AS they stroll along the prom these days, British holidaymakers are apt to ask themselves the question: do we really like to be beside the seaside?

Hearteningly, the answer seems to be that we probably do. Our resorts may never again cater for the two-week family holiday, but there is renewed optimism that they can at least woo us for short breaks.

After decades of wondering how the likes of Blackpool and Scarborough can compete with cheap package deals to guaranteed sun spots in southern Europe, the dawning realisation is that it is the very history and heritage of our seaside resorts which is their enduring selling point.

A conference called by English Heritage last year concentrated on preserving the historic character of seaside resorts as a key to their renaissance. One intriguing example of that - Urban's Splash's nearly- completed redevelopment of Morecambe's glorious art deco Midland Hotel.

If the future of the British seaside lies in its past, then God, the local town planners and property company Mostyn Estates - which has overseen the resort's development from the word go - have smiled on Llandudno.

Appealing

The place reeks of a bygone age, but in the most appealing way. Clamber to a vantage point and look back along the seafront and you see a perfect, gentle arc of four-storey Victorian architectural splendour, the pastel shades making it seem that the hotels have been hewn from crumbly Edinburgh rock. The Victorian pier is present and correct, complete with the usual endearingly tatty shops and amusement arcade.

Wander back from the seafront into the town proper and the canopies over the shops betoken a bygone age.

The very hotel names speak of a time when Britannia ruled the waves - the Imperial, the Grand, the Queen's, St George's, the Ambassador, the Empire and even a Chatsworth House. Our stay was at the Imperial, of which more later.

As we strolled on the prom on a crisp spring morning, a venerable Leyland Tiger Cub coach in cream and burgundy was preparing to take holidaymakers up the Great Orme, and a Punch and Judy booth, promising "Professor Codman's Wooden Headed Follies" was preparing for a show. Halfway along the prom is a grand ornate sitting area, recalling an era when taking the air was a serious business.

Llandudno's big selling point has always been that huge lump of rock which glowers down on the resort, the Great Orme. And the route we took to the top of it is just another example of Llandudno's living history. The Great Orme Tramway is now 106 years old, and is the only cable-hauled tramway still operating on British roads. It hauls out of Llandudno up steep, narrow roads beside doll's house-like cottages, changing trams at the Halfway Station for the gentler ascent to the 679ft summit.

Fallen in love

You can easily see how our Victorian ancestors would have fallen in love with the windswept glory of the Orme. One strange historical footnote is that the Summit hotel was owned from 1952 by Randolph Turpin, who, the previous year, had beaten Sugar Ray Robinson to win the world middleweight boxing championship. In happier times, Turpin would give exhibition bouts in the grounds of the hotel. But he held his world title only briefly and after years of mixed fortunes, shot himself dead in 1966.

Strolling by the swan-infested man-made lake at West Shore, we chanced on another piece of history. Here, a monument unveiled by Lloyd George told us, is where Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell had "happy rambles" which inspired the writing of Alice In Wonderland.

There was certainly an air of history and grandeur to the hotel we stayed at. The four-star Imperial was long ago knocked together from several grand seafront residences. There is a swimming pool and spa facilities tucked away in the bowels of the hotel and a subtle fifth floor addition providing more rooms.

Somehow the Imperial has managed to stay classy without having the character refurbished out of it, which is no mean feat. That means lashings of ornate plasterwork, chandeliers and fleur-de-lys designs all over carpets and walls in public areas, while rooms are tastefully modern and, in the case of ours, vastly-proportioned and with a sea view. It's the kind of hotel which begs you to sit having afternoon tea, gazing out across the waves.

The hotel's Chantrey's restaurant strikes just the right balance between tradition and innovation, paying particular heed to sourcing local ingredients. The pan-fried Great Orme mackerel on a saffron risotto was an intriguing starter. The navarin of Welsh valley lamb was hearty fare in which superb staple ingredients were allowed to speak for themselves, and many other dishes had not travelled far from field to table.

Flair on the dessert menu extended to pineapple and black pepper with pineapple sorbet, mango and mint syrup, and orange and pine nut parkin with orange curd sauce and basil ice cream. More please!

Paul Taylor was a guest of the Imperial Hotel, The Promenade, Llandudno, where room rates are from £140 per night, though there may be special offers at times. Ring the hotel on 01492 877 466 or go to theimperial.co.uk for details. Three course dinner in Chantrey's restaurant is from £29.50 per person.

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