Crowds of drunken teenagers, knee-deep mud, the dreaded portable loos... With stereotypical images like these, it's no wonder some people claim to hate festivals.

Thankfully, there's a handful of festivals out there that break this mould. Festivals that not only pride themselves on providing the best music around, but on creating an enjoyable atmosphere in a stunning and alternative setting. Having been voted Most Unique Venue last year and one of Lonely Planets' 500 best places to see on the planet, Festival Number 6 is certainly one of them.

Nestled in the colourful town of Portmeirion in North Wales, against the idyllic backdrop of mountains, trees, sea and sand, there’s a variety of entertainment to suit everyone’s unique style.

You can dance in the bunting covered woods to some top DJs, immerse yourself in some interesting talks in the seated Gatehouse tent, watch the parade snake its way through the town or simply relax with a glass of wine and watch the street performers go by.

This is only the fourth year that Festival Number 6 has taken place, but it is the first year that the festival’s popularity has reached such heights, that their weekend tickets have sold out.

Some of you more mature readers may be wondering why the technicolour, Italian-architecture-inspired town looks so familiar. This may be because you watched sci-fi series The Prisoner, which was set in Portmeirion, back in the 60s. The prisoners on the show are all given numbers and the main character's number is 6 – hence, the name of this glorious festival was created.

There were constant reminders of (or in my case, introductions to) the show in the form of huge floating white balls suspended everywhere (if you watch the show, you'll understand) and there was even a live performance of a Prisoner-inspired scene to close the weekend in the crowded Central Piazza, where number 6 raced around the square trying to escape the village, followed by a mesmerising glow-in-the-dark parade through the town.

Music-wise, the programme was jam-packed with quirky, big-name, electronic pop and rock acts including headliners Metronomy, Belle & Sebastian and Grace Jones, as well as newer, on-trend acts such as Years & Years, Catfish & The Bottlemen, James Bay and Mark Ronson.

Friday headliners Metronomy played electro-pop singles 'The Bay' and 'The Look' to the excitable, dancing crowd, whilst Belle & Sebastian's set included tracks from their impressive nine-album-long career including the funky 'The Party Line' and Teachers theme tune (if you remember that far more recent show) 'The Boy With The Arab Strap'.

Grace Jones' closing headline performance was more a catwalk show than a gig, as she greeted the heaving Sunday night crowd wearing a huge, gold head-dress, painted in black and white body paint, before swiftly changing outfits every couple of songs. The former Bond-girl and diva performed 80s hits 'Slave To The Rhythm' and 'Walking In The Rain'.

If you enjoy more intimate settings, Badly Drawn Boy both performed and curated the Lost In The Woods stage. This was an especially exciting event for the legendary singer-songwriter as he was celebrating the 15th anniversary of his Hour of Bewilderbeast album with hits including ‘Once Around The Block’ and singles from later albums such as ‘All Possibilities’ to a stunned and attentive crowd.

Badly Drawn Boy was later spotted watching fast-rising star, Rae Morris on the Main Stage. Her vocals were even more powerful live, with an emotional performance of her debut album track, 'Unguarded'. Stealing Sheep are another act to watch, having toured with the likes of Postal Service and Alt-J. Judging by the female trio's pitch-perfect harmonies and electronic beats on tracks such as 'Apparition' and 'Not Real', it won't be long before they are appreciated far and wide in their own right.

Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes proved he's more than a one-trick indie act, with psychedelic tracks such as 'The Girl Who Fell To Earth', whilst James frontman Tim Booth's wedding-disco dance moves and anthemic 90s tracks 'Laid' and 'Sit Down' whipped Stage No.6 into a frenzy. As we reached Sunday, James Morrison's laid-back soulful vocals were the perfect way to recover. Those laying on the grass were just as eager to sing along to 'Wonderful World' and 'You Give Me Something', as those stood at the front.

The Independent-sponsored, i Stage was equally packed with huge acts including Mercury prize-winners Young Fathers performing 'Low' and Ghostpoet's poignant lyrics and spectacularly talented band assisted him in making the whole tent erupt into enthusiastic applause to singles including 'Off Peak Dreams'. This was followed by Soak's sorrowful and vulnerable vocals which beautifully flowed through tracks such as 'Sea Creatures' as she peered behind her long, tom-boy fringe.

There were plenty of relatively under-the-radar acts to be found at The i Stage too, with my favourite new discovery being the gorgeously-dark Haelos. Fittingly all dressed in black, their fusion of high-pitched female and male vocals make them sound like Jungle, whilst musically, their electronic and keyboard-infused songs such as 'Earth Not Above' can be compared to the likes of The XX and London Grammar.

Juxtaposed to this, was the upbeat pop-rock of Summer Camp, whose front woman Elizabeth Sankey wore a floral red playsuit and whose guitarist Jeremy Warmsley wore a Hawaiian shirt. Funky, cinematic-sample-laced single 'Fresh' was the bands most out-standing track.

There were also lots of lesser-known musical gems throughout the weekend including jazzy, double-bass-infused versions of Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' and 'Seven Nation Army' by the lovable Gypsies of Bohemia and impressive covers including New Order's 'Blue Monday' in a classical style by the suit-clad Brythoniaid Welsh Male Voice Choir, both performed in the bustling Central Piazza in the centre of the town.

The Village Green's bandstand was also a great place to do some talent spotting, as well as a good place to chill at around midnight, when you're not in the mood for the main arena tents pounding out house music. Ember are a duo made up of a female violinist and a male harpist, who weaved gorgeous Welsh folk-tales with soothing harmonies to an attentive audience perched on hay bails. They were followed by Victor and The Rain Dog, whose dramatic story-telling over dark guitar-loops has gained them the label of “urban storytellers”.

One of the best things about Festival Number 6 is that it's not just about the music. Steve Coogan had an insightful chat about his film and comedy career with interviewer Amy Raphael, whilst Mark Ronson and award-winning director Asif Kapadia did a Q&A in The Gatehouse before a screening of the recently-released documentary Amy with touching and personal footage of Amy Winehouse.

The only problem with this festival is that there's not enough time to do and discover everything. If you're feeling adventurous, you can do paddle-boarding in the sea, on hot days you can take a dip in the pool and listen to the DJs at the nearby Estuary Stage (which was busy on the gloriously sunny Saturday) and if you're looking for a child-friendly festival there are plenty of activities for kids including den building in the woods and a story-telling tent on the Village Green.

When it came to food, there were plenty of high-quality vendors, from vegetarian curry’s from Gandhi’s Flip Flop, to traditional hotdogs at Piggie Smalls. Garlic Farm Field Kitchen were particularly good value for money. Their delicious long pieces of garlic bread were topped with either slow-cooked beef chilli and/or juicy garlic mushrooms.

Luckily, being at Number 6 doesn't have to mean slumming it and there are plenty of indoor dining options with a bar and cafe, as well as Michelin Star Banquets along the pier at Cloughs. There are even glamping and various other accommodation options including The Hotel Portmeirion and The Castle which is conveniently close to the main arena.

Another thing I was relieved about, were the portable loos. There were so many dotted around that queuing was never a problem, they weren't left filthy and in most cases, there was actually plenty of toilet roll – hurrah! Still, it was good to know there were plenty of indoor toilets too.

So if you're convinced you don't like festivals, think again. Festival Number 6 couldn't be further from the typical festival experience. Yes, there is a main arena in a field, but with vintage shops, food stalls, a stunning view of the mountains and a friendly, relaxed vibe (everyone I met was lovely and like-minded), just this section contained much more personality and excitement than your average big-name festival.

Now I've been, I can't wait to return and now you've heard how fantastic it is, surely you will be living up to the famous quote from The Prisoner too and Portmeirion will “Be seeing you…” next year.   

Review: Phoebe Seymour twitter @hearmoresey 

Photos: Jamie Boynton