Porthcawl is a seaside resort on the Heritage Coast of South Wales, popular with visitors from the South Wales valleys for its three beaches: Sandy Bay, the busiest, behind the funfair at Coney Beach; Trecco Bay to the east, dominated by one of Europe's largest static caravan parks; and Rest Bay to the north, which has better surf and is used for competitive surfing. The town has a pleasant esplanade and harbour area with the 1932 art-deco Grand Pavilion, still in regular use, and a stubby cast-iron lighthouse on the breakwater that vanishes in spray during winter storms.
North of Rest Bay, the cliff path passes Royal Porthcawl Golf Club — one of the best links courses in Britain, with sea views from every hole — and continues toward the restored medieval Sker House, isolated on a windswept headland.
Porthcawl hosts the Porthcawl Elvis Festival every September, the largest in Europe, drawing tens of thousands of impersonators and fans. The town makes an easy day trip from Cardiff or Swansea, or a weekend base for exploring more of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.