Last Minute Cottages in Dolgellau

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Laura - Verified booking

  Many thanks for your response.

  However, I sense that some things have been lost in translation, so I thought it best to respond with our particular issues in writing for absolute clarity. These points haven’t really been addressed in the response from the owner. The outside lights are on throughout all hours of darkness, despite Snowdonia being an International Night Sky Reserve. Not only did this mean we couldn't actually see the night sky from the cottage surroundings (one of the main reasons for selecting such a remote location), it is my understanding that as a general rule, with a night sky reserve outside lighting should be switched off when not needed, and property owners are requested to use proximity sensors and avoid these dusk-till-dawn sensors. The permanent outside floodlighting also meant that all bedrooms were affected by the outside lights, preventing true darkness inside as well as out. One blind on the master bedroom was broken and couldn't remain shut (there is no way a cleaner could have missed this, so we presumed the owner must be aware), and another could not close fully due to the physical window mechanism – again something the owner must be aware of. The smaller bedrooms were also affected by light seeping around the odd system of rectangles of fabric on shutter arms for curtains: they were not broken, there was nothing to report, it is simply an inefficient method of shutting out the light when there is a floodlight outside. there were no instructions... for anything. Not where to put the rubbish (we decided the large bin halfway down the track was probably okay to use, but there was no indication on recycling at all), nor how to work the heating, the washing machine... most of it we figured out for ourselves, but we never knew how to turn the underfloor heating on or off, or to put the upstairs radiators on a timer, meaning we had to run the heating all night and be overhot by morning, or turn it off before bed and be chilly when we woke. It was a small irritation which a sheet of instructions could easily have fixed. The AGA was not in use; we were led to envision a warm kitchen with a warm AGA (not just for cooking, but always useful for drying wet walking gear)and this was not the case. We didn't complain about this as we presumed we must have missed some information the listing regarding this, and that it was only switched on during colder months; it was only upon our return home and going through the details again that we realised we were indeed correct, and the impression they give is that the AGA will be on. If the previous renters had switched it off, then shouldn’t it be the cleaner’s job to check it is on and ready for the next visitors? I in fact took away with me frozen meals for the first week as I was so sure that I would have an AGA to leave them in all day, meaning simple hot dinners upon our return of a day's hiking. This obviously became impossible with just a small electric oven, and certainly changed the nature of my carefully planned relaxed catering. How long it takes to turn on is immaterial – if you do not own an AGA, you will be unsure as to the proprieties of doing so without any instruction; no one wishes to face a bill for damaging an AGA by ignorant useage! “When contacted Mrs Davenport did offer to send maintenance round” – we at no point contacted Mrs Davenport regarding the AGA, or requested the AGA to be switched on – as already stated were under the impression it wasn’t available to us. Mrs Davenport’s unprompted message states that she would ‘like to have the electrician to call at some point to turn the AGA on’ – leading to the inevitable conclusion that not only could we NOT turn it on ourselves as it requires an electrician to do so, but also that Mrs Davenport was well aware it was not currently working. We were asked to leave the key in the lockbox to allow an electrician to enter the property in our absence, but having an amount of valuable tech and photography equipment in the cottage, we were not in the least happy to do this; nor were we prepared to lose a day of our holiday to sit and wait for an electrician, so we refused as it was only a further couple of days. there were CCTV cameras watching the property entrances at all times. Whilst I understand the need for security (though a security-conscience owner would surely change the key lockbox code to something other than '0000'), the feeling of constantly being under scrutiny by strangers was disconcerting. It is my understanding that holiday property owners have the right to use surveillance devices to protect their property, provided they are used in common areas (they were outside the property, aimed at the doors) and are clearly disclosed in their listing; which they are not. Whether the footage is ever looked at is rather immaterial. A couple of smaller notes - the kitchen was poorly provisioned - there is simply no storage facility for food (despite the remote location, and the need for ensuring you are fully stocked for at least a few days), no pantry or empty cupboard to place anything into. There was also a lack of kitchen implements, which suggested that the owner has never actually stayed in the property for a length of time and tried to feed a family from the kitchen. The minimal basics are there, but the little extras which most kitchens come to possess were missing. We were fortunate that there were only five of us: had there been more we could not all have relaxed together in the same room, as neither sitting room seated more than five, in a cottage that sleeps 7. You can all dine together, but two pews are not conducive to long meals relaxing around a dinner table! I appreciate that some of these points, particularly the AGA, should have been raised at the time, but as I have explained it is only upon our return home that we realised we should in fact have had full use of the AGA. However, if it required an electrician’s visit, I’m not sure that would have made any difference. We did ask Mrs Davenport how to turn off the outside lights, and were firmly told that we couldn’t. I’m not sure why a welcome pack has been mentioned – there was indeed one waiting for us, and it was very welcome. My husband certainly didn’t expect coffee filters – though we were surprised at the lack of any coffee-making facility, presuming a cafetière is just basic kitchen equipment for every holiday property we’ve stayed in previously (and as a travel writer, that’s a lot!). And we presumed the broken blind in the master bedroom was already known about as the cleaner couldn’t have missed it, the window fitting has obviously always been that way, and the curtain ‘doors’ on the windows are not in any way broken. Perhaps others do not expect their stay to be as dark as we do – in the summer I’m guessing we wouldn’t have noticed so much. I hope that explains things further, and in a more reasonable light. I do feel these issues needed to be raised with the owner to help future guests – I can see on the Sykes listing that others have previously mentioned the lack of instructions, rubbish & recycling facilities and lack of food storage space. Thank you Laura The Above is our response to the below sent to us after our initial complaint. Dear Mrs Laura H Booking PBN : ############## Further to our conversation today I have since spoken to the owner of Tyn Llwyn in relation to your complaints, Customer feedback is very important to help us continually improve our standards. I will try to answer each point you have mentioned and in the order they have been raised, as follows: 1. No welcome Pack, - A welcome pack does not need to be provided although we always encourage our owners to provide one, it is solely down to the owners discretion. 2. Lack of kitchen equipment and cottage was uncomfortable - unfortunately we did not receive great amount of detail in relation to this, the only thing noted is that there was no coffee filters in the property. All of our cottages are sold on a self-catering basis, any extras including coffee filters may not be guaranteed. 3. CCTV and Security lights - when speaking to the owner she said the security camera is for peace of mind and insurance purposes as the property is situated in a very rural location and the cameras faces the lane leading up to the property at the rear of the property, the interior of the property cannot be seen - this is not viewed live and only viewed if an incident arises, if you have informed the ower about thw gaping in the curtains she would of come round to fix this. 4. AGA was not turned on - The Oil AGA when switched on takes roughly about 20-30 minutes to heat up. This turned on along with the other heating facilities the property does tent to get very hot so may have been switched off by the previous guests, this easily could have been amended if you contacted either Sykes Cottages or the Owner, Mrs Davenport may have assumed you did not need this feature as no contact was made in regards to this this issue. When contacted Mrs Davenport did offer to send maintenance round on Wednesday 16/10/19 to turn it on, but you did not feel comfortable with maintenance coming round without supervision. We are sorry that you felt these issues were a downside to your stay but it would have been beneficial to us all if you had made Sykes or Mrs Davenport aware of your concerns at the time they came to your attention. If you had done so all of the above could have been either addressed or explained further.

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• Henry - Verified booking

  What a shock, were do we start.

  First thing is the narrow lane up the hill, so lucky we got a 4 x 4! Yes you can drive regular cars up but not for everyone! The steep and narrow uphill turns is not really suitable for a normal car, loaded with family and stuff for the week ahead! Yes you can drive up if your used to it as one or two people, but think about a loaded car for the holiday!? Now let's talk about the view, absolutely beautiful however ,not the garden! We have never stayed in such a place that is so unkempt and barren and laden with weeds, it's an overgrown car park, cant call it a garden! Now the issues we had, first thing just one flimsy black rubbish bag that was falling apart when we tried to empty it, and no replacement bags and no bins to empty into, I contacted the owner to be told they dont normally provide rubbish liners! We could load the rubbish in the car and take it half way down the hill to the nearest bin!!! In all fairness, at this, the owner did send more black liners up and told us to leave rubbish in the outside shed. Next issue, description states dvd player, yes there was a dvd player, but no lead to connect to the tv! Again this was addressed when I phoned the owner, however, we should Not have to be contacting the owner over basic facilities and at the price this cottage is charged for a weeks stay!! Okay, how about no hair dryer, never stayed anywhere without basic items and that includes a hair dryer. Just for anyone reading this, we booked this cottage to take two young girls with learning disabilities, they have, as most other girls, disabilities or not, long hair that needs washing every few days or so, but no hair dryer! Enough said. We have stayed in many hotels and cottages, both domestically and abroad, and have never seen the lack of facilities and attention to holiday makers who have paid GOOD MONEY!, to make the most of their holiday. This place didn't have any extra cd's, DVD's, books, games, and the usual things you get when staying in such a place, no amenities at all! Something else!, no cupboard room or storage in kitchen to put a few groceries etc away! Oh yes, no shaver socket or adapter for shaves, toothbrushes etc that is part of modern day holiday life, nothing! Okay, now let's talk about the log burners, it states that the fuel etc is part of the rent, yes there was enough logs for a few nights, but wait a minute, no companion set, or indeed anything to clean the ashes out, let alone anywhere to take the ashes to empty into! We was able to light the fire on two nights but due to no cleaning facilities, not able to empty sufficiently to re light again! Poor show! Now readers, how about this one. When we stripped our bed at the end of the week, we were horrified to find several nasty stains and Mark's that we'd been sleeping on!!! Also, dead, half decayed dead animals by shed Disgusting! To summarise, the general feeling of this place was very bleak, barren, uncared for, book at your peril, you have been warned. For the price, Disgusting! Might have been a bit more forgiving if the price was half as much, but for nearly 1.5grand you should be ashamed!!

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• Julie - Verified booking

  We had a thoroughly enjoyable week at the cottage and surrounding area.

  The property is remote, but in a beautiful setting with amazing views and walks from the doorstep. For us, this made the remoteness more than worthwhile. The walks that take in the views across the estuary were particularly lovely. The property itself has been beautifully renovated with lots of original features and quirky character, which we love. It is spacious and has all of the facilities that you might need, two sitting rooms with lovely log fires, two TV's and a radio, downstairs loo and two large bathrooms upstairs. The kitchen is huge and would make a perfect setting for a family Christmas lunch! There is a utility area with washing machine and tumble dryer, which is essential to dry off your walking clothes. The owners had left cakes which was a lovely touch. The bed we slept in was comfy and the property was very clean throughout. I've seen some other reviews that mention the steep drive to the property and condition of the tracks, please don't let those put you off! Yes, it is quite a long way up the single width track and yes, there is a sharp right turn with a steep hill, however, after the first time it is a doddle and not an issue at all - I actually quite enjoyed it as part of the experience! In terms of the areas that could perhaps be improved, we found the two seater sofa in the sitting room with the TV a bit small for us and would have preferred a larger sofa or perhaps the TV situated in the larger sitting room with the three seater sofa. The property would benefit from some little touches, such as lamps and a couple of rugs and throws downstairs to make it feel more cosy and homely. Some details of walks from the property would have been helpful. Although the garden is technically enclosed, there were rogue sheep that kept finding their way into the garden (as sheep do!) so we weren't able to let our dogs run loose (plus they would have loved rolling/eating the sheep poo!). All in all, we loved it and wouldn't hesitate to stay here again. Thank you so much to the owners for their hard work renovating this absolute gem and letting us stay!!

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• Paul - Verified booking

  We booked a 3 night stay in this property for 6 adults and 2 children under 10.

  3 families and the children all had separate rooms. Beautiful location with a fabulous view. 5 minutes into Dolgellau by car and no more than 10/15 minutes walking. There is however a fairly steep hill to walk up back from Dolgellau. We ate in the Royal Ship Hotel in Dolgellau - the food was fantastic. Plenty of coffee shops in the town centre. The house itself was extremely well appointed. Beautiful bedrooms with comfy beds. One of the bedrooms downstairs had an en suite. Very large kitchen, which had everything you need, large dining room and spacious lounge with huge smart tv and log burner. Easy access to the property the owner texted us a code to the key safe by the front door and there was also an additional set of keys. The owner Louise texted us the day before we arrived to wish us a very happy holiday and insisted we contact her should we have any problems. The property itself was very clean and spacious and all the bed linen and towels were provided. The fresh flowers and welcome basket together with a box of logs for the log burner was a nice touch. Thank you Louise and Tim we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

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• Sarah - Verified booking

  My family and I had a lovely week at Lleifior.

  The house is exceptional with everything you could possibly need, it is decorated tastefully and equipped to a high standard (so much so that I purchased some of the kitchen utensils I used there for my own kitchen at home) The view is spectacular and it was lovely seeing how the changing weather affected it. Dolgellau is very quaint with lots of eateries and places to have a drink (be it tea or a pint). It is a 10 minute walk into Dolgellau but it will take longer coming back as the house is up a steep hill. The house is in a good location to use as a base and explore this beautiful part of Wales, Barmouth with its sandy beach is a 10 minute drive away. Wherever we went though we loved coming back to the home comforts of Lleifior. Communication was great with Louise the owner- she even told us when the gardener was coming. I would highly recommend this house as a place to stay, an added advantage was that I was able to charge my EV up using solar energy. Also we would recommend George lll pub at Penmaenpool for a meal and a drink with a view.

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