A MONMOUTHSHIRE hotel has been recognised as one of the best in the country by Visit Wales, the Welsh tourism board.

Llansantffraed Court Hotel, based in Llanvihangel Gobion, was one of just 34 Welsh hotels to receive the Visit Wales Gold Award 2014.

The Visit Wales Gold Award has been running since 2007 and rewards outstanding quality, exceptional comfort and hospitality in the serviced sector in Wales.

The award also recognises businesses that have been successful in a mystery shopper exercise to test their customer interaction skills.

Llansantffraed Court achieved high quality scores in a grading assessment undertaken by Visit Wales' Grading Assessors and standards were confirmed through rigorous mystery testing.

The award complements a successful year at the hotel. In June, Mike Hendry, originally from the Michelin starred Crown at Whitebrook was appointed as head chef.

In the past six months he has introduced a range of new seasonal dishes including fresh produce from the hotel's walled garden and has transformed the restaurant and celebration menus.

Last month, Llansantffraed Court's restaurant was also named Best Place to Eat in the Small Restaurant category at Visit Wales' National Tourism Awards for Wales.

Hotel owner Mike Morgan said: "I am delighted that Llansantffraed Court has been awarded a Gold Award by Visit Wales.

"Our team has worked very hard to ensure service, food and facilities are at an exceptionally high standard and this award is reflective of their dedication and commitment.

"We are very fortunate to be based in Monmouthshire, the food capital of Wales, which is at the heart of the culinary scene and within a stone's throw of beautiful walking paths and attractions.

"Our guests come from all over the world to visit and we're looking forward to introducing more customers to Monmouthshire in 2014."

Minister for economy, transport and science, Edwina Hart, said: "Tourism is one of our key growth sectors, we have this year launched the new tourism strategy for Wales and have set the industry a growth target of 10 per cent by 2020.

"The quality of our accommodation is key to deliver this growth as investment in better quality accommodation supports higher performance and drives profitability.

"The Gold Award winners are examples of accommodation businesses that are setting an exceptionally high benchmark of quality and exceed customer expectation in all respects. I wish them continued success."