Christmas Cottages in Snowdonia

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Amy - Verified booking

  I loved the character of this cottage and I loved the garden!

  The location is beautiful! Would consider going here again. We had a lovely stay in this cottage. It's on a beautiful country road, quite secluded, amazing scenary and tranquil garden. The road to the cottage is very narrow but we didnt have any problems with any on coming cars. The cottage is semi detached with a shared garden, but no problems with the other visitors. The beds were comfortable, the bed linen and towels were good quality, the kitchen facilities/equipment were great, the TV was large and modern and comfy armchairs to relax in. The cottage is in a great location being in the Snowdonia countryside but also being close to villages and beaches. It is close to Harlech which is a lovely village with a big beautiful sandy beach and a castle. During our stay we visited Harlech village and the castle, Harlech beach, the slate museum and the Snowden train in Llanberis, Betws-Y-Coed which has lots of shops and restaurants but remains a beautiful village setting, and went on a couple of lovely long walks; one in Bronaber and one in Betws-Y-Coed. Yet there are still so many forests, hills, lakes, castles and beaches to explore which we weren't able to fit in in a week! We would love to explore Snowdonia further and I would consider using this cottage again; it suited our needs as a family of 4 and I like the location in terms of accessing all the places we would like to visit. Any room for improvement to the cottage?... regardless of the setting on the shower it doesn't come out as strong as we would've like it to. It was fine but we would've preferred a more powerful shower. To some extent the place could do with some fresh paint and the carpet being cleaned but it was fine and we had a lovely time, and I LOVED the character of the cottage. The narrow road may also not be for the more nervous driver, but as I said before, it wasn't an issue at any point coming and going from the cottage, just go slowly and be prepared that you may have to reverse to find a space to pull in (but we came up against another car only once or twice the whole week and the other drivers were considerate and patient). And the reality is most roads in Snowdonia which are off the main road are narrow so it kind of is what it is! We had a picnic bench outside in the garden which we used to eat dinner and play games out in the sunshine in the evening which was lovely but it would've been nice to have a couple of more comfortable chairs or loungers in the garden to sit outside and relax in, read a book and to soak up the scenery; if we come to this cottage again I'd bring camping chairs. But these are little things, they didn't spoil our stay in this charming period cottage. We had a relaxing week and were sad to leave when the holiday was over. Thanks for having us!

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• 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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• Vicky - Verified booking

  We have been coming to this lovely old House for over 10 years for Summer and Christmas holidays often staying for 2 weeks.

  As the house in now on the market and has been for over a year one more week in the Summer was booked. However on arrival the Grass had been cut but I did notice dead flies in the bedroom. But there was no hot water and as afternoon became evening it got very chilly.I realised there was no heating either. I had received by email from the Owner with details of the new HIVE heating system, which I had printed and bought with me. The shower was working, but by 8am next day still no hot water or heating. It was uncomfortable. A call to the owner , in Southern England, who I have to say, seemed a little confused as to which switches should be on or off .He suggested the outgoing guest, had followed the departure instructions incorrecty. I guided him through where the swtiches were in the airing cupboard, as he said all he had on his APP were lights Eventually the system came to life and I was instructed on what the temperatures would be set at throughout a day. I was astounded - Its madness that someone living 250 miles away in S England can predict a correct level for a micro climatellike Snowdonia at elevation. Apart from that individuals each have there own need, even if the SUmmer does improve downpoors and inclement conditiions can roll in very quickly and a warm house is essential. The boost system did not work consistently and although the lovely couple next door lent me a portable radiator it only heated 1 room as did the firewood .Furthermore in an effort to keep warm I found a throw which I used on the bed at night ( very poor thin Duvets) and woke up the next day with severe itching and red blotches over my back and upper part of my arms. A trip to Rowlands Pharmacy in Porthmaddoc confirmed Insect Bite .The pharmacist advised me it would take 48 hours before the took effecnd that I should stai in the warm - I returned home on the Tuesday. Victoria

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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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• Suzanne - Verified booking

  A great little cottage with character and history.

  Beautifully views and everything you would possibly want to do within easy reach by car. There was a dedicated grass and shrub garden a few yards from the cottage which could be used by the little house occupants with great views. Including front and back gravelled small garden with a washing line. There was a nice little kitchen with underfloor heating and items needed for your stay. Owner was very friendly and we're the family and were happy to help in any way. Open fire which was lovely in the evening and a couple of heaters as secondary heating. The bed was comfortable and had a skylight and old fashioned furniture which went with the character of the building. There is a field to run your dog when sheep are not present. I would stay at the little house again as it was quiet and remote but lots of interesting places by car and just what me and my dog Bruno needed. Just to get away for a week. Thankyou

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