Christmas Cottages in Snowdonia

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Emma - Verified booking

  I would say that this cottage was adequate and a good place to sleep but that was about it!

  Starting with the positives, it was easy to find, directions were great and it is off a main road so no winding down roads for ages to get to it which is great after a long drive. The bed was also very comfortable! There was plenty of cups, plates etc. and having a fridge and facilities to make your own food was great (especially as there isn't any where within walking distance to eat). WiFi was good (and necessary as didn't have a phone signal at the house) Now onto the negatives... The whole house smelt of damp! It needs a really good airing. The people before us had clearly had the oil heaters on or the log burner but not aired the house properly as we could not shift the smell and it was embedded in the soft furnishings. The bathroom downstairs as well isn't the best. The shower has really low pressure and the angle is almost impossible to wash your hair and I am only 5ft 1 so you can imagine by husband struggled who is 6ft. We also found a bowl of rotting vegetables and salad in one of the kitchen draws which gave me reservations about how well the house was actually cleaned before we got there and promptly proceeded to anti-bac everything (with wipes i had brought myself). I also felt there was a lot of unnecessary "stuff" in the kitchen which with covid made me uneasy. Whilst it looked nice having a dresser with cups etc. and it was great to have plenty of cutlery etc. it really isn't necessary and I think they should strip things back to basics and then make sure they provide anti bac to wipe surfaces down etc. and it would make me feel more confident about the cleanliness of the house. The water also tasted funny which meant we went out to buy bottled water. I also think the TV could have been bigger and possible have DVD player or access to netflix. I also think the host could have been more organised with their welcome booklet offering advise on places to eat/drink/shop etc. I know you could argue that we could google it (which we did) but little things like that are what usually set the sykes cottages apart from staying in a hotel that you really feel well looked after! In summary if I had paid £60-£90 a night for this I would have been alright with the price but we paid £934.00 for 4 nights which frankly was a total rip off!

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• Steve - Verified booking

  We loved Bryn Re!

  We stayed for two weeks (with very unsettled weather). The location is fabulous - very remote and very peaceful, with glorious views to the south of Cadair Idris and the Rhinog mountains to the west. We were entertained each evening by a curlew flying around the house and even landing on a nearby fence post. Also the sound of sheep is about as noisy as it gets. Located at the end of a long (1/2 mile?) private drive the cottage is very remote and has lots of rustic charm. It is well furnished, with comfortable reclining chairs and sofa from which to enjoy the log burner (plenty of logs included by the owners). The kitchen and utility room has everything you’d need. We met both the owners who were very friendly and welcoming - nothing is too much trouble it seems. On arrival we found a welcome pack of essential supplies (enough tea, coffee and milk for the first evening) including delicious Welsh cakes and Bara Brith. If you enjoy a quiet stroll to the pub in the evening this is not the cottage to choose! But for relaxing, and peace and quiet, it’s wonderful. There is good hill walking nearby - Cadair Idris is only half and hour away. Good beaches too at Porthmadog and Harlech (only half an hour) and highly recommend a visit to Corris Slate Mine (also only about half an hour away). Thank you to the owners, Gwyn and Buddog, for making your lovely cottage available.

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• Mrs Andrews - Verified booking

  Beautifully presented, high-end cottage which immediately felt like a home from home. It was the perfect retreat for our family of four and 2 dogs. The garden was a real bonus and being able to walk the dogs off-lead in the allocated field was incredibly helpful. The views from the cottage are beautiful and the whole vibe was one of relaxed comfort. With a good size boot room off the main entrance and a fab space for drying dogs off the garden entrance (poo bags, water bowl and drying towel all thoughtfully provided!), the cottage suited our needs perfectly. The standard of the accommodation was really high - everyone wanted a bubbly soak in that lovely bath!!! The main road running alongside the cottage is busy, but in no way detracted from our stay and the ease of access to main routes made it simple to get about. The owners were warm and welcoming and made sure there was tea, milk and welsh cakes waiting for us on arrival - yum!! Will definitely return as so much to explore in the area and this cottage offers the perfect, cosy base.

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• Rod - Verified booking

  A good centre for exploring the Snowdonia National Park, both the mountains and the coastline.

  We did meet the owners more by luck than anything else and they are very friendly and helpful. They do not live close by though, and are living about 5 miles away. The Cottage is therefore very remote, which in our case was fine. We loved the surrounding scenery. I would suggest that perhaps there could be a bit more information left in the cottage other than just the glossy pamphlets. Something on where best to walk, and on where to go to eat locally would be helpful. Broadband and phone signals worked OK though download speeds are not great as you might expect so far away from any fibre connectivity. No problem with web sites for places of interest or with email. The little track from the main road is fine for ordinary cars, and not difficult to spot once you have done it once or twice. Great for star gazing as no light pollution at all. Could clearly see the Milky Way. We loved this part of Wales and our stay in Bryn Re.

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• Carol - Verified booking

  We arrived late on a Friday afternoon, we had a look around the cottage and was disappointed with our first impressions.

  The first thing noted was the condition of the cooker top was dirty looking. We set about cleaning the c00ker top as best we were able. We then decided to inspect the bedroom and was really upset, the bed appeared to look clean but when we pulled the throw back there was several woodlice in between the sheets! we removed the bed sheets and noted a stain on the sheets and pillow. The issues with the woodlice did not improved. There were other items noted, one of the chairs was broken, the toilet seat was not secure, to try and resolve the woodlice issue we moved the bed and noted that the floor area below the bed was disgusting. There was a travel trunk in the living room which we moved to retrieve a pack of playing cards and it was also noted that the area had not been need cleaned. WE WOULD APPRECIATE THE OPPERTUNITY TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES WITH THE OWNERS PRIOR TO DECIDING TO PUBLISH OR NOT PUBLISH OUR REVIEW.

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