Beautiful Bray
The thing that first strikes you about Bray is the rugged beauty of its windswept beach. Made up of pebbles and sand, it is bustling with life during the summer and the perfect place to spend the day. However, if you are visiting a Bray hotel in the winter, take a dip in the salty Irish Sea for a truly invigorating experience.
Bray's promenade is a delightful place for a stroll with an ice cream, from one of the many vans parked along the road. If you're up for a bit more of a hike, the Bray to Greystones cliff walk is a real treat, and you don't even need to leave town to find it. Just follow the promenade up to Bray Head to begin your adventure.
The Cliff Walk is about five miles long and is not too rigorous at all. The walk follows the coastline and boasts some of the most breathtaking views of Ireland's east coast. The walk finishes in Greystones harbour, where the Marina has a number of great restaurants and bars where you can regain your strength. There are also some excellent shops and boutiques, if you're after a bit of retail therapy.
Sea life
After you've seen all that above land has to offer, pay a visit to the National Sea Life Centre on Bray's seafront. The Aquarium is completely indoors and so makes an excellent outing for a rainy day, though the kids will enjoy it whatever the weather. Its tanks are home to over 1,000 sea creatures including reef sharks, octopus, seahorses and piranha.
Restore yourself
If you're after a different kind of liquid activity, Bray's got some great pubs, perfect for whiling away the hours. The Porterhouse Bray on the seafront has got great brew and pretty good food as well. A bit further into town is Holland's of Bray, a local wine bar that also serves up piping hot bowls of delicious chowder and whose motto is, ‘If you can drink it then we will sell it'.
All in all, Bray offers much more than your average seaside holiday. Its got charm and beauty in abundance.
