Portmeirion in Wales

We decided to check out the popular tourist village dreamed up by one man, and called Portmeirion. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of the Italian village Portofino and is now owned by a charitable trust.

We were intrigued by the tour book description and thought, why not? Sounded cool. A unique and odd ode to the Mediterranean in the cold northern part of Wales. Hmmm.
Problem was only once we parked, unloaded and unstrapped from the car we noticed they were charging EIGHT POUNDS (nearly $15!) a person just to walk in and through. We were already there so it seemed impossible to turn back. It ended up being a pretty big rip off. But we made the best of it.
Connor loved the pool and palm trees. It was definitely a colorful palate plopped in the middle of Wales. Makes me really wonder what this Ellis guy was thinking when he dreamed it up. But to each his own. And hey, now his legacy is charging $15 a person so joke was on us!

Spring was starting to bloom forth.

So if you are in Northern Wales I would steer clear of Portmeirion. It was a lighthearted stop for us, but not worth the entrance fee. Take the $15 a person and put it towards a real trip to Portofino, Italy instead to see the real deal.