Last Minute Cottages in Gwynedd

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Emma - Verified booking

  I write this with upset, however I have returned home feeling absolutely ripped off.

  The first thing we noticed was how dirty all the floors were on our arrival, wiping dirt off the bottom of our feet. Hair everywhere including the shower. Rust in shower. Paint coming off a lot of the walls. Cooking oil on the shelves in the cupboard above the info booklets. Fridge smelt strongly of food on arrival, a pasta ready meal box had clearly frozen to the back from the previous customers. Nothing had been cleaned. Water trapped under bathroom cup which smelt foul. No hairdryer as advertised, the mini cooker is unusable as the inside is covered in rust (photo available) and smells strongly of burnt chemicals. We washed our clothes, having been away for a week already on the first night and woke up to slug trails all over our clean clothes (photo available) that were in the kitchen area. We didn't feel comfortable cooking in the house, or using any of the kitchen equipment because of the slugs and rust in the cooker. We woke up to a slug on the bedroom floor one morning (photo available) After one wash, the washing machine never worked properly again, we had to ring everything out and then the dryer stopped working and cutting out after 1.5minutes (video available). There is no clothes dryer to hang any clothes so our clothes have been wrecked due to constantly being damp. The outside bin was not collected the entire 8 night stay, and passers by using the bin so we ended up with nowhere to put rubbish. On check out day, a man arrived to the house 2 hours before check out time trying to get in, talking loudly on the phone outside and looking in the bedroom window at me and my partner in bed. Then he lurked outside the house for the next 2 hours watching us move our stuff out. We received no welcome gift as other reviewers have stated. I am seriously upset I have paid £685 for this. If I had any money left, we'd have left and gone elsewhere. The location was great, but the house was lacking in any sort of practicality and comfort.

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• Jennifer - Verified booking

  When we arrived at the cottage and opened the door we were met with the very strong smell of damp coupled with the strong smell of air freshener.

  Our children had 5 separate holidays cancelled over the course of Covid which was no ones fault but this holiday meant so much to them. They didn’t complain to us about the smell otherwise we would have immediately left! but their twin room was actually the worst. There was a sagging ceiling with yellow stains above where the drawers are and the smell of damp was truly overpowering. The lounge too was very smelly with black mould stains up the wall behind the tv. We felt unable to put anything in the cupboards draws or wardrobes as they were all very pungent. We managed to stay for 6 out of the seven nights we stayed out of the house for as much of the day as we could, but on the 5th day it finally it got too much and affected our chests and so we agreed with the children and we left early the next morning. We complained to Sykes who said had contacted the owners and they asked if we had any photos as evidence?? And when we said no they never got back to us! In my mind us having no photos should make no difference we book EVERY holiday we go on with Sykes! Never have we complained before. Never have we had reason to either! We just wanted them to visit the property themselves and address the 4 rating until the health & hygiene standard of the property was brought up to scratch but sadly we had no further response. We felt that to be very upsetting and unacceptable. I am afraid that the owners must know there is a damp problem as their are cheap plastic dehumidifier units in the twin room and the lounge, aside from the obvious sagging ceiling and black mould so to allow people to go to the house without sorting the issue in so unfair on all their guests. Please between you address the problem before someone else visits as it’s really awful to have your holiday ruined especially after all everyone’s been through. Thanks

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• Felicity - Verified booking

  The moment we entered the house we could smell a sour smell.

  When we explored downstairs (the bedrooms) the smell was much stronger. Other reviews have mentioned a damp smell but this was something else on top. I knelt on the bedroom floor to use an extension cable that was under the bed and the carpet stank of urine. That bedroom (the one with the shower ensuite) was impossible to sleep in because the smell was so strong it was nauseating. We contacted the housekeeper and explained that we needed two bedrooms but one of us was having to sleep on the two seater sofa in the living room. She phoned us back to say that she had tried to contact the landlord but was not getting a reply. We then emailed and whatsapped Sykes, who did not reply until we were on the journey home after a week, and even then it was just to say that our 'query' had been passed on to the customer relations team. We have stayed in many holiday cottages over the years and have never written a bad review or made a complaint. This house has such potential for being a really amazing place to stay, but it smelt like a cowshed, and opening windows and plugging in the diffusers that are all over the house (showing that the landlord was aware of the smell) didnt help at all. I think the smell was a combination of damp, poor drains (the sinks and toilets all gurgle when you flush) and perhaps an animal had been shut into the lowest bedroom? A much needed holiday was completely spoilt and we only stayed because we had made plans with family and friends in Bangor. Please could the owners 1. Remove the smelly carpet and clean the floorboards before replacing with new, so that nobody else has to have a horrible holiday. 2. Provide us with a refund.

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• Penny - Verified booking

  All in all Clydfan is a nice enough holiday cottage in a good location for Caernarfon town centre.

  On arrival there was a welcome bottle of wine and we were delighted to see plenty of teabags, sugar and coffee provided, they also provide washing up liquid, cleaning products and even laundry tablets. However, there were also a few expected basics missing - no further bin bags to the one in the rather small bin so we had to buy a roll, no tea towels (only disposable cleaning clothes) and no bath mat. It was useful to have a separate washer and dryer. Also, there are great amount of convenient sockets (some w USB sockets) around the cottage - something that can be an issue in older buildings. However - some of the facilities are rather basic. There is only a tiny counter top oven and the fridge is very small, though it did have a little freezer. In the sitting room a smaller but more comfy sofa would be better, and some table or floor lamps, as the main light is very harsh. The dining table only had very small stools which were not comfortable and a couple very rickety. Though the bathroom is large there is nowhere to put a sponge bag down, and no hooks or rails on which to hang the towels (a basic table by the shower and some wall hooks would do it). There is a large storage cupboard in the bathroom, but it is full of cleaning stuff for the cottage, when it might’ve been useful for storage for guests. Similar issue in the bedroom, there is a hanging rail and two tiny bedside tables, but with a bit of thought something like a chest of drawers, or even some shelves, to put folded clothes in, could fit and would’ve been very useful. the bed itself is a rather small double, and not hugely comfortable.

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• Amanda - Verified booking

  We had a really nice stay at Bod Feurig.

  It's a typical miners cottage as described; really quaint, warm, and very peacefully located. It was very clean and well presented though a little dated, especially in the kitchen, though we felt that added character. The bathroom was modern and again spotlessly clean. We did have trouble finding the washer dryer in the outhouse, but the key on the hook by the door gave us the clue. It rained most the week but hardly souls that we are, we hiked every day so the washing dryer was very welcome though the dryer wasn't particularly good and we ended up drying clothes on the airer. I'm not sure if this was user error but compared to mine at home, things came out damp even after 2 hours of drying. It was just me and my grown daughter visiting and for two it was perfectly spacious. We cooked most evenings and couldn't fault the kitchen contents (implements, pots and pans, dishes etc all well stocked) despite it's tiny size and dated surfaces/cupboards. The one concern we had was for the awkward step into the bathroom at night. The night light helped and we never had a problem but for small children this might be something for parents to be careful about. If we visit the area again, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. It was cheap compared to others in the area so we felt it was good value for money. We thoroughly enjoyed the cottage and the area.

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