Christmas Cottages in Wales

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Angela - Verified booking

  I don't think we were meant to go away for my birthday this year.

  I booked our trip for Station Hall at Cilgerran and then just as I was about to pay the balance I was told my holiday was cancelled as it had been double booked. I then didn't have much choice trying to find a suitable cottage that accommodated two dogs for the same dates due to our time off work being booked. I opted for Teifi House as it seemed suitable and was in the location we wanted as we were going to meet up with family nearby for some birthday celebrations. The owner rang me the day before about key location and if there were any problems then to let him know. We arrived just before 3pm on 10th November. Unlocked the doors and then just emptied the contents of our cars into the kitchen and then headed off to the nearby Cliff Hotel at Gwbert for afternoon teas with family who were waiting for us. At the end of the evening we headed back to Teifi House for our holiday. The house is vast and a great size as only three of us were staying. A great location near the local river for walks etc and the village at the top of the hill. We then started to unpack and familiarise ourselves with the house. The first point of call was the downstairs toilet next to the utility room which had not been cleaned and was the standard of a well used public toilet. We packed our shopping away in the cupboards and there were ample pots and pans and glasses etc but it was debatable whether they were clean. The dishwasher still contained dirty crockery from the previous holiday makers. The microwave was dirty with food spills. We struggled to light the oven and couldn't find any manuals that went with the appliances. We were in the process of washing up at the sink (because the dishwasher was full and by now we'd put it on) when our feet got wet. On checking inside the cupboard the trap was not fitted under the sink and water was spilling all over the cupboard. Judging by the amount of empty Kitchen Unblocker bottles, it suggested there had been a problem here. We managed to attach the relevant pipe work. On going through to the lounge, the carpet didn't appear as if it had been hoovered and to add to that there were dog biscuits and chews on the floor! The bathroom sinks appeared to have been cleaned and there were clean towels and bedding on the bed. We couldn't find a Visitors Book which normally offers local recommendations. The Idiots Guide to the House is a few sheets of A4 paper which has been there so long the print is barely readable. One page of it had even been torn off. There's a hand written note about the bins which looks as if had been prepared by a guest. There were two dustbins out on the roadside, one contained paper cake wrappers and an assortment of tins and bags. Nothing in the relevant recycling bags of which there was an ample supply of bags under the sink, albeit wet. There is no phone signal to contact the owner from the house and to be honest it was late in the day and after the long journey we just went to bed and made the most of it. We covered the settees with blankets which I always do and allowed my dogs the run of the house as I really didn't think they could make the house any more dirtier than it was. When we left the house we left it cleaner than when we arrived. I always strip the beds when we leave holiday homes to allow the owner to know which beds we had used. I wish I hadn't . There were no pillow case protectors on the bed, the pillows were soiled. I removed the bottom sheet to find a mattress protector which performed its duties as it too was very soiled with what can only be described a Love Juices!! Need I say more. I was glad to leave that house. I assume the owner had no involvement with caring for the property other than the cash going in the bank. I've since seen numerous complaints about the standard of this house and it seems that nothing has been done to rectify the problem. I would say that the standard of cleanliness depends on who was in the house prior to new guests arriving and how much cleaning they did on leaving or during their stay. There were no cloths to use to clean around sinks etc and I'm certainly not buying them when I'm on holiday. I did not make contact with the owner whilst on my holiday as I wanted a stress free holiday and not confrontation. We stayed out most of the time. Also on another matter, please stop sending me emails every time I look at a holiday home. I have been using holiday homes since 1992 and this one is certainly in the top five of being the worst. I've already got another five holiday cottages booked for the next year so please don't send me any further details as I need to get over this one.

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• Karen - Verified booking

  We booked this cottage as it is located very near to our son and his family in St.

  dogmeals we had planed an early Christmas Weekend with our family for the first few days of our stay.On arrival the house was warm and clean , all the rooms were of a good size. We did have a problem on the first evening with the oven on the large gas cooker which failed to heat up correctly. This was a major problem for us as we had all brought a lot of meat and vegitables for the special meal on the next day( saturday). We telephoned the contact person who was incredably helpful, he firstly made suggestions to try and clear the problem, then after this failed to solve the problem he offered to pay for a takeaway meal for the whole family - we declined this offer as we had plenty of pre-cooked food to feed everyone. The contact person said that he would arrange for a gas engineer to visit the cottage the next morning and even informed us a little later about the approximate time that the engineer would arrive. By Midday on the Saturday , (whilst we enjoyed the local nature walks ) the engineer had corrected the problem and we could cook a large family early Christmas meal. The manager/ owner of this cottage was incredably helpful and very pleasant as well as being as good as his word. Just one point to mention ( and agrees totally with the last review of the cottage) the kitchen is poorly equiped for home cooking with poor quality cutlery and cupboard doors peeling and hanging off. We had read the latest reviews for the cottage and so took pans and knives ect . which was a very good idea !. With just a little expenditure in the kitchen this cottage could be a great choice all round. The location of the cottage is wonderful for pet owners and nature walkers . I would very much like to stay at this cottage again especially as i really don't think the contact person could have done any more to make our stay perfect !.

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• Mahala - Verified booking

  Teifi House is a beautiful cottage in a very peaceful area sitting just above the river.

  We had nothing but bird song during our stay and although the public carpark at the bottom can get busy with people doing various water sports you really aren’t disturbed by any noise at all. It’s a lovely place actually to take a picnic down to and sit by the river and a short walk up to the castle. The cottage upon arrival was very clean and tidy and was exactly as described. Yes it could possibly do with updating decor wise upstairs but it didn’t let us down in anyway and we were perfectly comfortable. 2 dining tables to chose from, comfy living room, nice beds, clean linen and plenty of room for the 5 of us. There was everything we could have possibly needed provided in the cottage and even towels left out for us which was amazing. Plenty of room on the drive for our vehicles and a lovely stone bench and table out the front to have a coffee on. The only possible negative we had was it took forever to cook anything in the oven! It just didn’t seem to get going quickly and then took ages to cook the food. However, that may be because we’re used to quicker appliances so we just started cooking a lot earlier than we usually would and allowed a lot longer for the oven to get up to temperature. The big plus in the area is the local little shop at the top of the hill which stocked everything you could possibly need and was very eco friendly. Very friendly staff too. We enjoyed the area, the cottage and our weeks stay very much and we would definitely book again.

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• Lynne - Verified booking

  We are a family of 5 adults and a dog and Teifi House was perfect for us.

  I would highly recommend staying here. It’s a beautiful setting. It is a good size and has comfortable sofas and a choice of 2 tables to eat at. The location is great with the river a minute walk away. The owner was very responsive and helpful. It was warm and comfortable and the wood burner was a bonus on one chilly evening when sitting chatting around it made for a special night. It is clean and comfortable, but still homely. The shower is fantastic. The 2 bathrooms are well equipped, although it would have been good to have a shower over the bath. The garden is a nice place to sit. Like most holiday homes, we couldn’t let the dog off the lead in there as she could escape through the gate or over the low wall. With riverside walks so close this wasn’t a big problem. Although generally very well equipped ( good choice of pans and oven trays) the kitchen would benefit from the knives being sharpened and a new tin opener. A bigger mat by the patio doors would be good as the outside mat collects water meaning you step in with wet feet and there isn’t space for 5 people to come in onto the mat and take their shoes off, meaning the kitchen floor inevitability gets wet and muddy. Not a big issue but easy solved with a bigger mat inside or a non absorbent one outside. These are all small issues but would make a a great holiday even better. Overall the perfect base for a holiday in this wonderful part of Wales.

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• Sheila - Verified booking

  Nice big house with plenty of space.

  Some things could do with updating but overall was good. Wonderful big gas cooker but the numbers have worn off so impossible to know what temperature you are setting the oven at. Also a pet hate of mine was nothing to put things on in the shower. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash all had to be balanced around the shower tray. No instructions either on what rubbish goes in what bag or when the bin men come. The previous occupants obviously had the same problem as the bin men wouldn't take their recycling away. I presume they'd put the wrong things in the bags as they didn't know. This, however, meant their rubbish sat at the front gate for the whole week. Would be easy to remedy this as other cottages give you a list of what can be recycled. Only minor problems but I feel if they were remedied they would make a big difference. That said, the kitchen was well stocked, lovely huge master bedroom, enormous dining table and a good location for visiting the area. The Welsh Wildlife Centre in Cilgerran is a must.

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