Our beautiful village is slammed as ‘mini Benidorm’ but it’s really like Monaco… we rub shoulders with rich & famous
Our beautiful village is slammed as ‘mini Benidorm’ but it’s really like Monaco… we rub shoulders with rich & famous
Share:
LOCALS have slammed claims their picturesque seaside village is being turned into Benidorm – insisting it’s more like the French Riviera. A new luxury hotel, spa and apartments complex under construction at upmarket Abersoch in Wales is at the heart of the claims, with critics online dubbing it an eyesore this week.
![[Hotel under construction in Abersoch, Wales.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-sun-online-abersoch-new-965829538.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
They compared the development on the Lleyn Peninsula of Gwynedd to buildings you might find at the Spanish hotspot loved by Brits - with one describing it as a “carbuncle" on the landscape. But locals have fiercely defended the area - where sandy beaches, boutiques, and restaurants, make it a favourite destination among the rich and famous.
![[Aerial view of a hotel under construction in Abersoch, Wales.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-sun-online-abersoch-new-965829624.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
One businessman told The Sun Online: "Abersoch is chic and the area has more the beauty of the south of France than a grotty Spanish resort. "The hotel isn’t finished yet, so it’s too early to pass judgement on how it will finally look, but it’s much better than leaving the site an eyesore.
![[Woman smiling in Abersoch, Wales, with new hotel under construction in the background.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-sun-online-abersoch-new-965829679.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
“I don’t have a problem with it, at all.”. Neil McGill, 61, agreed, adding: "I’m for it. They are saying the right things. "They want to make it accessible to locals to use the facilities. "I hope they are successful. I think there’s a market for a hotel in the village.”.
![[Bear Grylls and Bradley Cooper with a police officer on a boat.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bear-grylls-bradley-cooper-abersoch-966053998.png?strip=all&w=356)
Homes in Abersoch sell for millions of pounds, with Bradley Cooper and Bear Grylls among A-listers known to have graced the area. In recent years a beach hut in Abersoch had an asking price of £250,000 – higher than the typical cost of a house elsewhere in Gwynedd.
![[Aerial view of a new hotel under construction in Abersoch, Wales.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-sun-online-abersoch-new-965829618.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
