Holiday Cottages With Hot Tubs In Dolgellau

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Robin - Verified booking

  Listing was good and exactly what we wanted.

  Potential holidayers need to know that the cottage is located at the start of the Mach Loop. This is a military low flying area with fast jets etc that come in low. It didn't bother us and was quite interesting to watch. We went there at the beginning of March during the snow and cold weather. There is a drive up to the property along a track part tarmac and in some places with a few pot holes so not suited for a Ferrari. The views are superb and there is a walk around the front of the property that goes up into the hills which loops around for maybe a couple of miles. It is well worth the walk as we did on the one sunny day with superb views. It is a cycle track so easily walkable with gates next to the cattle grids. There would be no issues for a disabled person in a reasonable powered scooter to travel it. Be aware that towards the end it has vehicular access so watch out for the odd delivery driver. Some don't know what driving slowly actually means! During our stay it snowed and meant one of the days was restricted to the cottage. Not a problem for us but if you go up in winter and snow is forecast make sure you take warm clothing and you may get snowed in. We did and the owners brother very kindly came up and cleared the track with his digger. So a big thankyou to him or we would have still been there, not that it would have been a bad thing. There are two fires one in the main living room and one in the dining room. At a guess the one in the dining room is oil fired and the instructions for lighting it are a bit vague and we couldn't find the "start switch" I have used open fires before so knew how to get the one in the living room going but if you haven't used one before then you may need to get hold of the owner as there are no instructions on how to light it. We only used the one in the living room and unfortunately i had to clean out all the previous ashes as it was left full. I left it how i would expect to find it clear of ash. There is a basket of wood there to be used and a small amount of kindling wood to start the fire but you will need to chop some more after a couple of fires. The wood shed has plenty of wood and a small hand axe for chopping the kindling so watch your pinkies. There is an honesty box for paying for the wood you use. There is also an electric wood splitter but no instructions or even if you are allowed to use it. The shower head in the upstairs Bathroom needs sorting as leaks more water than the shower head itself. My wife had trouble using it until i pointed out that both the hot and cold need to be on at the same time otherwise it wont shut the valve to allow water to come out of the head, it just fills the bath. Or just use the downstairs shower like i did. It was cold snowy week and when you get up there was no heating on. The heating didn't come on until about 10am so unless you want to have a lay in until then or get up and light the fire in the living room it would suggest the timer needs adjusting as the heating system then remains on for the rest of the day. Have told Sykes this but it remains to be seen if this changes. The kitchen was clean and tidy and we arrived to find a nice little welcome basket so thankyou to the owner for that. If you want a cooked breakfast take your own non-stick frying pan! Plenty of utensils in various cupboards and a good sized oven. Microwave and fridge for the cold stuff. Also a dishwasher but we are old fashioned and as there were only the two of us it didn't get used. The welcome book needs to be left out on the table to be easily seen. We didn't find it until the 3rd/4th day. It was tucked away in a draw in the dining room. This is an old house and whilst fitted with double glazing it's certainly not draught proof if blizzards. The second double bedroom window lets in the "fresh air" So if it's cold and snowing i would consider the main double room. Even the polar bears got frost bite and complained to management. There is wifi which is good. It has a basic sky box with freeview. We had no phone signal whatsoever which was sheer bliss. We only got phone signal if we drove about a mile up the road. For those that hang off their phone or are with Tesco mobile unlucky. Other networks are available and may work. Expect to wake up to sheep in the garden. It is dog friendly but your dog will be able to get out of the property very easily. Remember that if your dog isn't renowned for obeying the rules then keep it on a lead. The farmer can shoot it if it is worrying the livestock. We had a couple of visits from some red kites, buzzards and rabbits. We didn't get to use the hot tub due to the rather cold conditions. I have been to the Artic circle at -40 but i am still not getting in a hot tub when the wind is driving the snow horizontally. Besides the wife said no. We did have to retrieve the lid from the hot tub which had blown about 40mtrs down the rack and the chimney from the wood burner that heats the water for the hot tub. When i say we i mean the wife did, i took the photo's for posterity considering the lid is bigger than her. You are going there for the scenery and relaxing time. It is a fantastic cottage to stay in. I was almost gutted to leave when the farmers brother turned up to clear the track of snowdrifts so that i could get the car out. We were looking forward to another couple of days at least of being snowed in before we ran out of food! I honestly wouldn't hesitate to go back. We even looked to book it again later in the year but found it is fully booked up. Gutted. Enjoy it and return home relaxed if not a few ache and pains from all the walking and sight seeing.

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• Elaine - Verified booking

  It's set right back from the road and can be easily missed.

  Walking in I thought I was walking into a church as it smelt like one, that's not a bad thing as it's an old property. We soon settled in and felt at home. There's plenty of crockery, cutlery, glasses, pots and pans and utensils. The welcome pack is a nice touch and was very much appreciated. We only used the lounge once as we preferred the dining room, it was nice to sit round the table, eat, chat, drink and play card games. There's a two seater sofa and two chairs if you get fed up of drinking and playing cards lol. The wood fire makes it cosy but got too warm as the heating was set ( September) £5 per bag thereafter the first lot free. The hot tub takes around 4 hours to heat up ( you must stay with it to keep stoking it up ) but was fab when we got in it. There was 7 of us, me and my husband, daughter and Son-in-law and 3 grandsons 22, 16 and 14 and I must say the games room was a godsend as we had so much fun in there on rainy days. There's a utility room with washer, dryer, ironing board and iron and a high chair also a mop and bucket which came in handy for the downstairs shower room as the shower doors leak but we soon learnt to face the shower head away from the doors. We didn't bother with the TV as choice of what to watch was poor so as I said earlier we lived in the dining room. It sits at the mouth of Mach Loop ( which excited us ) but only saw 2 aircraft, better than nothing I suppose. All in all this cottage is a little gem with a lovely cosy feel and we would return in a heartbeat. It's not for people who aren't very mobile as there's nothing round it but walks and stunning scenery It definitely gets a 10/10 from us. It would be nice if the owner could get together ( if known ) the history of the cottage like when it was built and the stages of it's life up to present day. I'm sure lots of people would find it an interesting read.

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• Claire - Verified booking

  Gwengraig is a stunning home, very spacious and very comfortable.

  The house was well equipped with all you'd need to cook up a meal. Plenty of glasses, plates etc. The games room was a great addition. The beds were extremely comfortable. We had a super week, but if I was being really critical I think the place needs a bit of a tidy up, there was lots of DIY rubbish around in cupboards and sheds, and the kitchen equipment, albeit was well equipped, took up a lot of space and there wasn't a lot of room for food in the cupboards. The cue's in the games room need new tips, one was unusable and the other is nearly worn, there is only one dart too. There was a broken chair which was unusable too. we were unable to use the hot tub, which was a reason I booked it, but based on other people's struggles we felt it would be too much hassle to get it going, it would take hours to heat which of course meant we'd have to stay at the house and not be out exploring. An electric one would be better. None of these points did anything to ruin or spoil our holiday, and I'd love to visit again.

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• Tina - Verified booking

  Lovely cottage which was plenty big enough and well equipped.

  Lots of character to the cottage and breathtaking views. Games room was a big hit with young and old. The hot tub was a very big effort to get going with it being a log burner, and due to the 3-4hr heating time required meant we couldn't use it on the first night. The outside would benefit from better lighting around the hot tub and inbetween the cottage and games room for safety. The TV in the main living room wasn't working for the majority of the weekend. Someone came to look at it the day after we reported it, but didn't solve the issue. As it was an old sky set up I think the fault was due to the bad weather. Despite these couple of issues overall we enjoyed a peaceful weekend away and would possibly stay here again.

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• Sophie - Verified booking

  We had an amazing stay even though the weather was changeable.

  Our teenagers loved the games room and we all enjoyed the hot tub. Property was very clean and the beds were comfortable. The kitchen was well equipped with decent sized mugs and plenty of crockery so washing up not needed every time up had cuppa. Cycle route 8 runs directly in front of the garden which is paved and you are close to Cod y Brenin for further off road biking. Very close to Cadir Idris if you like a challenging but beautiful walk. The Mach loop is practically on the doorstep so fabulous for aircraft spotting. My tips (not criticisms) are take plenty of dishwasher tablets, a guide book for walks/ordinance map and some kindling. We would love to go back!

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