style village in Gwynedd for the first time last month during a three-night trip to north Wales. She said she had never heard of Portmeirion before a friend from Bangor added it to the itinerary, but after hearing people's reviews and looking at it online, she was excited to go.
First Visit to North Wales
Johnson, who is from Cardiff, said she had visited countries including Japan and Vietnam but had never explored some of the nicest places in her own country. Staying in Dinas Dinlle, she was a 20-minute drive from Caernarfon, a 30-minute drive from Beaumaris, and a 30-minute drive to the base of Yr Wyddfa, all of which she explored.
She said every place she visited was somehow more stunning than the next, with car journeys offering views of mountain landscape like none she had ever seen. Visiting offered a new perspective of her country's beauty, tranquillity, and community that she missed growing up in the city.
Shock at £20 Entrance Fee
Portmeirion is an Italianate-style village designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in the early 20th century. It has no residents and is used as a holiday resort, with shops, restaurants, and cafes for visitors. Johnson said she initially thought she would be able to stroll around freely like any normal village, but was shocked by the £20 entrance fee.
Despite the price, she paid the fee and hoped it would live up to the hype. For £20 she thought it would be a place to spend the day, but the group only stayed for around two hours, including lunch at one of the few cafes.
Underwhelming Experience
Johnson said she loves the look of brightly- or pastel-coloured buildings and homes that make a welcome break from the grey, white, and brick of Cardiff. Throughout the small village there are lovely views overlooking the estuary, and the painted buildings are nice to look at, but overall she found it underwhelming.
She said she had been told there were "loads of cute shops", which turned out to be an exaggeration as there are only a handful. The shops that were open were quaint and filled with independent businesses local to the area.
Portmeirion is not a place she is running back to and not somewhere she would recommend to people visiting north Wales, mainly due to the expense. She suggested there are many spectacular places to explore in north Wales, including gorgeous scenery and wilderness walks, which are free.
