Large Holiday Cottages in North Wales: Snowdonia and the Llyn

Large holiday cottages North Wales: which area suits your group?

This corner of North Wales gives you two very different trips an hour apart. To the west, the Llyn pokes out into the Irish Sea with coves, fishing harbours and a coastal path almost all the way round. To the east, the peaks of Snowdonia National Park rise behind the coast, with Yr Wyddfa at 1,085 metres, slate villages and narrow-gauge steam trains. Most of our big houses sit between the two, so you can fit a mountain day and a beach day into one week.

Pick the scenery first. The house comes second.

Nefyn, Morfa Nefyn and the far west of the Llyn

This is the quiet end, with big skies, sea views and hardly any traffic. Morfa Nefyn's sandy beach curls round to Porthdinllaen, a fishing hamlet with a pub on the sand. Keep going west and you'll find Aberdaron, Porth Oer (Whistling Sands) and the boat trips to Bardsey Island.

• Gwenallt: a terraced house in Nefyn for 15, four bedrooms including bunk rooms, a short stroll from the shore
• Morfa Nefyn at Bodfan: 12 guests in six bedrooms, moments from the sand, dogs welcome
• Large Cottage for 16 in Sarn: three cottages side by side in open countryside, seven bedrooms between them
• Congl Cae: ten guests in five bedrooms with a hot tub, out towards Aberdaron

See every one of our group houses around Pwllheli and the western Llyn.

Abersoch, Llanbedrog and the south coast

Here's where the Llyn gets busy in summer. Abersoch is the sailing and water sports village, with cafes and bars close to the harbour, while Porth Neigwl (Hell's Mouth) round the headland is one of the best surf spots in Wales. Llanbedrog is gentler, with painted beach huts, a sheltered bay and a headland climb to the Tin Man sculpture.

Argraig at Llanbedrog sleeps 12 in six bedrooms, with a private hot tub and room for the dog. Garna, a few minutes inland, takes 14 in five bedrooms.

Criccieth, Porthmadog and Black Rock Sands

Three generations of the family together? Start here. Criccieth, a small seaside town, has a ruined castle on a rock between two bays, a traditional ice cream parlour and a station on the coast line, so nobody has to drive every day. Porthmadog, the bigger town, is a short hop east, with the harbour, the steam trains and Black Rock Sands, a huge beach where you can still drive onto the sand.

• Criccieth at Gwynle: three storeys in the middle of Criccieth for 14, seven bedrooms and six bathrooms
• Cambrian House: 12 guests in six bedrooms, a short walk to the sea
• Enfys: another 12-sleeper with six bedrooms and an enclosed garden

Compare our Criccieth group cottages with the four bigger houses in Porthmadog, which include 4 Ty Rhosyn, sleeping eight with its own tub.

Caernarfon and the foot of Yr Wyddfa

Hikers and climbers should stay on the northern side of the mountains. Edward I's castle stands over the Menai Strait, and Llanberis, about 20 minutes inland, has the Snowdon Mountain Railway and the Llanberis Path to the summit.

This is also where you'll find the very biggest houses. The Lloyd George sleeps 43 in 19 bedrooms with a hot tub and games room, and The Bull Inn is a converted pub in the slate village of Deiniolen for 20, with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Two old chapels, Capel Mawr (12) and Greystones Chapel (10), are close by. Browse our large group houses near Caernarfon.

Harlech, Dolgellau and southern Eryri

The south of the national park feels emptier. Harlech has its castle above miles of dunes and views to the Llyn, Dolgellau sits under Cadair Idris, and Coed y Brenin forest has some of the best mountain biking in Wales. At the mouth of the River Dyfi, Brynmorwydd near Aberdyfi sleeps 14 in six bedrooms with six bathrooms. Look at the houses in Harlech and Dolgellau too.

Betws-y-Coed and the Conwy valley

Just over the border in Conwy, Betws-y-Coed is the outdoor village of the mountains, with Swallow Falls, riverside paths and gear shops. Bron Celyn takes ten in four bedrooms right in the village, and our Betws-y-Coed holiday cottages list the rest.

The biggest group houses in Snowdonia and the Llyn

These are the 13 houses on our list that sleep 12 or more, out of the hundreds of large group houses we cover across the UK. Check the bed mix before you book.

Only three take 16 or more, so a party that size should book a long way ahead.

What the houses are like

Don't expect a row of identical luxury cottages. This is large group accommodation and self catering in old chapels, a former pub, farmhouses, Victorian terraces and a barn or two, often with views of the mountains or the sea, and most have a cosy, traditional feel rather than a hotel finish.

Hot tubs, pools and space to play

Twelve of the 65 have a hot tub and 17 have a games room. Don't count on a swimming pool, so if the kids want a swim, book a session at a leisure centre. There are more tubs across the UK in our group cottages with hot tubs.

Bringing the dog

Dogs are welcome in 51 of them, and 38 have a fenced garden. One rule catches people out, though. From 1 April to 30 September, Gwynedd Council bans dogs from zones on 18 beaches, including Aberdaron, Morfa Nefyn, Black Rock Sands and Criccieth's promenade, so check the council's dog control map before you head down with a pack of spaniels.

Days out that work for ten or more

Yr Wyddfa

Split the group: the fit ones hike up, the rest take the train from Llanberis, and you all meet at the top. From March to November you need to pre-book Pen y Pass parking, or leave the cars at Nant Peris and catch the Sherpa'r Wyddfa bus.

Zip World

Velocity 2 at Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda is the fastest zip line in the world, at well over 100mph. It flies four friends side by side! Zip World Llechwedd at Blaenau Ffestiniog takes its adventures deep into the old slate caverns, which saves a wet day.

The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways

From Porthmadog harbour, the Ffestiniog line climbs 13 and a half miles to the slate quarries in about an hour and 10 minutes. The Welsh Highland runs 25 miles through the mountains to the Menai Strait.

Porthdinllaen and the Ty Coch Inn

It's a 20-minute stroll across the golf course from the National Trust car park at Morfa Nefyn to a pub you can only reach on foot or by boat.

Portmeirion

The Italian-style village on the estuary near Penrhyndeudraeth makes an easy afternoon for every age.

Getting there and when to go

By road and rail

Drive the A55 along the North Wales coast to Bangor, then the A487 south, or take the A5 through Betws-y-Coed. By train, Bangor is about an hour and a half from Crewe, and the Cambrian Coast line runs from Machynlleth up through Harlech and Criccieth to the end of the line on the Llyn.

• Count the cars. Lanes on the Llyn are narrow and plenty of houses only have room for three or four.
• Do the big supermarket shop for your stay in Porthmadog or Bangor on the way in.
• Book a minibus taxi back from the pub in advance in summer.

When to go

May, June and September are the sweet spot, with long light evenings and quieter summit paths. Nightly rates start from around £66, and the middle of the range is about £122 a night before you split it between family and friends.

Looking further afield? Anglesey is just across the Menai Strait with its own large holiday cottages in Anglesey, and our group houses on the coast around Conwy are closer to Llandudno and Denbighshire. For Pembrokeshire and other cottages in Wales, start at our UK destinations guide. Whichever you choose, our large holiday cottages North Wales list above is the best place to start a hen weekend, a big birthday or a family reunion.