Holiday tips, supporting local and responsible tourism, we caught up with Chloe from Abersoch Retreats

So many of our customers that book surfing, SUP'ing and coasteering and who shop in our store are often on holiday and new to the area, here we chat to Chloe from Abersoch Retreats about top tips when visiting, how to support local on holiday and what you can do to reinforce responsible tourism.

Abersoch Retreats is an independent family owned, premium holiday letting agency in the area. They have some truly incredible rentals on their books that cover a diverse range of requirements for any holiday maker visiting our beautiful part of the welsh coast. They have an office on Abersoch High st, pop in and say Hi, they’re a friendly knowlegeable  bunch and go check out their unbelievable salt water fish tank while you’re at it.

We grilled Chloe about seeing The Llŷn in the eyes of her guests, often Abersoch newbies , so here goes:

‘What would be your top tips for people coming to the area on holiday?

‘Always try to book your restaurants and activities in advance, you want to get the most out of your stay and the best of what the area has to offer, its a small village and can often get booked out quicker than expected so do some research and have some exciting things to look forward to whilst you’re here’

‘What are the questions that your customers always ask before booking their holiday rental?’

‘How close is it to the beach? Is such a common question, some of our customers don’t understand that The Llyn is a peninsula and you are never very far from a beautiful sandy beach to explore’

‘What is your favourite time of year?’

‘Without doubt it’s September, still on a high from summer but the children are back to school, the weather is still good, the village is still alive and not quite into their autumn opening hours and in the off-peak months our properties are into a new price bracket so can be at a reduced rate’

‘Name your Top 3 properties?’

A17 ,The Warren; ‘The Warren takes me back to childhood memories having holidays in my Grandfathers chalet, which coincidentally was very close to A17. Every time I visit A17 I feel nostalgic about walking down the steps to go to the beach and playing in the sand dunes. It takes me back to where my love of Abersoch began. It’s a great feeling to recreate that for our guests.’

Hyfrydle, Mynytho: ‘The interior I would want to embody in my own home. It has amazing sea views and plenty of outside green space; you can definitely exhale from the outside world. Hyfrydle is a high standard property with all the mod cons, but being in Mynytho makes it a more affordable property.’

Pen Y Mor, Abersoch: ‘It’s everyone’s favourite property. It’s a Derwen Llyn masterpiece. It’s beautiful, it sings, its dances, it has it all. I have yet to meet anyone that disagrees. It’s one of the first properties to come under our wing when we started Abersoch Retreats so it feels like home.’ 

Whilst we welcome all our lovely customers Chloe floated the idea of how important she thinks ‘responsible tourism’ is in this day and age. As part of a community of small independent businesses that relies on the visiting holiday makers in such a short few peak-seasonal months we couldn’t agree more, this can cover so many aspects of your time here on holiday from beach safety, supporting local and respecting the beautiful area that we’re lucky enough to call home, so were diving straight in to explain.

How can you be responsible at the beach:

-Stay safe in the sun: wear sunscreen, sunglasses and a sunhat. Seek shade and stay hydrated.

-Research the beach properly

- Does the beach have rip currents and know what to do if you get caught in one.

-Research tide times incase you get cut off

-Understand where the safe swimming areas are?

-Keep an eye on your children at all times.

-Assess the sea before heading into the water, as conditions can easily change 

-Always have means of calling for help on the beach and at sea

-Leave the beach as you found it, leave no rubbish

-Understand what to do in an emergency-CALL 999 and ask for The Coastguard

How can you support local while on holiday;

There’s so many small independent businesses that make this little village special and unique, almost all rely on tourism, there’s obviously all the shops on Abersoch high st, where you can get all your supplies but also such a broad range you may not always consider like the the fishermen, the tractor drivers, the cleaners,  the harbour master and all the local volunteers like the Abersoch RNLI crew and Abersoch Coastguard, all these people and many more, as a community keep the Abersoch cogs turning. Its not just all about buying local and using local services, there are also very simple ways to support local independent businesses like tagging them on social media, leaving a positive review or even just recommending them to friends and family, it all counts and I promise it really is appreciated.

How can you help to appreciate and respect the area whilst on holiday:

It really is a beautiful part of the world and together we can help to keep it like that, here’s a few of our ideas:

-Always take all your rubbish off the beaches, especially disposable BBQ’s, glass bottles and other items that may cause harm to others

-Recycle, yes even on holiday

-If you can, try and walk not drive, so the village and local area doesn’t get so congested.

-Stay on the footpaths, keep dogs on leads and respect the dog-free beach zones

-Do a ‘2minute Beach Clean’

-Do keep your distance and respect the local animals and sea wildlife

-Don’t ignore warning signs,  they are there to keep you and the environment safe.

-Always leave areas as you found them.

We are more than excited to welcome everyone to our little part of the world and look forward to a great summer ahead, have a great holiday!

Thanks so much to Chloe from Abersoch Retreats, be sure to check them out online. Each of their premium properties have tablets with lots of great local info including booking any of our watersports activities.

https://abersochretreats.uk