Just a 10-minute drive from Snowdonia National Park is the beautiful village of Portmeirion in north Wales. Designed by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in the early 20th century, the destination itself is a tourist attraction.
Lush landscaped gardens are enclosed by colourful architecture, but this is a village like no other in Wales. There are no residents who live in Portmeirion, nor are there any schools for children to attend any cars, or even a grocery store. The Mediterranean-inspired destination houses guests in one of its two luxurious four-star hotels; there's Hotel Portmeirion and Castell Deudraeth.
Then there's Portmeirion Village, which is home to 32 individually styled service rooms or self-catering cottages for guests who decide to stay.
Perfect for a day trip, especially when hiking nearby on Snowdonia, the place is described as a "photographer's dream" by the official tourist guide of Portmeirion Cymru (Wales).
The tourist board added that the popular destination offers "stunning coastal scenery", "extensive woodlands", and a central piazza.
Having been to the pretty dreamlike world, one happy visitor posted to TripAdvisor describing Portmeirion as "stunning".
"The architecture is unreal," the traveller posted. "You can visit the village and the beach."
Dubbed "Wanderlust W", the traveller added: "This village also has a trail you can walk along into the woodlands where you will stumble across Japanese gardens and a pet cemetery."
There is, however, according to this reviewer, "limited" options when it comes to food and drink for people who are not staying at the hotels, so taking a picnic is recommended.
A number of visitors mentioned that the buildings could probably do with "a lick of paint", but nobody could deny the spectacular views on a sunny day.
Covering 823 square miles, Snowdonia has nine mountain ranges, 23 miles of coastline, and 11,000 hectares of woodland.
Popular with hikers from all over the world, the views are thought to be out of this world.
Not only that but in research conducted by Blacks, sunrises and sunsets at Snowdonia have garnered the most snaps on the social media platform Instagram.
Speaking about the findings by Blacks, outdoor enthusiast Calum Jones said: "With spring finally here, there is no better time to start heading outside and enjoying your surroundings."
