Dog Friendly Cottages in Criccieth

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Graham - Verified booking

  Despite all of the points below we really enjoyed our stay at Y Stabal and the cottage provided what we needed.

  If you book knowing these points in advance, adjust expectations, and go out of the prime cost period it can provide a warm dry base for a pleasant holiday. We were lucky and caught the week of summer, if it had been wet the lack of internet access and inability to stream movies would have been more irritating. Take an old laptop and some DVDs with you, they saved the day entertainment wise for us. Cottage has a WiFi hub but "no internet access", which would be a problem if bad weather kept you indoors. Mobile 4G signal was available but only outside the cottage, so again this is weather dependent. It is generally in need of a bit of TLC, but on the plus side you are not scared of accidentally scratching or chipping the walls or breaking one of the fittings. The door to the garden would only lock if door lifted as you close it. The picnic table in the garden had one of the 4 seats broken and tied/marked with pink washing line. The outdoor paving slabs are in places broken, uneven, and rock a bit when stepped on. There is comfortable parking for 2 cars, and 3 would be possible. There is only one set of keys though. The shower tray did not drain fast enough and you had to be careful to avoid overflows, but the shower was ok otherwise. There is only one small two slot toaster, the bread I brought did not fit in it and I had to toast each end of the slices separately. One of the kitchen dining table legs fell off by itself. Some of the kitchen chair assembly bolts were loose and rattly, but chairs ok once finger tightened. Owner was easy to contact via text and notified of some of these as we found them, he came mid week and fixed a curtain rail that had broken the week before, he said he would be up there again at the weekend to check some of the other items. We found the cottage to be missing things like extra toilet rolls, kitchen handwash (practically empty), washing up liquid, dish cloths/pads, dishwasher tabs, bin bags, and there were no extra blankets in case of cold weather. There was no property manual, just a single sheet with WiFi password and instructions for used linen at end of week. We had no idea how to adjust the heating, not that we really needed to, but the owner, Huw, did say text him any questions and he seemed quite approachable. There are no books/games/DVDs. There is no DVD player. The wall mounted LG TV (with one HDMI socket) is approx 32" and looks very small if you dont move the sofa nearer to it. We didnt need to use the washing machine in the shed so cannot advise on its condition/usability. The cottage has obviously been used a lot and is showing signs of wear/tear, and is in need of a complete refit to command top price, but it has provided us with a perfectly usable base for a week's cycling and walking in a very nice area. The view of the mountains and Moel Hebog from the garden is superb. If the people staying in the adjoining property are quiet and without young children the garden is a pleasant place to hang out. We could of done with some lounger chairs, and ended up taking kitchen/dining chairs outside to sit on. There is noise from the nearby main road, but you can still hear the sheep calling to each other and the birds twittering. With the roof vents open at night the traffic noise is a constant and noticeable drone however.

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• Anne - Verified booking

  This little bungalow is an absolute gem, It’s on a beautiful quiet residential street set 1 street from the beach and 1 street the other way to the high street.

  It has everything you need for a comfortable homely stay, There was just me and my son (17) And our pooch. My sons doing A levels so had lots of online work to do and the WiFi was great, The sofas were really comfy plenty of nannas naps taken. The back garden is perfect for my little dog no escape routes, It’s backs on a field so was lovely and private. The kitchen looked pretty new as did the bathroom both were fab. Kitchen had all you could want . Maybe a bit more cutlery we were fine but may run short if there was a family of 5. This little house is Definatly one of the best Sykes properties I’ve had , I’m very fussy about cleanliness and it was spotless and smelt lovely and clean. A fair few bugs but it’s backs onto a field nothing the owners can do about those. Cricceth itself it’s always a joy , I’ve been visiting for 15 years And it never disappoints. The cottage is perfectly placed for getting out and despite being oct the weather was kind , 2 standouts for us caenarfon castle and the Bunny farm which is a mile away. Loved both of these. Although I have to say seeing cricceth castle lit up at night was breathtaking. Shop wise there’s a spar on thehigh street within in the garage . And a couple of convenience stores. There’s an asda in pwhelli and an Aldi and Lidl in Porthmadog. There’s plenty of pubs and takeaways in cricceth itself too. Note though the takeawayswere all collection much to my teens disgust lol . The main chippy on the front is by far the best chippy in wales in our opinion just be prepared to queue also check times as they don’t open all day . Garreg wen is fantastic We can’t wait to stay again . I know where I’m retiring to. Few little things , Nothing major. An exstention lead for main bed room would be great as plugs were not situated by dressing table. A full length mirror , Maybe spare keys . Again no issue for us but may help for bigger groups . Spare batteries too. And maybe a black out blind in black bedroom as curtains are quite thin, Not great for a teen lol. To finish I’d like to say not sure why some had cleaniness issues or had issues stripping beds . I’ve always done this whether asked or not. And cleaned up our mess and put bins out if nessary. Don’t let that put you off. We really loved our stay The artwork by the way was beautiful. Someone is very talented . Thanks again Anne ,Harvey and Teddy xx

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• Megan - Verified booking

  The location is great, the beds are comfy and it was really warm.

  But there are some big issues which must be resolved before anyone else stays at the property. - The leaking shower which comes through the ceiling and caused electrical issues and a huge mess to be cleaned up every time. - The draining board sink leaks into the cabinet underneath and really really smells. - The oven is absolutely filthy and filled the kitchen with smoke when we went to use the grill. - The property is in need of a proper clean, there were cobwebs everywhere. The slate floor downstairs needs to be mopped, we cleaned it with a cloth on our hands and knees when we arrived and when we left and it was absolutely filthy. - The fridge really needs to be replaced as it is missing shelves and is mouldy and rusty. The dishwasher also did not drain properly and was filled with dirty water when we went to empty it. - The toilet seat in the downstairs toilet is broken and needs to be replaced. - There is no welcome book/instructions with the property at all, needs information on the bins and how to leave the property on check out, local information, how to use the heating etc. There was also no washing up liquid when we arrived or cloths to wash up with and no tea towels. There aren't toilet brushes in every loo and there is no mop to be able to clean the floor. - There aren't enough drinking glasses for the number of guests in the cottage, we had to have water out of a mug or random wine glass. Also the metal sheet pans for the oven are rusty and unusable. We did feedback most of this to the owner on our stay. The fence was broken on arrival due to the recent storm and this was fixed during our stay as we have a dog which we were grateful for. Also the shower tray was blocked and this had some unblocker put down it, but the rest of the issues stand and need to be resolved before the property is safe and comfortable for future guests.

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• Nicholas - Verified booking

  Comfortable warm bungalow in a lovely area, but let down due to poor cleaning.

  Not a good welcome by having a dirty front door mat. Others have mentioned this in the guest book. Only tea and coffee supplied, but no milk. Dining table was sticky and full of crumbs. Edges of wooden bed in main bedroom was full of hairs and dirt. All flooring could have been better cleaned, lots of dirt on and under rug in lounge. No oven gloves, baking sheets, colander. Can opener broken and a bulb left by previous guest wasn’t replaced. Not enough cutlery as only 4 knives. Owner asking to put bins out for recycling, but not stating which boxes they go in as all the markings on the boxes are worn out. Also owner asking to strip bedding. Only heard about this during Covid. This was not done as I have never been asked before at any other self catering. Surely this is included in the rental price. Seems like mattress and pillow protectors are not washed each time as these were told to stay on the bed. We didn’t contact the owner about the issues. Before our arrival we contacted Sykes about some reviews online and this took several weeks to get a reply from the owner. Wi-Fi is now working, but has low security, so reluctant to use. We would return to Criccieth as it’s a very friendly village with plenty to do and great to tour around North Wales from there, but sadly would not return to Garreg Wen until issues have been sorted.

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• Linda - Verified booking

  THIS COTTAGE WAS SHODDY, UNCOMFORTABLE AND DIRTY IN AREAS TO THE EXTENT THAT WE RETURNED HOME AFTER 3 NIGHTS AS OPPOSED TO 6 NIGHTS.

  THERE WAS COBWEBS AND SPIDERS IN MANY AREAS OF THE COTTAGE THAT HAD OBVIOUSLEY BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE.THE PAINTWORK WAS MARKED AND DIRTY IN SOME OF THE ROOMS.THE WINDOW IN LOUNGE HAD A BROKEN HANDLE AND THERE WAS A GAP SO THAT IT LET IN A COLD DRAUGHT. THE MAIN BATHROOM HAD PAINT FALLEN FROM THE WALLS REVEALING BARE PLASTER. LIGHT BULBS IN SOME AREAS WERE NOT WORKING ALONG WITH THE MICROWAVE.THE DINING TABLE IS SCRATCHED EXCESSIVLY AND DEFINATLEY SEEN BETTER DAYS. THE SMALL FREEZER IS PLACED IN A DIRTY CUPBOARD IN THE LOUNGE AND WAS UNEVEN SO IT WOBBLED WHEN OPENING AND CLOSING. THERE IS NO WASHING MACHINE OR DRYER EVEN THOUGH THERE IS AMPLE SPACE IN DOWNSTAIRS TOILET.THE SOFA IN THE LOUNGE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AND DIRTY. THE 2 DOUBLE BEDS WHERE VERY LOW IN HEIGHT AND OF POOR QUALITY AS WELL AS EXCEPTIONALLY UNCOMFORTABLE. ONE DOUBLE YOU CAN NOT WALK EITHER SIDE OF SO HAVE TO CLIMB ONTO IT TO GET IN FROM THE BOTTOM. THE HOT WATER WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY ON OUR ARRIVAL HOWEVER A REPAIR MAN ARRIVED ON OUR FIRST DAY THAT WE WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF SO DISRUPTED US FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR ( SURELY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SORTED BEFORE OUR ARRIVAL IF THE LANDLORD WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.) THE ONLY PLUS WE COULD COMMENT ON IS THE LOCATION PROVIDES WONDERFUL SCENERY. A VERY DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE !!!!

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