Village Swansea

beautiful beaches, mountains and more

by mary444

Swansea is a fantastic holiday destination. There are miles of fantastic sandy beaches on swansea bay, most of it blue flag. move round a little onto the gower peninsular and you have cliffs and stunning coves. some involve a long walk, others you can park right by. Don't miss a drive/walk over the top of gower as well, the views are stunning. Llangenith and other parts of gower have some of the best surfing in britain. Watch out for the tide though, it comes in very fast

head inland, and within a short drive you can be in the brecon beacon national park, or you can discover the black mountain, or the black mountains. No, I haven't made a mistake! The black mountain (singular) is on one side of the brecon beacons, and the black mountains (plural) is on the other side!

with swansea as your base you can do day trips to cardiff, tenby, or any number of other places

I thought it was such a good holiday destination that I've moved here to live

Surfing

by hamisatypeofcheese

Gower/Swansea has some pretty good surfing beaches around the place, here are a few of them;

Langland - Needs a bit of swell to be workable but then its pretty clean and not particularly powerful, not a bad place for beginners. Don't leave valuable stuff in your cars, lots of break in's.

Llangennith - Probably the most consistent beach I find, also not particularly powerful waves, lots of beginners and normally lots of people in the water, but it's a big beach so it doesn't seem that crowded. Definitely worth a visit and there's a campsite nearby but is normally full in the summer.

For Surf Reports and Swell Charts etc. on llangennith Visit http://www.llangennithsurf.com/

Caswell - Quite a poor surfing beach, rarely clean almost always choppy, ok for learners but usually gets quite crowded. It is at its' best at mid-tide because it is sheltered from westerly winds and it gets slightly cleaner. This is where most car thieves operate so hide all belongings under cover and use a steering wheel lock. P.S. Watch out for weaver fish, there are alot of them around here.

Plantasia

by M0B1US

This unlikely oasis of tropicality in Swansea reminds me of the Princess of Wales Conservatory in Kew Gardens, with a few add-ons - so if you've been there you have a pretty good idea of what's on show here (with a few add-ons...).

So if it's a bit grey, cold or wet outside, and lets face it - this is Swansea! This makes a great place to warm up and smell the tropical foliage!

Indeed this hi-tech 'hot house' actually boasts one of the finest collections of plants in the country with over 5,000 plants in 3 climate zones: Tropical, Arid and a seasonal Humid Butterfly House.

Since its opening this unique collection has matured into a fantastic array of exotic plants, including bananas, coconuts, giant bamboo, ferns and plenty of different species of cacti.

Many of the plants here are now extinct in their natural habitat, so Plantasia represents a sort of ark for some of the Earth's species (did I say Silent Running is one of my favourite movies!?).

As well as plants, many animals are on exhibition here such as leaf cutter ants, fish (including Piranha!) and reptiles. There is also a Butterfly House where you can see butterflies at various stages of development.

Plantasia also has a colony of endangered Columbian Cotton-top tamarin monkeys in a large cage, each with their own freaky hairdos and awesome to watch scurrying about the trees.

There is also a shop and cafe in the complex...

Opening times:

10am – 5pm Tuesday – Sunday (plus Bank Holiday Mondays)

Admission fees:

Adult £3.15

Children and Concessions £2.20

Swansea

by veigapaula

"Swansea by the sea..."

I don't know how to read and speak Welsh but I will say it in English: I just loved Swansea!!!!!!!

You can check all the latest on Swansea at:

http://www.visitswanseabay.com/

http://www.tourismswansea.com/

http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1428

Swansea

by Cervinia

"Swansea , Mumbles and the Gower"

Swansea city caters for the Welsh Valley populations. The shops are not expensive and the town is lively, particuarly on Friday and Saturday nights, with young people going to clubs and casinos. There is a large university population and many retirees, as the cost of living is not as expensive as other parts of the UK.

Swansea Bay is really beautiful. To the west of the bay is Mumbles, an old fishing village which provides quaint, little, expensive, terraced houses and has much original character. The locals protect this unswervingly, although "the Mumbles Mile" is famous for its pubs and drinking bars frequented by University students on a Saturday night.

The further West you go, the more the property prices rise and some of the bays boast exclusive properties which have fantastic views over ther sea.

The best resteraunts are on the Gower and are The Welcome to Town at Llandridian and Fairy Hill Hotel. Good resteraunts in the Mumbles are PAs and Knights. 698 Mumbles Road can be good but this tends to be patchy and Patricks is for those who like a lot of sauce to disguise the taste of the food. The Norton House Hotel is worth a visit as the rooms are interesting and the food quality is good, but more expensive.

"Resteraunts in Swansea City"

La Brasseria is good quality, with well priced grilled fish and meat in Spanish style. It can make a good evening out.

The resteraunt at Morgans Hotel is not worth a visit, although it is the only 5 star hotel in Swansea itself, Fairy Hill being the other, on the Gower. The latter is so much better

"Other Resteraunts, Pubs and Bars"

There are loads of resteraunts, pubs and bars in Swansea, Mumbles and the Gower that I do not frequent on my visits. I have only chosen those that I can either positively recommend or otherwise. Therefore my information is limited, although I hope helpful. I will add to these as I visit them. I have a house in Mumbles, and spend some weeks/weekends there, although not full time.