Wales is one of our favourite places to visit as a family and we used to spend a week a year there each year before COVID.
Llandudno is a particular favourite of mine so at the beginning of July we headed over to spend the weekend there with my mum, her husband, my grandad, us 4 and Hugo. We rented a home through Sykes Cottages based in Rhos-on-Sea, staying directly in Llandudno can be costly particularly when there is a large group of you whereas Rhos is a 15 minute drive and still has the beautiful costal feel.
The house we rented was stunning, beautiful period features and was big enough that the kids had a room each (although both rooms had twin beds so would have slept 4). There was a ground floor bedroom which would be brilliant for accessibility reasons, 3 living spaces and a kitchen dining area which looked out on an immaculate garden complete with a cherry tree and koi pond.
We drove down on the Friday after school to avoid some of the weekend rush and arrived around 5pm, we got takeaway for tea and after unpacking and taking Hugo for a quick walk we all headed to bed ready for a busy day!
Day 1:
We took advantage of the massive kitchen and made a full cooked breakfast for everyone first thing and then headed out to Llandudno for the day, we took the coastal road into the centre which is a lovely 15 minute drive. We parked in our usual spot (in the shopping centre - be aware closes at 6pm) and started the walk up to the Great Orme Tramway.
The tramway is about a 10 minute walk from the centre and trams run every 20 minutes up to the Great Orme, dogs are welcome at a £1 charge and a family return ticket for 4 cost £29.70. The tram takes you up to a halfway point where you change to another tram to get right to the top, the views as you go up are stunning and you can see the whole coastline.
Once at the top you can have a wander around the Great Orme, see the views, play mini golf, have a lunch break and there is also a playground for the kids. We spent about an hour up here just mooching around and letting the kids play before getting the trams back down to the bottom.
After the tram we headed to our favourite cafe "The Lemon Tree" which is located right off the promenade, this cafe is Alice in Wonderland themed (as this is where Lewis Carroll met "Alice" the girl who inspired the book) and offers delicious food or just cake if that’s what you fancy. Again the Lemon Tree is dog friendly inside and out which is a relief for dog owners.
After lunch we had a mooch around the shops including one of my mums favourites before taking a walk along the prom and pier, we had a walk up to Happy Valley which is a park set right above Llandudno and offers incredible views alongside a cafe and is a part of the Alice in Wonderland Sculpture Trail (which is a brilliant day out in itself! Find out more here).
We stayed and enjoyed the weather for a while before heading back down into the centre to our favourite ice cream place "The the Looking Glass", here you can get your normal cones or a variety of ice cream desserts in sooo many flavours it’s hard to choose. We stop here every trip to Llandudno!
After filling ourselves we decided to head back to the house for a traditional chippy tea from Rhos and played board games.
Day 2:
As we only booked the house for Friday and Saturday night, we packed up and headed to breakfast at Marmalade cafe in Rhos for breakfast. The cafe was brilliant and certainly popular so I would recommend booking in advance, their menu is extensive and caters to every dietary need that you can think of. Dogs are welcome again inside and out and there’s even a little treat jar at the back for your furry friend.
After breakfast we hit the road home but wanted to stop off on the way at Talacre Beach, this is a great pit stop for those heading back to the Norths West as it isn’t too far out of the way and is a lovely place.
Parking is free within the actual beach car park but be warned it’s really uneven to drive over so being thrown around is the cost of free parking, if you don’t fancy being thrown around the car then you an park at the pub just at the bottom of the beach for a charge of £3. This is also where the toilets are so it’s quite a walk from the beach (about 5/10 minutes) and non-bar customers are charged 50p to use the facilities.
We hit the very windy beach for a walk up to its famous lighthouse, which you can get to when the tides out and climb up the steps to the door but be warned the tide comes in FAST here so just be careful. The kids looked for rocks and shells and we even spotted a washed up jellyfish (never know what you’ll see on a welsh beach), we flew (or attempted to) our kite before heading back down to the local cafe which is next to the pub "Lola & Suggs". They have an array of options from snacks to lunch to delicious waffles and ice cream. After lunch we parted ways and while the rest headed home, we got an ice cream from Lola & Suggs (including Hugo who got a pup one) and then headed back to the car.
Accommodation: £910 - 2 nights (sleeps 10 people)
Distance: 1 hr 27 min from Manchester
Activities: £30.70 for Great Orme Tram (2 adults, 2 children & 1 dog)
Dog Friendly: Very!
You can check out more photos and videos from our trip on our instagram here!