SWANSEA’S famous poet, Dylan Thomas, called it a ‘lovely, ugly town’. It is also often described as ‘the graveyard of ambition’. (That’s because apparently once you come to live here, you can’t bear to leave. And that’s in spite of the rain! )

Whatever your opinion of Swansea, it’s easy to have a great time here with excellent nightlife, great scenery and more than 50 beaches to choose from. Let Samantha Booth guide you around town …

Nightlife Write this in your diary, every week: Monday at Oceana, Tuesday at Divas, Wednesday at Odyssey, Thursday at Sin City, Friday at Divas or Sin City, Saturday Sin City.

Wind Street Wednesday nights on Wind Street are ones never to be remembered! Located in the city centre, this street offers Vodka Revs, Peppermint, Walkabout and Varsity. These are just a handful of nightclubs and bars on this one street and waiting for you at the end of the night is the students’ union’s Wednesday student night at Odyssey nightclub. Wind Street also has several restaurants such as Nando’s, Chiquito and Wetherspoons. Visit Walkabout for a great view of Swansea Castle remains.

Oceana Swansea’s biggest nightclub on Kingsway has five themed bars, two clubrooms and VIP facilities. Each room is styled to reflect an iconic city from around the world. It can accommodate over 3000 customers, but get there early to avoid the queues at the bar.

Koopas Having only opened in 2012, Koopas is a unique bar to Swansea which offers a nightclub and gaming venue under one roof. They have retro gaming nights on Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drives as well as the latest game releases.

Sin City Thursday night Sin Savers is the alternative student night out in Swansea. As well as playing new and classic indie and rock tunes, they host gigs with big names. This year, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Dan Le Sac and The Computers are performing at the venue. Let’s not forget the one thing that draws students to Sin City: the drinks are mega cheap!

Divas Divas is the students’ union owned nightclub on campus. On a Friday night, Tooters takes over Union House with some of the cheapest drinks around. On a Saturday night, the union hosts OMG, where you control the drink prices. The stock exchange works by monitoring trends of drinks. For example, if everyone is buying apple sours, then the price of Disaronno plummets!

Noah’s Yard North of Swansea University is the Uplands, where there are many student bars and restaurants. A particular favourite, is Noah’s Yard. It is most recognisable for its adjustable sign – every day the bar uses magnetic letters to write something different! It is an Italian inspired cafe that serves both wine and cocktails with Jazz Club on a Monday at 8pm.

Uplands Tavern Also known as The Tav, this pub has recently re-opened after being refurbished over the summer. They have a mix of local and touring bands, including jazz, pop, rock, blues and more. There is an open mic night every Monday. Also, it is renowned as the late famous poet, Dylan Thomas’ s snug!

LC2 You may think you are past the days of splashing in water, but Swansea’s leisure centre, the LC2, has a water park like no other. It is about a five minute walk from the city centre and the water park contains slides and rides galore! A definite cure for a hangover!

Wales’ National Pool If you enjoy swimming without the slides, Sketty Lane leisure centre has an Olympic length pool that Olympians such as Gemma Almond, Ellie Simmonds and Georgia Davies train in. For a casual swim it costs £3.50 or an annual student membership costs £168.

Swansea Museum This museum is the oldest in Wales. The collections contain objects from the past of Swansea, Wales and the rest of the world. There is everything from an Egyptian mummy to a Welsh kitchen, alongside temporary exhibitions.

National Waterfront Museum This museum shows the history of industry in Wales over the last 300 years. What’s even better is that it is free entry!

The Glorious Gower:

THE Gower Peninsula is around a 15-20 minute drive from Swansea city centre and has 50 coves, beaches and bays. It was Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and The Independent labelled it ‘the supermodel of British beaches’. Surfers from all over the country travel to ride the waves of the Gower. Even beginners learn on the flat, wide beach of Caswell Bay.

Visit spectacular Rhossili Bay on the 118 bus, from Swansea Bus Station, for breathtaking views over the Bristol Channel over a pint at The Worm’s Head Hotel. It’s also the perfect place to woo your post-freshers’ date with the romantic sea views.

Oxwich Bay is one of the Gower’s most popular beaches, with two and half miles of golden sand and sand dunes. It is a safe beach for swimming (except of in front of slipway for boats) and is good for watersports, including diving, sailing, water-skiing and windsurfing.

Three Cliffs Bay (pictured left) is one of the Gower’s most picturesque beaches. This bay is popular with climbers and you can walk underneath the cliffs through archways. However, do not swim at Three Cliffs Bay at high tide as there are strong rip currents.

Always check the weather and tidal conditions before swimming or partaking in other water activities for your own safety!

The Mumbles, the gateway to Gower, is the treasure of Swansea. The large village holds the ruins of Oystermouth Castle and has a pier and a lighthouse. You can walk, cycle, drive or catch the train or bus to the Mumbles and when you arrive be sure to visit the amusements, Joe’s Ice Cream Parlour and charity shops in this area, for some bargains. There are lots of nice shops and cafes too. Catherine Zeta-Jones has a property in the Mumbles, so keep your eye out!