Where to stay on the Gower? Quiet and pretty...

[BlackSquirrels]

Hello there,

DH and I want to stay for two nights on the Gower peninsula some time this September. Just us two, no dogs or kids. We've never been there before.

We don't want a busy seaside town like Mumbles. Which areas/places are peaceful and scenic, for a few walks or sitting on a quiet beach. Does anyone have any specific accommodation they have stayed in that we could check out?

Not TOO expensive (Air BnB is usually too expensive!) so a traditional B&B would probably be the thing.

Thank you!

Not sure what "not too expensive" is. The Dillwyn Arms in Pontardawe is reasonable - not on the Gower but within easy reach. Possibly somewhere in Aberavon which is the opposite side of the Bay and somewhat cheaper than the west side.Swansea's Travelodge is not actually "in" Swansea and is quite well placed for exploring the Peninsula. My friend lived in Mumbles for a long time and I don't think the Gower and "cheap" go hand in hand, but if you are travelling by car it's not hard to get around it from any of the ones I have mentioned.

Personally I would skip B&B because there are loads of lovely (better) breakfasts to be had - I love the Surfside at Caswell or Langland for breakfast, but there are many lovely cliffside / seaside breakfast places.

As much as I love the Dillwyn it won’t be quiet, it’s above a pub and right on Pontardawe cross!!

Great pub though.

Can I make a recommendation for another time, as its not the Gower but would fit your brief in other ways? Quay West caravan park in Cardigan Bay. It has its own private beach, beautiful costal walk to a picturesque town, with lovely little cafes over looking the bay. I was so surprised by how much I liked it. It's a Haven site but you obviously don't need to use the club house etc if that's not your thing.

I live in Southgate on the cliff top. Once the children are back in School, most places are quiet except for Swansea Bay.

Oxwich is lovely, huge beach and I’m
often the only one on it. Lots of great places to walk there and not so far away that include Mill Wood and Parc le Breos.

That's true - I was assuming the quiet was the beach. I have stayed at the there once and didn't find it too noisy, but I guess that depends on what you call "bedtime". But as you will know, cheap in that area isn't in great supply and if AirBnB is too expensive then that rules out many B&B's / hotels. It's not a cheap part of Wales, and expensive most of the year round in my experience.

Aw you lucky thing! Was about to suggest Southgate. Stayed there a few years ago in a house overlooking the sea. Fabulous week and the night skies were stunning! Can’t wait to go back.

Thanks for your suggestions. Southgate's starry skies sounds nice! I think we'd like to stay on the Gower if we can rather than nearby.

What about the more 'remote' places at the end of the peninsular like Llanmadoc, Llangennith or Rhossili? Do they have much in the way of places to stay. I should have mentioned we don't want to do self catering this time round.

I think I read somewhere that the north coast of the Gower was good for walking.

We have our own car.

What I meant by 'cheap' is 'perhaps a little bit less than the North Norfolk coast', or less than the rates charged in my touristy home city! I knew nothing about the Gower and had to look on the map to find out where it was, ie, near Swansea. A friend who was at Swansea Uni described it as being unpretentious and down to earth, so I thought the Gower might be the same. We had to stay a night in Barry a few years ago - now that was cheap....

Port Eynon is lovely. Even has a youth hostel which is usually booked up yonks in advance by it there is a hotel there too.

Could you put this in monetary terms? I have no idea where your home city is or what they charge!

The hotel, if I am thinking of the same one you are, is self-catering? OP doesn't want self-catering.

We stayed in Reynoldston earlier this summer and really liked the village and its location on the gower. We Airbnb’d but family came to join us midweek and stayed in a b&b (not sure of the name, it was on The Downs) that they enjoyed. The King Arthur Hotel in the village was welcoming and their website appears to have a list of potential places to stay:
https://www.kingarthurhotel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Local-Accommodation-.pdf

Haven't been for ages, didn't realise. My bad. I stayed a very long time ago and was catered then. 🥴

Yes I stayed there a lonf time ago and it was, but when I was looking for somewhere earlier this year it was now all self-catering "apartments". We ended up at the Worms Head which I thought would be outside the OP's budget, but on just looking it has burned down!

Oxwich Bay hotel has caravans too

The King Arthur Hotel in the village was welcoming and their website appears to have a list of potential places to stay

I was coming on to recommend actually staying at the King Arthur Hotel in Reynoldston. It was in a nice area, with walks, quiet, and reasonably priced - although we did stay in January!

We stayed at Parc le Breos in September last year. Gorgeous rooms, great breakfast and set in wonderful grounds with lots of good walks nearby.

I got married in the gower and all the grooms side stayed there plus us and my side of the family the day after. It is SO beautiful and underrated its incredible

My mum.was from Swansea so I know the Gower really well. It's all lovely really!
DH and I stayed at Three Crosses (pre kids) and we stopped at the golf club.
Pennard, near Southgate is a lovely area to walk. We do a walk where we start in Southgate and end up at Three cliffs bay, which is stunning.

If you email me through my website I can try to help you find something suitable.
gowerholidays.com

Thanks for all your help, everyone!

Oxwich Bay Hotel might work for you, if you are wanting somewhere with food too. I'd say Oxwich is one of the more popular beaches on the gower but I doubt it will be busy late September. The Gower is a fairly quiet area overall, and great for surfing if that's up your street.

Three cliffs campsite have some cottages and glamping. It's beautiful and you can walk to oxwich for lunch

We are looking at these for a short break in October

oxwichbayhotel.co.uk/the-secret-garden/

We have stayed here a couple of times - although it is Mumbles and probably not the quiet / country feel you are after … we can definitely recommend it. Lovely rooms, great location and sea views , very warm welcome with a lovely breakfast
www.tidesreachguesthouse.com/homepage/

Yes, the garden pods in the Secret Garden at Oxwich hotel are an interesting idea, except the bed is actually a sofa bed. I wonder how comfortable it is..