Hotels in Anglesey

Where you base yourself on Anglesey matters more than it might on a smaller island, because the coast is long and the interior roads are slow. Driving from Beaumaris in the east to South Stack in the west takes the best part of an hour, so pick a corner and explore outward rather than trying to cover everything from one point.

Couples and anyone travelling for the food should look at Beaumaris and Menai Bridge on the eastern side. Both face the strait, both are walkable, and both put you within ten minutes of the mainland if you want a day in Eryri. This is the island's most expensive stretch: expect to pay from around £120 a night for a decent double in low season and considerably more in July and August, when the better rooms in Beaumaris routinely go for double that.

Families are usually better served on the west and north-east coasts. Trearddur Bay has a sheltered sandy beach with hotels and self-catering directly behind it, plus a pool or two for wet afternoons. Benllech and Moelfre in the north-east are cheaper again, with plenty of straightforward guest houses and holiday lets within walking distance of sand. Rhosneigr suits families with older children who want to surf, paddleboard or kitesurf, though its accommodation stock is limited and books out early.

Walkers doing sections of the Anglesey Coastal Path should think about the north and south-west, around Cemaes, Amlwch or Aberffraw. Options are fewer and mostly B&Bs and inns, but you step onto the path from the door and the coast is at its most dramatic. Book these well ahead, since there simply are not many beds.

Timing is the main lever on price. School holidays and the weeks around the Anglesey agricultural show in August are the tightest, and popular properties are often full six months out. May, September and early October give you the best combination of weather and value, with rates commonly a third lower than peak. Winter stays are cheap but check opening: several island hotels close or reduce service between November and February.