Porth Tocyn Hotel in Abersoch has been named the best hotel in Wales at the AA Hospitality Awards 2026, winning the AA Hotel of the Year award for Wales.
The AA praised the hotel, saying: "Located above Abersoch with fine views across Cardigan Bay, Porth Tocyn is set in its own attractive gardens. Several elegantly furnished sitting rooms are provided with space set aside for families. Bedrooms are comfortably appointed. Award-winning food is served in the restaurant with both a formal option and more relaxed menu offered."
Family-run since 1948
The hotel is family-run and has been owned by the Fletcher-Brewer family since it opened in 1948. Four generations have managed the property, which sits on a headland with views of Abersoch beach and the backdrop of Eyri (Snowdonia).
The hotel also has facilities including an outdoor pool.
What to see in Abersoch
Abersoch sits on the Llŷn Peninsula and offers access to several sandy beaches. The Blue Flag Abersoch Main Beach is popular with visitors, lined with colourful beach huts and offering shallow, usually calm water, plus water sports and sailing.
The village has a small natural harbour, and a full marina is a few miles away. A popular boat trip takes visitors from Abersoch to the St Tudwal's Islands, a small archipelago full of wildlife, including seabirds, colonies of grey seals and even dolphins.
Bear Grylls' island
Saint Tudwal's Island West is owned by TV presenter Bear Grylls, who bought the 20-acre island in 2001 for about £95,000. It has no electric or running water, instead using solar power and collected rainwater to create an eco-retreat. At the heart of the island is a 19th-century lighthouse converted into a home.
In the village centre there are surf shops and cosy cafés, plus seafood restaurants serving locally caught lobster and fish and chip shops near the seafront.
Many visitors also head to Llanengan on the west side of the peninsula, known for its four-mile long sandy beach, Porth Neigwl. In English it is sometimes called Hell's Mouth, and it is one of Wales' most popular surfing locations due to its strong rip currents and shifting sandbars, making it a challenging spot for experienced surfers.
