Where you stay in Llandudno changes the whole visit. Choose carelessly and you may spend the weekend learning about slopes, parking and wallpaper with unresolved trauma.

North Shore is best for the classic seafront experience. It gives you the promenade, pier, Mostyn Street and many of the larger hotels, all within easy reach. The seafront hotels from St George’s to the Imperial and the Empire give the fullest Victorian resort experience and, in many rooms, the bay view that justifies the Llandudno visit from the first morning.

Craig y Don is quieter and useful for Venue Cymru. It has good promenade access without quite so much central resort bustle, which may preserve both sleep and temper. The eastern end of the promenade from here towards Venue Cymru is less crowded than the pier end and gives a different relationship with the bay.

West Shore is better for sunsets, space and a more residential feel. It is less convenient for shops and evening life but significantly better for morning beach walks without negotiating the full resort infrastructure. Alice Liddell’s family stayed here. The sunset view west is the finest in the town.

The streets below the Great Orme foot (the old town area around Church Walks and the lower slopes) can be atmospheric and close to the tramway and Happy Valley, but gradients and parking matter. Charm becomes less charming when dragging luggage uphill.

Bodysgallen Hall, a mile outside the town, offers Grade I country house hotel accommodation with formal gardens and fine dining. It is more expensive, quieter, and entirely different in character from the resort hotels. For those who want the day trips to Conwy, the Great Orme and the coast without the resort atmosphere, it is the right choice.

Choose by how you will actually use the town, not by the prettiest room photograph. A camera can flatter almost anything. I have known it to flatter men.

For families, central North Shore gives the easiest logistics: everything within walking distance, including the beach, pier, cafes and the tramway. Self-catering options in this area give the freedom families need without the constraints of hotel dining schedules.

For couples, West Shore or a quieter Craig y Don location can give a more private version of the same town. The promenade is still accessible; the crowd is less pressing.

Book early for peak season: the Easter and summer periods fill the better-positioned hotels quickly, and the best rooms in the best locations go earliest. Llandudno is a popular destination and does not apologise for it.