Anglesey Tourism Awards

Organised by the Anglesey Tourism Association (ATA), the Anglesey Tourism Awards is open to all Anglesey tourism businesses and is designed to reward achievement, celebrate success, exemplify good practice and promote all that is best in tourism in the Region.

The Anglesey Tourism Awards 2012 was held on Friday 27 January and the following businesses were presented a prestigious Award;

Best Activity Operator of the Year – Anglesey Walking Holidays/ Crwydro Môn

Based in Menai Bridge, Anglesey Walking Holidays offers highly personalised packaged walking holidays and self-guided cycling holidays, winning the Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor in 2011.

Best Adventure Operator of the Year  – Anglesey Adventures

Anglesey Adventures is a non-residential outdoor activity provider based in Holyhead with a full range of activities for both adults and young children that make full use of the Island and all that it has to offer.

Best Anglesey Produce of the Year, sponsored by Tesco – Taste of Anglesey Môn ar Lwy

Based in Bodorgan, Taste of Anglesey Môn ar Lwy creates handcrafted luxury frozen dairy products using locally sourced ingredients with a unique brand that is specifically focussed on the richness and beauty of Anglesey.

Best Arts & Crafts of the Year – Glyn Davies

From his gallery in Menai Bridge, Glyn generates a vast amount of promotion for the Island with his unique rural and industrial landscapes recognised worldwide, celebrated worldwide and showcased worldwide.

Best Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouse of the Year – Cleifiog Bed & Breakfast

Offering outstanding B&B accommodation, Cleifiog Bed and Breakfast in Beaumaris retained its 5 Star Status when Gill and Laurie Beevers took over the business in May 2010. Working closely with local organisations to offer an all-round visitor experience, Cleifiog has been awarded a Michelin recommendation.

Best Bistro/Brasserie of the Year, sponsored by Coleg Menai – Clock Tower at Tre-Ysgawen Hall

The Clock Tower, in Capel Coch, offers traditional home cooked food from locally sourced produce with weekly themed evenings. The mystery diners gave the Clock Tower full marks for their dining experience.

Best Cafe of the Year, sponsored by Coleg Menai - Sarah’s Delicatessen and The Coffee House

A family run business in Beaumaris, Sarah’s Delicatessen and The Coffee House offers homemade Welsh produce using local ingredients with a continental feeling.  The mystery diners praised Sarah’s for its promotion of local produce as well as the staff being well informed with enthusiastic and efficient service.

Best Caravan & Camping Site of the Year, sponsored by Grays Waste Management – Blackthorn Farm and Coed Cottages

With panoramic views across Trearddur Bay, Blackthorn Farm is constantly evolving to meet visitors needs with the provision of supper on Friday evenings, breakfasts and barbecues on Sunday evenings as well as family fun days.

Coed Cottages in Llanfechell is a family run holiday complex with exceptionally high occupancy levels and recently refurbished bar and gym and new swimming pool.

Best Event of the Year, sponsored by Anglesey Energy Island/Ynys Ynni Môn – Moelfre Lifeboat Day

Moelfre Lifeboat Day has been taking place since the mid 1970s to raise awareness and funds to support the RNLI and this is now a hugely popular event attended by over 10,000 people and while offering a free family fun day out it also drives home the vital role the RNLI plays in safeguarding the local community and visitors who frequent Anglesey’s coastline.

Best Community Event, sponsored by Anglesey Energy Island/Ynys Ynni Môn – Llangefni Carnival

A group of seven local women joined together, with sub-groups of local volunteers to reintroduce Llangefni Carnival in 2011, an event which had not taken place for 18 years and in the process galvanised the whole support of the local community.

Best Hotel of the Year, sponsored by Stena Line – Bishopsgate House Hotel

Winning the overall Best Hotel of the Year Award, Bishopsgate House Hotel in Beaumaris is described as the perfect hotel in miniature and boasts an AA merit score of 85%, the highest on Anglesey and also a score that is achieved by very few hotels in the country.

Best Large Hotel of the Year, sponsored by Stena Line – Tre-Ysgawen Hall

Tre-Ysgawen Hall at Capel Coch is considered to be one of the finest Country House hotels in Wales and has been awarded the Visit Wales Gold Award in 2010 and 2011.  Guests are assured of an outstanding stay with its health spa, Clock Tower cafe/wine bar and restaurant.

Best Inn/Pub Accommodation of the Year – Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn & The Townhouse

Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn in Beaumaris has an excellent reputation offering contemporary accommodation with the Townhouse and more traditional accommodation at the Bull allowing it to cater for a wider variety of personal preferences among guests.

Best New Tourism Business of the Year, sponsored by exwavia – MooBaaOinc and Cennin

MooBaaOinc is a complex in Beaumaris consisting of three interlocking sections – a butchery and local produce shop, a cafe and Cennin, a top quality restaurant, offering a unique haven for food lovers where they can buy or enjoy eating top quality locally sourced produce including Welsh Black Beef and Welsh Lamb direct from the owners farm.

Best Pub/Inn of the Year, sponsored by Coleg Menai – The Seacroft

A stylish, modern food-led pub with six comfortable letting rooms in Trearddur Bay, The Seacroft recently adding another 40 seats to the main dining area and offers diners the best of local, fresh Welsh produce presented in an innovative, British style.  The mystery diners rated The Seacroft highly as a gastro pub that’s worth a visit.

Best Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Coleg Menai – Bishopsgate House Hotel

Bishopsgate House Hotel in Beaumaris has received an AA Rosette award for 10 consecutive years and is one of only two restaurants on Anglesey to be listed in the AA Restaurant Guide 2011.  With an enviable reputation for outstanding food, the hotel launched an outside catering arm in 2011 which will deliver exceptional food to your home, office or even boat!  The mystery diners scored Bishopsgate 10 out of 10 for overall satisfaction.

Best Self Catering Establishment of the Year, sponsored by Stena Line – Tros yr Afon

Tros yr Afon is a self catering establishment at Penmon comprising a substantial manor house and seven individual cottages all set around a pretty courtyard which can cater for up to 54 guests.  Since taking over the business in 2008, James Grant has refurbished the properties and it is evident from visitors’ remarks that James goes the extra mile for his guests offering an exemplary service.

Best Visitor Attraction of the Year, sponsored by Horizon Nuclear Power – Plas Newydd

For the second year running Plas Newydd has been scooped this award, due to the fact that it is constantly evolving and improving.  In 2011, the National Trust property introduced a jazz concert, music evenings for Bangor University, hosted the local produce market, organised Summer Wild Child outdoor activities and Wet and Wild raft building, canoeing and kayaking and is building a Frisbee Golf Course which will be the only one in the UK.

Outstanding Contribution to Tourism, sponsored by Manx2.com – Jean Baker

This Award is for an individual or group for their outstanding personal contribution to Anglesey tourism and is about achievement, excellence and professionalism in areas such as innovation, leadership and development and was presented to Jean Baker, who has worked tirelessly on the organisation side and fundraising for the Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust as well as the Island’s tourism industry.

In the 1990s Jean, along with some friends, set about re-establishing the Menai Bridge Civic Society.  Jean took on the project manager role for the conservation of buildings and in particular the waterfront in town.  Following a community consultation, the Menai Bridge Waterfront Protection Group was founded and in 1997 it became the registered charity and limited company, Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust.  Jean has been a leading light in the Trust as its Project Director and Company Secretary and is working on the project to restore Princes Pier, a historic warehouse on the waterfront in Menai Bridge to house the Trust’s Bridges Exhibition in a more permanent home.

Jean has been a Director of the Anglesey Tourism Association, Vice President and President of Bangor Rotary and still sits on Anglesey’s Economic Regeneration Partnership.  Jean has also been heavily involved with trying to obtain Interreg funding for the Island through inter-regional co-operation with similar organisations in Ireland.

You can download a copy of the press release detailing the winners and businesses that were awarded a Silver Award here Download.doc