New Year Cottages in Wales

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Tracey - Verified booking

  The good points to this cottage are the area around is a stunning place to stay even over the Christmas period there are things to see and enjoy and places to visit too and people are friendly.

  The cottage is very quaint but had ample space for two people and a furry friend to relax in. It contained everything you would need on your stay and if you are worried that it would be cold there over the winter months there is plenty of heating and hot water available all the time. The WiFi was great and the smart TV was perfect. The negatives for us were on first appearance the cottage seemed very clean but unfortunately on closer inspection some areas of concern was the mice droppings in the kitchen area by the toaster which we decided not to use and by the bins and over the flooring generally by the skirting boards. So we had to put all our food etc into the plate cupboard as there wasn't really anywhere else to store it as the shelves were open style and not ideal to leave any food that could be nibbles at on nor the work tops. As it was Xmas time we had brought along extra treats of biscuits, choccies, nuts and crackers and other nibbles and we didn't want to find any nibbling into them so everything had to be stored away. Unfortunately it meant the first couple of hours were spent cleaning and disinfecting all the work surfaces and brushing up. Also the kitchen floor looked clean but when wiping up a drop of water the paper towel that wiped up the splash of water was really dirty and we had only been in the cottage a couple of hours. And we wore our slippers as requested by the owners and no outdoor shoes. So couldn't understand why the foot was dirty. And unfortunately the shower had someone's black body hair in places and it was the same around the sink also black hair and not really clean which was not nice to see at anytime never mind on our first day. The bedding and pillows and the towels were very clean and smelled really fresh. The sofa wasn't the comfiest to sit on for long periods and as the weather wasn't too good and I had a broken foot we stayed indoors a lot longer than we would normally do so we probably noticed it more as we say on it for longer periods. And it could have done with a couple more plump cushions to lean on ( but that's just an us thing) And the final negative has to be the bed itself....the mattress was the most uncomfortable thing to sleep on as you sank right into it....literally and not in a good way it seemed to sink in the more in the middle you got so kept waking up with more aches as each night passed and the mattress was lower than the frame of the bed so you had to juggle to get onto the mattress without sitting on the frame as you got into bed which was odd. We personally feel that the mattress needs to be replaced or even to put a firmer topper on the mattress at least an option of one. And for these reasons we wouldn't likely return for another stay. Also to note that it is very wet and slippery getting up and around on foot to the cottage and the steps upto the side of the cottage and our onto the field at the rear are very slimy and slippery and we had to put the out door chairs and table against them so our dog wouldn't climb up them and the paving right outside the front door was very slippy too. We are sure this is just a winter time hazard but we think it needs customers to be made aware of if visiting over the damper months.

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• Peter - Verified booking

  This was our second visit to this cottage.

  Last year it was ok but rather basic. This year it had been newly painted and attempts had been made to make the cottage more homely, with little touches including a lovely welcome gift and milk (thank you!) Last year no kitchen supplies were provided (cloths/brushes) so I had a dash to Barmouth to buy some. This year these were provided but the oven gloves were not provided and I had to resort to using tea towels to get dishes in and out of the oven, burning myself in the process. Our biggest moan is the double bed mattress which is so cheap that it is impossible not to roll together and spend the night feeling like you are sleeping on the side of the mountain outside - and the bedding, as the double duvet is so thin and the blanket too small and thin. The one thing we wanted on our holdiday was a good nights sleep, but in order to get one, we had to configure a way to use the pillows as bolsters - which was far from ideal and use jumpers to try and keep ourselves warm. Similar mattresses are fine on the single beds. I did inform the owners by leaving a note to this effect last year, but no change has yet been made. It comes across to me that the cottage has been fitted with the cheapest furnishings possible. This is a real shame as it could be a lovely cottage - and is getting better. We love: the spaciouness, not having to worry about coming home wet and muddy as the halllway is tiled and spacious; the choice of a bath or shower (most cottages only offer showers); the freedom to explore the adjoining woodland; the convenient position near Barmouth in one direction and Dolgellau in the other. Unlike others we have not noticed any noise from traffic. The warden is really helpful. We had an issue with the free wi-Fi this year and he responded promptly, resolving the problem. Other small improvements that could be made: This year we managed to succeed in working out how the heating worked - rather than it being on all night and and off in the evening when we wanted it on (helpful when it is snowing outside!) Some instructions would be helpful - the folder has an incomplete sentence at the crucial part of the instruction! Also it would be great if there were instuctions as to how to recycle paper/plastic, without having to go to the local tip. The ability to play music on CD's/watch own DVD's would be helpful. We did enjoy our holiday - and these things may seem small, but if improved would make sure we booked again as I see the price is slowly increasing but the cottage is still lacking in basic comforts.

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• Christine - Verified booking

  I have just spent a weeks holiday at this stunning cottage with my family.

  The cottage is truly stunning, incredibly spacious [the largest cottage I have even booked for a holiday], very well equipped, immaculate on arrival and the location is also unbelievably stunning. You can easily travel to all of the wonderful places in North Wales from the cottage location. The information provided in the cottage was incredible, detailed numbered photos of stunning local walks, full information on medical services etc etc etc. The writer needs full praise. Just a few observations, as others have mentioned the entrance to the drive down to the cottage is very difficult to locate, I believe a sign is needed and would be more then helpful. There are other buildings by the cottage, one is the Farchynys farm house and the other two attached to the holiday cottage are as I understand it owned by a Trust who provide Educational stays for a school. There wasn't any students staying whilst we were there but I doubt they any school visits would have any negative impact on the holiday cottage at all. The one issue I did experience before our visit was confirming we would need parking for two vehicles. Several messages from Sykes to the owners were initially ignored so I had to chase continually to confirm, a few days prior to our visit Sykes did receive two replies from two different people, slightly conflicting information. Although the literature states, parking for one vehicle, negotiation required for second vehicle, it appeared from one reply second vehicle parking is not guaranteed, dependant on how many school vehicles are there I assume, on our particular visit dates second car parking would be ok . Having said this, personally I cannot see any problem whatsoever with parking for two vehicles, there is one allocated parking space adjacent to the cottage but as suggested to us in the second reply you can open the five bar gate and quite easily park a second car in the cottage gravelled garden. Anybody wanting two car parking shouldn't be put off at all A little un-necessarily confusing . . A definite five star cottage that I would love to return to.

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• Bethany - Verified booking

  Nice location only 5/10 min drive from Barmouth.

  There is a gated stone courtyard which was great for my dogs. The property is quite basic, it wasn’t the cleanest on arrival. There’s a few stains on the sofa and on the main bedroom duvet. I’d suggest bringing your own blankets and I’d also advise slippers for the cold floor. The duvets are all summer ones so I doubled up. The non existent WiFi was one of my biggest issues, the router is completely dead and the owner admitted to previous issues. The owner has been hard to reach and didn’t seem too bothered. I stayed here on my own and there’s hardly any signal and no wifi so I had to leave the property a few times to make phone calls etc. It is quite isolating. I also wasn’t aware the building connected was being rented out by a huge group of teenagers and they were not considerate of their noise levels. It would have been nice to know a group booking was coming as I have a reactive dog and the windows aren’t double glazed so we could hear everything. The kitchen utensils/pots/pans/glasses/mugs all needed washing before use so I’d advise bring your own as these are old, stained and worn. Also all knives were very blunt so maybe bring your own. There is a dishwasher but everything needed rinsing before and it did take 3 attempts at some items. The shower is a trickle whatever setting it is on, to the point I went to a leisure centre in Towyn a few times when I needed to wash my hair!! The heating goes off quickly and I needed to keep resetting it. So I’d advise bring woolies for over night as it gets cold. The TV even though it’s got a sky box has very limited channels (less than a normal freeview box) so bring board games! Tips for owner: - sort a new router - Update sky box with freeview channels/smart tv - A bag of logs for the fire would be a nice touch - Maybe some fresh new bedding and covers for sofa - Make guests aware of large group bookings - Sort shower pressure - Be reachable if a problem occurs

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• Phil - Verified booking

  There are many positives to Farchynys Court Cottage but a few negatives.

  The "Courtyard Garden" was not a garden - it was was a gravelled area with a few roses. "Fantastic views" - not so. Rural views yes, but that is all. The cottage we found quite dark inside during the days we stayed in, especially in the kitchen / diner and bedrooms. This was due to the rear of the cottage backing in close to the steep wooded hill behind it. There was evidence that the cottage was not cleaned that well - flaking paint on the carpet and parts of a childs toy under the window sill behind the coffee table - seen on the day we arrived and left there. There were only 3 mugs - not a problem for us as there were only two of us staying, but for a family of 4 there would have been a problem. With a dishwasher ideally, I would have expected more than 4 mugs. Personal preference - we prefer cooking on electic and Farchynys was a gas oven, hob and grill. The grill was ineffective as it was hard to control so where we would normally grill food we had no choice but to fry it. We found the NEST central heating and hot water control alien to us. Although the manufacturers installation literature was in a kitchen drawer, a simple typewritten explanation of how to operate such a device manually, would have been appreciated. It took us until day 3 to work out that the silver ring on the outside of the NEST display unit could be rotated as a thermostat! On positives, the cottage is spacious, the TV reception and WiFi was very good, the furnishings were of a good standard with comfy beds and there was ample car parking.

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