A Lad's Guide to Nights Out :

Whether you’re after a quiet drink with your missus, or messy night out with your mates, Llandudno has something to offer everyone.

Most people tend to stick to the premise of starting at the top of town and then working their way down to one of two nightclubs at the bottom of town. However before I delve into the details of Llandudno’s nightlife we all know the importance of lining our stomachs before partaking in a booze up or you’ll live to regret it (if you’re lucky), so I’ll give you a few suggestions on where to eat. Llandudno has plenty of choice for places to eat varying in quality and of course price. If you are a bit strapped for cash they have all your usual fast food restaurants i.e. KFC, Burger King, McDonalds or if fast food isn’t your thing you could grab something from Wetherspoons. If you’re feeling a bit more flush you could have a meal in one of the many reasonably priced Italian, Chinese or Indian Restaurants. However if you really have got money to burn there’s always the option of the very highly rated Osborne House Restaurant. Anyway let’s get back to the serious business: DRINKING.

As I said most people tend to start there night from the top of town, how far up town you start depends on how energetic you’re feeling. If you do happen to have a spring in your step I’d recommend beginning the night in the Kings Head. The Kings Head is on the base of the Great Orme Country Park, it’s only a few minutes walk from the town centre but it is quite a steep walk past the Victorian tram station. The pub itself is relatively small with a cosy traditional feel to it, I especially recommend visiting the Kings Head in the summer months as it has a beer garden and is situated in quite a picturesque part of Llandudno. An alternative starting point would be the Queen Victoria. The Queen Victoria tends to attract older people but I’d suggest this pub not because it’s especially nice but because you are usually able to get a table at most times of the evening and in my opinion it serves one of the best pints in Llandudno. Next door to the Queen Victoria is The Parade this pub is similar in style to the Queen Victoria but it has the added bonus of a couple of pool tables.

The pubs I’ve mentioned so far aren’t the most popular pubs for younger people but in my opinion it’s always best to start the night in a quiet pub so you can get a table and enjoy the banter between your mates somewhere where you can actually hear each other. However if you are unlike me and like to be thrown into the thick of the action from the offset and enjoy ogling pretty young ladies I would strongly recommend having a couple of drinks in The Fat Cat Bar. Fat Cat is again located in upper end of Llandudno and is considered by many to be the trendiest bar in Llandudno. With its ambient lighting and retro furnishing and the icing on the cake is, as is the case with many of the trendiest bars, there is no shortage of good looking girls.

Opposite to the Fat Cat bar is Fountains. This pub has a bar on two different levels there is bar on the ground floor and one in the cellar. The upper bar area is quite bright and on the weekend it can feel a bit claustrophobic, because - as is the case with Fat Cat, it is one of the most popular bars for younger people in Llandudno. It can look a bit daunting on occasions because on most weekends as you walk up to Fountains the people can be seen spilling from the bar into the outside seating area even during the bitterest of winter nights. However it is definitely worth paying a visit to. The lower bar in contrast to the upstairs bar is a dark cellar bar which is usually much quieter. The cellar bar also has a pool table and big screen which makes it an ideal place to watch all the major sporting events. Fountains is also ideal if you happen to be on the prowl because even the John Merrick’s among us shouldn’t find it too difficult to find a consenting female.

By now you should be feeling the effects of the alcohol to some extent. The next choice of pub will be determined by your degree of drunkenness and what frame of mind you’re in. If you would like a stress free pint without the hustle and bustle of some of the more popular bars I would strongly recommend the recently refurbished ‘London’ pub. This is a bright airy pub with classy fittings. However it does tend to attract older people but if you just want a short break from the mayhem this pub is ideal. Another option for more relaxed drink is ‘The Cottage Loaf’. The Cottage Loaf is a warm inviting pub in the style of an old welsh cottage with a crackling wood stove and low ceilings. In the summer you could enjoy the warm evenings in one of its two beer gardens. However the atmosphere in ‘the Cottage Loaf’ varies massively depending on which night of the weekend it is. I personally prefer it on a Saturday night because it has a truly unique relaxed feel to it. Whereas, on a Friday night you have to suffer the deafening sound of the DJ, which in my opinion goes against everything that the ‘Cottage Loaf’ is all about.

On the other hand if you’re a hardcore drinker and want to stay amidst the chaos Wetherspoons is the place to go. This is where you take binge drinking to the next level. If you’re still feeling a bit too sober to venture down to one of the night clubs or if you need a bit more Dutch courage to approach the ladies, I would strongly advise that you exploit the cheap double spirits, Southern Comfort being my personal favourite. There is a downside to Wetherspoons although it’s a massive pub with loads of open space it does tend to get a bit rammed. Even though it boasts the longest bar in Llandudno you should expect to wait up to twenty minutes to get served so I definitely recommend buying more than one drink at a time.

Surely by now you should be ready for one of Llandudno’s night clubs, both the clubs are about half a mile from Wetherspoons so you could either get a taxi from the rank directly outside Wetherspoons or you could opt to walk/stagger to one of the clubs. I’ll try and describe both the clubs to the best of my ability to make sure you choose the club which is most suited to you.

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