Castle Street, Beaumaris · Inn
A historic coaching inn on Beaumaris high street, combining a beamed old bar with brighter, more contemporary townhouse rooms next door.
The Bull has stood on Castle Street in Beaumaris since the seventeenth century and remains the centre of the town's social life. The original building is a listed coaching inn with low beams, flagstones and an open fire, and the bar fills with locals as readily as with guests. Accommodation is divided between the inn itself and the adjoining Townhouse, a separate and considerably more modern set of rooms.
The inn rooms are traditional, some with four-posters, sloping floors and the creaks that come with a building of this age. The Townhouse rooms are the ones to book if you want space and light: bigger beds, bolder colours, better bathrooms and less noise from the bar below. Rooms at the front look across to the strait and the mountains, and are worth the supplement.
Food is a strength. The kitchen works with island producers and the menu changes with what is landed and grown locally, with Menai mussels and Welsh lamb regular fixtures. Breakfast is generous and served in the old dining room. Staff are consistently well reviewed, which counts for a lot in a building this idiosyncratic.
Location is the clinching argument. Beaumaris Castle is a two-minute walk, the pier and Green are barely further, and the town's cafés, delis and independent shops are all on the same street. That makes it ideal for couples and for anyone who wants to leave the car parked for a day or two. Parking is limited, so ask about arrangements when booking, particularly in summer when Beaumaris fills quickly.