Quick Facts About Porthcawl Rest Bay Beach
Porthcawl Rest Bay Beach is a popular destination for families, surfers, walkers, and visitors looking for a beautiful and calming place to relax. One of its main strengths is the accessibility for families with young children. The presence of a ramp down to the beach makes it easy for parents with pushchairs and trailers to navigate their way to the sand. This is a major advantage compared to other beaches in the area that only have steps, which can be difficult to navigate with bulky items. The presence of a lifeguard on duty is also a strength, as it provides an added level of safety for beachgoers, particularly families with young children.
The beach itself is described as excellent, with rock pools and a compact sand that is ideal for building sand castles and taking pushchairs right out to the sea. The sand is described as nice, moist, and compact, making it easy to walk on and play with. Visitors consistently comment on the beauty of the beach and highly recommend it as a destination worth visiting.
Another strength of Rest Bay Beach is its location. Situated just a few minutes' drive from Porthcawl Town Center, it is easily accessible for both locals and tourists. The beach is also a popular spot for surfers, further increasing its appeal. The availability of a large car park is an advantage, although it does frequently get busy, especially during weekends and holidays. It is recommended to arrive early to secure a parking spot.
The presence of a boardwalk is another strength of Rest Bay Beach. The boardwalk runs between the golf course and the sea, providing a lovely all-weather coastal path for walkers and joggers. It offers a scenic route and adds to the overall experience of visiting the beach.
On the flip side, one weakness mentioned is that the beach can get overcrowded when the tide is high, as it is relatively small in size. This can be off-putting for some visitors who prefer a more spacious and secluded beach experience. However, this comment also mentions that during low tide, the beach was huge and mostly empty, which was highly pleasing. It suggests that timing is key and visitors may need to be mindful of peak times to enjoy a less crowded experience.
Another weakness mentioned is that Rest Bay Beach may not always be suitable for swimming, particularly on calm and sunny days with little wind. The beach can become choppy and the presence of surfers can make it potentially dangerous for swimmers. While this can be seen as a downside for those specifically looking to swim, it is described as exhilarating and lots of fun for those seeking a more adventurous experience in the waves. However, it is worth noting that visitors should exercise caution and be mindful of the conditions before venturing out to swim.
In terms of nearby amenities, visitors mention that there are shops and cafes nearby, providing access to food, drinks, and shopping options. This is a strength for those looking to grab a bite or indulge in some retail therapy during their visit.
In conclusion, Porthcawl Rest Bay Beach offers several strengths such as its family-friendly amenities, easy accessibility, boardwalk, and scenic beauty. However, potential weaknesses include potential overcrowding during high tide and limited suitability for swimming on calm days. Overall, it is described as a great beach worth visiting and highly recommended by those who have experienced it.
Best TL Reviews
Great day out with my daughter. Ramp down to beach was good as we had a pushchair and a hand pulled trailer. Immediately thought of other beaches but they only had steps. This was cheaper parking. Ramp to beach. Lifeguards. Excellent beach with rock pools and a compact sand ideal for pushchairs to go right out to the sea. Made great sand castles with my daughter. Nice moist and compact sand. Lovely day. Great beach definitely worth a visit. Highly recommended.
Beautiful beach situated a few minutes drive from Porthcawl Town centre. Popular all year with surfers, families and walkers, so the large car park frequently gets very busy. Always worth going early on weekends and during holidays. On this visit we took the boardwalk from Rest Bay to Pink Bay, it's a lovely all weather coastal path that runs between the golf course and sea.
What a great place, i must have visited 200 times over the years. When you see the fair, drive to the left, right at island near park, go to the end and turn right at another island, drive slowly, fair on right, but sharp left up a bit of a slope into car park £3 all day free in winter , your right on the beach
Car park £4 all day. Lifeguard on duty. Cafe with great food & drinks
Lovely boardwalk & a beach with plenty of sand, pebbles & rockpools. Couldn't ask for more 5*
Went once only so far. Beach Can get overcrowded when tide is high as beach is on smaller size. But accidentally we went when tide was low . Sandy Beach was huge and mostly empty . Very pleased
The beach was very nice and calming, lots of things to see and lots of shops nearby to see and visit. It's also a great place to go for a run or to take a dog for a walk.
Rest Bay is very lovely but on the day I went not that restful! I wanted to swim but, on a sunny day without much wind, it was really choppy. Most people in the sea were surfers, which meant you had to watch out. I really enjoyed throwing myself about in the waves, but didn't dare go out beyond the breakers to have a proper swim as it looked too dangerous. There were only a couple of other people without boards and they felt the same way. Despite that, it was exhilarating and lots of fun.
Porthcawl is lovely place to go over by town side not big fan the fayre side and caravan side. But lovely walk across the sea and lovely chips in the boathouse chippy
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