Holiday Cottages in Powys

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Zoe - Verified booking

  We booked our week at Ty Haf back in November 2019 - for our holiday in July 2020.

  At the time of booking, we had read the feedback that others had left. Further feedback was left by another visitor in February 2020 who made it seem as though the garden wasn't fully enclosed, which was something that was very important to us, having a nervous dog. I contacted Lisa and asked for more information about the garden and she happily sent photos and confirmed that the space was enclosed and would be safe for our dog, which it certainly was, having a medium sized dog. If we had a very small dog, possibly it would have been less secure. Having seen the feedback from others about their welcome hamper, we did feel as though perhaps we were not as important as previous guests had been, as there was not even a note of the wi-fi code in the property when we arrived. Not that we particularly wanted or needed any kind of gift, but having read that other people had received and enjoyed some fresh flowers, or a bottle of wine, it did make me wonder why were treated differently. Lisa and I had been in touch by WhatsApp, so when I messaged to ask for the code, she promptly responded with the code. The cottage, situated on a quiet and well maintained caravan park, was perfectly adequate for our needs. The garden really exceeded our expectations, and the hot tub was a lovely treat, clean and nicely positioned. The geographical location was ideal for visiting various places such as Borth Beach, Aberystwyth, the Mawddach cycle trail, local castles and even down to the Brecon Beacons. A couple of things that I would like to have known before arrival, for example, would have been that there were not many kitchen utensils; there were two knives, a bread knife and a small knife, so when I had a pizza to cut, I wished I had brought some more items from home. Also, having used the hot tub, we had wet swimwear, damp hot tub towels, as well as bath towels from the shower. Whilst there was a heated towel rail, there was nowhere else to hang these things to dry (as outside there was a bit of drizzle most days), so I did end up buying a collapsible clothes airer, which I would have brought from home had I known. Also, I hadn't imagined that the fridge would be so small, being used to a large fridge freezer at home. So having arranged online groceries to be delivered, to avoid congesting shops during our visit in the current Covid situation, it was a little bit of struggle to fit it all in! But none of this spoilt the holiday, and hopefully if you read my feedback before you go, you won't make the same assumptions / mistakes that I did! The only negative feedback I have about the cottage is that there are no blinds on the ceiling light windows, which meant that the bedrooms got light very early in the morning (as we stayed in July). I managed to improvise a solution, but blinds on these windows would have been really handy.

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• William - Verified booking

  Buzzards Breg is in a beautiful, but very remote location.

  The cottage itself has been sensitively & creatively refurbished after the rebuild from barn to cosy cottage. It was very comfortable. But it was a shame the woodburner had not been cleared out of ash & subsequently relaid , ready for us. ( as promised in information ) We are both touching 80 years & had recent serious health issues & stress over many months related to this. The ow ners knew this.There is no freezer in the property & we would suggest this is a neccessity due to its location, much preferable to the dishwasher which we did not use. The lobby & utility area ( with large sink ) by front door was a most useful feature where one could leave wet boots , waterproofs etc & gather our belongings together, making arrival & departure much easier, rather than continually walking back inside with outside shoes on. The listing was not accurate as there WAS a shaving point & there WAS a hairdryer provided, the former not obvious. We had not expected to provide our own toilet rolls or to strip the bed on departure. Neither of these requisites have ever been required before in s/c accommodation & friends were amazed that this was expected. A welcome pack or even just milk would have been much appreciated . In the past owners had actually asked us if there were any food items they could provide for us on our arrival. We , of course, wished to pay for these but that offer was always refused !!! The most aggravating feature of Sykes is that one cannot reach the owners until 48 hours before departure. This has NEVER been our experience before & owners have consistently wanted to be as helpful as possible prior to the holiday, always going the extra mile, even to the extent of texting us while they have been on holiday abroad themselves ! Nothing has been too much trouble. My wife was made to feel an inconvenience by Steve when she contacted Sykes re delay in owners contacting us. She had many concerns to make the holiday as easy as possible due to the huge pressures we had been under since early 2022. We are 'easy ' folk, not the troublesome variety (!) & initial communications were definitely not helpful or particularly kind. That was a shame. She was told that consumable items like bin bags , loo rolls etc must be brought by us & that personal items like a hairdryer should be brought too !!! Extraordinary ! She was told we were renting the building & that was all. It was not a good introduction & she was rather shocked, as was I . However, we give thanks for the peace & beauty of the environment, once there. It is most appropriate for walkers who have little desire to venture further than the immediate landscape.

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• David - Verified booking

  Late December For us, it was far too cold the first day to sleep upstairs so we hard to use the sofas and keep the log wood fire going for as along as we can.

  The following day, the owners organised an electrical radiator for us. Problem solved we thought. As it transpired, the main bedroom bed is far to short to sleep on for my 6ft husband, so he still ended up using the downstairs sofa or one of the twin beds which were larger. Either way, for a get away together this wasn’t ideal. We also did not realise from the pictures of description, that the view with gravel in front was a driveway for the cottage owners next door. So, we didn’t feel secluded as we hoped we would with some of the goings on for next door as well as just them entering and leaving their property. Maybe it would have been fine we’re not for the large floor to ceiling windows and doors. So, instead of enjoying the view we often had the curtains closed. The shower over the bath is somewhat tricky in such a small space, you almost have to stand on the curve side of the bath to directly under it. The internet kept going off, which wasn’t great when no dvd players with films had been provided. We’ve stayed in many beautiful places, and Won’t be returning. As nice as the owners are, we would have liked to have seen them much less (or to be politely reminded the night before to leave on time as turnover for them is the same day). Given the house didn’t get warm enough until day 2, quite frankly the owners should have the foresight to refund us for that first night, never mind a partial repayment for the rest of the holiday given that me and my partner could not share a room together that we wanted. Not much of a secluded getaway.

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• Terry - Verified booking

  If I could give this 6 stars or 11/10 I would, excellent value for money, its one fantastic place to stay, very clean and comfortable and has all mod cons, great location if you like to view the Jets passing by , which they do via the Mach Loop :-).

  All facility's are there inc BBQ and Hot Tub if you want to indulge. Milk, tea, coffee and sugar along with some treats left for you to enjoy on your arrival. Mari is lovely, friendly and very willing to help in any way. I cant really give any negative views as for me there is not any, however if your a hardcore TV fan and like your soaps etc it may be a problem for you as there is no live Sky or Freeview, only 4 streaming channels like BBC i player, ITV X etc but if you can live without this for your stay then you wont be disappointed, for us it did not matter as we go any not to watch TV but to escape ! There are some big trees that block some of the views of the valley at present ( July 2024 ) but these are in process of being removed to give a full panoramic view. 100% we will be going back again, maybe again this year but if not defiantly next year. I congratulate Mari on a very well presented Cottage, top marks :-) Thank you for a great stay.

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• Jane - Verified booking

  It is a sweet cottage and we enjoyed our stay.

  The cottage is on the caravan park but is nicely sectioned off and fairly secluded. Stargazing from the hot tub is the highlight of this place and the local pub does fantastic food. Unfortunately the boiler broke down during our visit. The owner did very quickly provide us with some electric heaters but it wasn't as relaxing as it should have been having a plumber coming and going. The reason for just 3 stars is that the bathroom lets the place down. There is a non-working storage heater still in place, holes in the wall where a towel rail has been replaced, condensation mould in a few places, shower not great and the room is only heated by a towel rail, which isn't enough to heat the whole room in Winter. Lovely big kitchen table but sofa has been changed from the photos, was fine for two but would be very cosy for four. It was the same cost for 4 nights as for a standard weekend of 2 nights; I would have been fuming if I had paid £200 a night.

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