The owners say the challenge 'is to maintain the standards'

Glyn and Menna Heulyn's bold move will be realised on Thursday when they pick up a Good Hotel Guide title in London.

Named "Welsh hotel of the year", the Harbourmaster Hotel, in Aberaeron, Ceredigion, was voted for by its customers.

The husband and wife team said their desire had been to create a unique concept in Wales.

Standing just feet away from the sea in Aberaeron harbour, The Harbourmaster, with its striking bright blue frontage, employs 12 full-time and 25 part-time staff and has nine rooms.

Menna Heulyn said: "We're delighted for our staff and guests because we've made it into the guide by being nominated by our guests.

We had a real passion and burning desire to create something in our home area Menna Heulyn

"We opened in May 2002 and it was our first time involved in the industry.

"It was a complete career change for us both. My husband was in finance in Aberystwyth and I was in marketing in with the Welsh Development Agency and S4C.

"We had a real passion and burning desire to create something in our home area."

Mrs Heulyn added that everything "fell into place" when she and her husband started their business.

"We had a very clear idea of what we wanted to create and we found it came easy to us," she said.

"Things just fell into place from the first day and we knew the informal but professional surroundings would go down well and be quite unique in this part of Wales and Wales as a whole.

"The challenge now though is to maintain the standards so the hotel remains modern and interesting."

This is The Harbourmaster's first national award although it has won a number of other minor prizes.