Summer may be on its way out, but there’s still plenty of reasons to visit the bars and restaurants along the UK coastline.
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Apparently, according to the Times, the best place to do that is the Secret Bar and Kitchen in Swansea.
In a list of the seven best seaside cafes, it took top spot, with its variety of dishes and views earning it first place.
The Times wrote: “This wood-walled café is on the sands, just below the Uplands suburb where the poet Dylan Thomas grew up.
“You might order cocktails or sparkling wine, and to eat there’s fish tacos with watermelon salsa or jewel-bright plates of heritage tomatoes on toast with a view of what Thomas called ‘a long and splendid curving shore’.”
While the bar and kitchen is Secret by name, it’s certainly not by nature.
Hundreds of five-star reviews on TripAdvisor have earned it a glowing reputation among locals and visitors.
One reviewer wrote: “Great place right on the beach. Went two nights in a row. Good prices and great food.”
Another said: “One of our favourite spots in Swansea! Fab for lunch and dinner with always the friendliest staff!”
A third added: ” Not only is the view something to appreciate but the service here is always excellent along with the food.”
Celebrities have also been spotted enjoying the view and the food as well, including comedian Alan Carr.
It’s not just the bar that attracts people to the area, with the nearby beaches also ranking highly.
Some of them on the nearby Gower peninsula have even been compared to beaches in the Mediterranean.
One of those is Rhossili Bay Beach, which was described by Visit Swansea Bay as being “a rich and varied environment which is as ecologically diverse as it is beautiful”.
Like the Secret Bar and Kitchen, Rhossili once also topped a “UK’s best” poll when it was named the best beach in the country in 2014.
One person who was amazed by the beach was Tiktoker Spellbound Travels (@spellboundtravels) who described it as a “spectacular” place to spend a day.
She said: “No one can tell me that the beaches in South Wales aren’t spectacular.
“Rhossili Bay is one of my fave areas! If you’re planning to visit, make sure you go to Worm’s Head during low tide & spend the rest of the day on the beach.”
Meanwhile, Swansea beach has plenty of its own admirers, with one reviewer writing on TripAdvisor: “It stretches for quite a distance and is a great place to go walking or for creating sandcastles.”
Another said: “Great beach, lovely soft sand, stretches for miles, not packed, well worth visiting.”
Meanwhile, you can sip pints while watching dolphins and whales from the pub garden.
And these are some of the most tranquil staycation spots in the country.
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