Lewis Nunn is a UK-based editor covering luxury travel and cruises.
upon a time, a buzzing social hub for local quarrymen from Treath Gwyn, White Beach Cove is a cozy fairytale-like Welsh cottage snuggling into the north coast of Anglesey, in one of the UK's wildest corners -- surrounded by mighty rolling hills and sweeping farmlands. Just a short stroll along narrow, twisting lanes flanked by wildflowers and negotiating steep stone steps, you'll find the nearby namesake pebbled White Beach, where you can spend your days fishing, crabbing, gawping at soaring sea birds, hunting for fossils, and braving the chilly waters (yes, even in late spring).
Yet, on crystal clear nights, you can wrap up in fluffy robes, trot outside, and sink into your bubbling hot tub with a glass of Dom Pérignon -- backed by the frosted Snowdonia peaks.
rand white gates bordered by silverberries and tall hedgerows of cheese wood swing open onto a sweeping cobblestone driveway surrounded by olive trees, salmon sunloungers, and an oak barrelled hot tub -- guarded by a wrapping stone wall with beds of French lavender and geisha pink azaleas.
Tiptoe across a stone patio with an alfresco dining set, cozy plush armchairs, and an iron firepit (perfect for roasting marshmallows on warm summer nights) and circle White Beach Cove as you uncover a private garden with a giant hanging oak tree and a sizable BBQ for feasting on juicy burgers and charcoal-grilled sausages.
Within its Welsh stone walls, you'll swan into a bright and airy kitchen with ample olive cupboards, copper kettles and jugs, brass tea cups, and vintage copper saucepans hanging from the walls. It is fitted with a chunky fridge freezer, a dishwasher, a hob, a grill, an oven, a Nespresso coffee machine, and a welcome basket filled with fresh crusty bread, eggs, and smoked cheeses to graze on, as well as a bottle of champagne.
Spill into a boho country-style living room housing a 200-year-old cast iron range oven with a crackling fireplace, woven oatmeal rugs, a traditional Welsh dresser, a cocktail cabinet, regal upholstered armchairs, cream canvas sofas (with fluffy throws), and an oak writing desk.
Adjacent to the living room, you'll find a light-swathed conservatory with a long oak dining table, a wicker spider chandelier, gothic stained-glass windows, mustard antique armchairs, and a cocktail trolley with crystal whiskey decanters.
An iron-latched door flows into a maisonette TV room with a stretching olive sofa and a Smart TV hanging from a Welsh stone fireplace packed with logs (perfect for movie marathons) under an oak vaulted ceiling. While steep stairs spill up to a maisonette attic bedroom adorned with equestrian sculptures and an antique brass-framed single bed.
Downstairs, you'll find a little marshmallow-colored double bedroom under a low-beamed doorway with a cast iron fireplace, salmon walls, and a comfy double bed slathered in fluffy throws. But across a Welsh stone passage with a lectern and stained-glass archway, you'll sweep past a family bathroom with monochrome mosaic floors, a deep soaking tub, a rainforest shower, luxurious spa robes, and a chic vanity mirror until you reach the Master Bedroom. It is chic and charming, with brushed oyster walls, a charcoal-beamed ceiling, a mahogany carved king-sized bed, an Edwardian oak wardrobe, and a little ensuite with an alcoved shower and vanity mirrors.
Staying in this countryside haven, where it sometimes feels like there isn't a single soul for miles -- surrounded by roaming horses and momentous mountains -- truly feels like something out of a Regency fairytale.
Beaumaris is a charming seaside town on the east coast of Anglesey, originally home to a Viking settlement, Porth y Wygyr - or 'Port of the Viking' before being officially founded in the late 13th century.
You'll spot a mix of medieval, Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian architecture, cozy pastel cottages, bakeries, coastal cafes, and small boutique shops, from traditional sweet shops to knitting shops, libraries, art galleries, and ice cream parlors.
Stroll along the traditional Victorian Beaumaris Pier (perfect for crabbing) and set off to Penmon Point Beach for gaping views of Puffin Island, The Great Orme, and Snowdon.
Led by Spanish head chef Damian Illade Gomez, The Midland is an award-winning tapas and wine bar that creates gourmet dishes using local produce. A favorite among locals, it sits in a historic Victorian property, a converted branch of the Midland bank, tastefully converted with dark blue walls and exposed brickwork, offering more than forty different wines from around the world.
Inside, you can sip handmade cocktails as you graze on Tomino wrapped in parma ham from the Piedmont region of Italy or ballotine of turkey with steamed broccoli and toasted almonds, completed with raspberry and mascarpone cheesecake. Mix and match from appetizers or dive into large sharing plates for two.
The Liverpool Arms is a 14th-century Grade II listed dog-friendly pub and restaurant serving traditional British cuisine.
Start with deep-fried crispy breaded brie served with cranberry compote or shortcrust pastry case filled with roasted peppers, spinach, and goat cheese before sampling The Liverpool Arms' famous homemade steak pie filled with tender steak pieces slowly cooked in a rich gravy-or try the mushroom stroganoff in a creamy paprika & mustard sauce.
A time capsule looking into the life of prisoners in the 1800s, Beaumaris Gaol is a historic jail where you can walk along dimly lit corridors and explore the cruelty of its spartan condemned and punishment cells.
Here, in 1862, despite protesting his innocence, Richard Rowlands was executed for murdering his father-in-law. According to local legend, out of revenge, he cursed the clock in the church tower. To this day, it has never kept the right time.
Sailing from Beaumaris Pier, set off on Neptune Explorer with just 54 passengers to Puffin Island on the northeast entrance of the Menai Straits.
As the ninth largest island off the Welsh coast, it is a bird sanctuary and nesting site, home to Atlantic grey seals, narrow-beaked guillemots, razorbills, black-legged kittiwakes, stiff-winged fulmar, eider duck, cormorant, steep forehead shags, porpoise and the occasional dolphin (and of course, puffins).
Explore the island and delve into its deep history, visiting the monastic ruins of St Seiriol, the old semaphore station, and the lighthouse at Penmon Point.