Dog Friendly Gwynedd Holiday Cottages

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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• 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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• 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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• Ria - Verified booking

  The property itself is lovely, very well equipped and in a great location.

  Also thanks for sorting a Christmas tree, that was much appreciated. Unfortunately when we arrived the temperature inside was 11.4 degrees! The hive heating schedule was set to 7 degrees for the most part so would have never warmed up. It took a good 24 hours and 2 bags of logs before the property finally became habitable. Cleanliness was good in the main but there were lots of cobwebs around and under the sofas very dusty. The tap In the kitchen drips constantly which gets very annoying. Also as mentioned in other reviews, the doors don’t close properly. It’s only a small thing but it gets quite irritating and would only take a bit of effort to put right. We also found that whilst the garden is mainly secure, our small dog was able to squeeze through the gate, we feel a little netting cable tied to the bottom of the gate would be beneficial. It was very dark outside, the lights seemed to be on a timer that didn’t come on until well after dark which made standing out to make sure my dog didn’t escape more difficult, he’s a little black dog so I couldn’t even see him without a torch. The beds were comfortable but the sofas absolutely not. We left a day early. It’s a shame about the little things when the property itself is so lovely.

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• Stephen - Verified booking

  The cottage was in a beautiful area at the base of Snowdonia national park, and did have all the facilities which were advertised.

  It did however let itself down in several areas. 2 out of the 3 beds were falling to pieces, as were some of the other items of furniture, and a deep clean of the whole cottage was in need. WiFi was advertised, and 5 years ago it wouldn't have been a big deal, but nowadays it's considered an absolute must. It was woefully inadequate for today's needs. Also because I couldn't find things to do on the internet due to poor connection, there wasn't any 'tourist information' in the cottage. Every other place I've stayed has had at least something there. Sykes have been terrible this time. No way of phoning the company at all, so I sent 5 emails before the holiday requesting several times to cancel due to the covid pandemic, and my financial situation being self employed. Sykes ignored every single one, but were quick to withdraw the money in full, despite what I had sent them, and then stated they only received my last email, and totally lacking in any empathy whatsoever. Also the feedback email was received immediately after the holiday. I have proof that I've sent each email, all to the same address. It's a poor business model, and disgusting behaviour for any company which I have used before. I won't be using Sykes ever again!!!!

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