Moelfre

Moelfre and the coastline immediately around it offer a small but well-matched spread of places to stay, from country house comfort inland to simple, sea-facing guest houses within a few minutes of the harbour. Because the village itself is so compact, several of the best options sit just outside it, in Benllech, Llangefni or Beaumaris, all within a short drive and each giving a slightly different flavour of an Anglesey stay.

For a properly indulgent base, Tre-Ysgawen Hall's spa and restaurant a few miles inland make a comfortable contrast to a day spent on the coastal path, while Beaumaris adds a historic coaching inn with the added pull of one of the prettiest small towns in Wales on the doorstep. Travellers who want to stay closer to Moelfre itself are well served by Ty Dderw's sea and mountain-view rooms in the heart of the village, and by the handful of family-run B&Bs and self-catering cottages set back from the front, several with views straight out over Moelfre Bay.

Benllech, a short walk or drive south, adds further choice along its own long sandy beach, including guest houses set right on the promenade. Across the board, expect straightforward, unfussy hospitality rather than large-scale hotel infrastructure: this is a part of Anglesey that has kept its character precisely because it has not been over-developed, and the accommodation reflects that. Booking ahead for summer weekends is strongly advised, since the total number of rooms across the area remains relatively small, and the best-placed properties near the coastal path and beaches tend to be the first to sell out.

Moelfre rewards slow exploration rather than a checklist, but these are the places most visitors build a day around.

• Moelfre Seawatch Centre tells the story of the village's lifeboat crews and the wreck of the Royal Charter, with exhibits on the maritime rescues that have defined the community for two centuries.
• Traeth Lligwy is a sandy beach a short walk or drive from the village, shallow and sheltered enough for children to paddle and explore the rockpools at low tide.
• Din Lligwy Hut Group is a remarkably well-preserved Romano-British settlement of stone hut circles set in woodland, excavated in the early twentieth century and free to visit.
• Hen Capel Lligwy, a roofless medieval chapel a few minutes' walk from Din Lligwy, is a quiet, atmospheric stop on the same short circuit.
• Lligwy Burial Chamber, a huge capstone balanced on low uprights, is one of the most striking Neolithic monuments on Anglesey and sits right beside the lane.
• The Anglesey Coastal Path runs directly through Moelfre, and the stretch north towards Dulas or south towards Traeth Bychan and Benllech gives some of the best clifftop walking on the island.
• Moelfre's harbour and shingle cove are simply worth a slow walk in their own right, particularly at dusk when the fishing boats are in and the light over the bay turns gold.
• Din Sylwy (Bwrdd Arthur), an Iron Age hillfort a few miles inland, gives sweeping views back over Moelfre Bay and across to Puffin Island and the Great Orme.

Moelfre's food scene is small but well regarded, built around fresh local seafood and a couple of long-standing family businesses. The village's fish and chip shop has a reputation that extends across Anglesey, and is worth timing a visit around. A handful of pubs along the front serve the kind of straightforward, generously portioned food expected of a Welsh coastal village, along with local ales, and several are dog-friendly with outdoor seating looking over the bay. A small village shop covers essentials, while for a wider choice of cafes, bakeries and a proper Sunday lunch it is worth the short drive to Benllech or inland to Llangefni, where the island's more ambitious kitchens and farm shops are concentrated.

The coastline either side of Moelfre is some of the best camping country on Anglesey, with several long-established touring parks set within a mile or two of sandy beaches and the coastal path. Sites here tend to be family-run, seasonal, and geared towards the classic Anglesey holiday of beach days, rockpooling and evening walks rather than large-scale entertainment complexes, which suits the quiet, unhurried character of this stretch of coast. Several have been trading for decades and have picked up national awards along the way, a reflection of how carefully they tend to be run.

Lligwy Bay, just north of Moelfre, is the focal point for camping in the area, with beachside pitches and direct access to one of the island's best sandy beaches. A little further inland towards Marian-glas, award-winning touring parks offer a more sheltered, landscaped setting with strong facilities for families, while sites closer to Moelfre itself keep things simple, with sea-view pitches a short stroll from the village. Between them they cover tents, touring caravans and motorhomes, so most ways of camping are catered for somewhere along this coast.

Most sites operate from Easter through to the end of September, with electric hookup, showers and WiFi widely available, and several welcome dogs year-round given the coastline's dog-friendly beaches. Facilities such as playgrounds, on-site shops and cafes vary from site to site, so it is worth checking what matters most to your trip before booking. Given the popularity of this part of Anglesey in summer, booking ahead is essential for July and August, and even shoulder-season weekends can fill quickly at the smaller, more established sites.