New Year Breaks In Wales

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Nicola - Verified booking

  RAW SEWAGE AND RUDE We're really disappointed to have to write this review after looking forward to this holiday for nearly a year.

  We noticed a smell at the property, especially when on the decking - there is quite a bit of construction going on with houses being built, so we thought it may be that or as we're by the sea, stagnant water. We opened a bedroom window and saw raw sewage all over the path to the back of the property - huge amounts of toilet paper and feces. We'd already received a message from Menai Holiday Cottages to say a plumber was coming to fix a toilet seat so we informed him as soon as he arrived. As he was leaving he said someone would be out "in a day or two". I assumed I would get an update on this and was about to chase it up, as we were obviously concerned as it is a health and safety issue, but a plumber turned up that evening and resolved the matter. This was fine, we appreciated the speedy response, although would have appreciated communication to confirm someone was coming. At the end of the day, we've paid for a holiday and we purposefully chose a property that we could "stay in" - with a kitchen to cook, a garden for my baby to play in etc and this was affected by an engineer pumping sewage away for hours that evening. The next day we got a message to say the plumbers report stated baby wipes were the issue, and if we were flushing them to stop. I wanted to make sure everyone was aware we hadn't caused the issue. Firstly, we have never flushed baby wipes, but secondly the amount of sewage on the path was far too much to have been caused by us in 24 hours, it was clearly an ongoing issue. The receptionist couldn't put me through, so I left a message, and Helen from Menai Holiday Cottages called me back. It was an extremly poor customer service experience. Helen was angry that I'd supposedly left a message accusing her of blaming us for the baby wipes. This was clearly an internal miscommunication, because I'd never used the word "blame" and simply wanted them to note that it wasn't caused by us. It was unprofessional, and upsetting. On Friday we got another message to say the plumber was coming back out. I'm assuming calls go through to a call centre because it was always someone different and I was never able to be transferred to the person who sent me the original message and noone seems to fully understand whats happening. When I asked why the plumber was coming again I was told the toilet was blocked, and I had called them on Tuesday to say it was blocked with baby wipes!! Very incorrect and clearly communication isn't great/ messages are getting mixed up as different people deal with them. We waited 90 minutes for a plumber who never arrived, and I never received any communication to say the pumber had or hadn't been/ or there was any further issue. What is particularly upsetting is that noone has ever just simply said sorry this happened on your holiday, or when I called back asked if everything was now okay. There was no customer care or concern. We've had our holiday affected by raw sewage, and yet instead of feeling like we mattered, I was being treated rudely. When we got back off holiday, I sent a message via the app to say we were unhappy with our experience and again, the customer service seems off. Still no apology, and instead I was told the issue had caused the owner "a hefty bill" and I was accused of stealing a pillow. The hefty bill is not my concern - it has nothing to do with us, is part of running a property business and to even mention it to us implies we are in fact being blamed? And to mention a missing pillow in the same conversation as raw sewage is absurd. We have been on many holidays, there has occasionally been a smashed glass etc and we have never, ever been messaged afterwards! It is pathetic. Perhaps your property checks should include inspecting the outside of the property for raw sewage, as well as supposedly missing pillows. This experience has unfortunately put a dampner on what was meant to be a special holiday. We certainly wouldn't return and have also been put off using Sykes again too - I've asked multiple times for contact details to speak to someone further about these issues and my messages have been ignored. Finally, just a few more pointers about the property: • The decking is unsafe - the side railing is slanted, overall very wobbly and there is a big gap between the door and where the decking starts - perfect size for a child's leg to slip through! Definitely not safe for children, be extra careful if they're on the decking • The BBQ in the shed is dirty and has ashes in the bottom • The description states there is beach equipment to use. I asked before our arrival if there was a windbreaker, to save us buying one/bringing one with us, but was told no. There's actually 2 in the shed • Property checks should include checking bulbs - 2 have gone in the lounge area and one has gone above the mirror in the main bathroom • The description states there is two gardens - an "enclosed front garden" with lawn, gravel, furniture and an "enclosed rear garden" with lawn, gravel and storage. This isn't true. There is no rear lawned garden. • General cleanliness needs improving. There were huge cobwebs with dead flies above the curtains in the lounge, lots of dust on the fireplace and the skirting boards, and stains on some of the blinds. Ultimately noone pays their hard earned cash on a holiday and expects to have to deal with raw sewage. Perhaps if this had happened to them on their holiday, they would have been more sympathetic.

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• Ronald - Verified booking

  We love Arwelfa Lodge and it is a perfect fit for our family group requirements.

  The views from the lodge are outstanding and it is brilliantly located, a shortwalk from the end of the harbour end of the High Street. It does have a steep approach road so may not suit everyone though. The presence of free good wifi was very important to the 3 children in our group as well ourselves and is a must have in today's world. We liked the fact that the Gas Cylinders were checked during our stay (we had to request a new cylinder last year when it ran out and we had no hot water!). The parking availability is great and sufficient for 3 cars (or 2 cars and a dinghy trailer which was our need). The only areas for critical feedback would be that the frame of the main bathroom door is distorted at the bottom and is an interference fit requiring the door to be slammed or forced to shut. (Annoying and the frame needs to be shaved!), both bathroom door handle mechanisms give the impression that the doors can be locked from the inside but they don't actually have any mechanism that locks the door! The loo seat is pretty loose in ensuite bathroom and needs tightening up. It might be worth mentioning this in welcome book (which is pretty out of date and needs updating. It refers to Debra of Abersoch Quality Homes for example!). Clear up to date contact details of who to call in the event of any maintenance or other issues is important. Both in the Welcome Book front page and in the Booking Confirmations.

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• Susan - Verified booking

  This was our 3rd visit to Arwelfa this year but there are certain issues that had not been sorted since that first visit in April that we assumed would hence why I am describing them now.

  Bathroom- We assumed the seal of the bath would have been taken care of and instead there is a silicone line around the bath that is unsightly and hasn’t been fixed. The toilet roll holder has been broken since April- not important but a little detail. There are ants next to the toilet that I had to buy ant powder for on our 2nd visit (these things happen) but these still haven’t been treated. En-suite- the drain in the shower is clearly severely blocked, (again- this can happen) yet nobody has yet sorted this months later. The toilet seat is not fixed to the toilet so always moves. Again a little thing but not reflective of what people pay/ expect. A general update to the bathrooms is necessary now to reflect the beautiful living and kitchen area Which is faultless! The view- the view is now really obstructed by the trees which have not been managed throughout the spring/ summer months. The view is a USP for Arwelfa and this was so irritating that it is now blocked by so many trees. This really has an impact when you’re in the lounge on a rainy day as it was such a highlight to see the view indoors. The above are all small things to us but I recognise many holiday letters could find these significant. I really hope they are looked into as we have made some amazing memories at Arwelfa this year and wish the lodge lots of luck.

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• Judith - Verified booking

  This is a very attractive property in a superb position on the site.

  It's at the top of a steep hill, but this means that it is secluded and quiet (nothing behind it but a bank with wild flowers, then trees, and the lodge in front is completely hidden by the slope) and the wide view over the sea, the estuary and Borth is quite special. The lodge is extremely well-appointed, furnished in a modern style, sparkling clean and very comfortable. My friend and I chose it partly because I'm disabled, we're both old and it had a ramp rather than steps, but be warned, it's a very long ramp and getting the luggage in was still hard work - not a problem for normally fit people, obviously. One tiny niggle, born out of the high quality of the appliances. Having less sophisticated ones at home, we were a bit bemused by the controls on the cooker/microwave and the dishwasher and there were no instructions; a little list of icons and their meanings would have been very useful! The friendly and concerned owner tried really hard to communicate with us before and during our stay. Unfortunately for both parties, it all landed in my Spam folder, so believe the Sykes site and take their advice to check your spam! Because we didn’t receive the instructions we'd been sent to guide us through the site, we asked for directions at Reception and were told, oh that's the best spot on the site. It was, and we recommend it thoroughly.

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• Mrs Smyth - Verified booking

  Woodland view is a modern, spacious & very well equipped lodge in a peaceful elevated position adjacent to a lovely hotel and golf club. There are 3 good size double/ twin bedrooms, 2 on the ground floor share a bathroom and 1 on the first floor which has an en-suite shower room. Beds are comfortable & the rooms have good storage. The ground floor kitchen & dining area is spacious with everything you need if self catering. There is a separate utility room. There is a fabulous lounge on the first floor with 3 comfy sofas, a couple of easy chairs & a large TV. There is a 1st floor balcony & ground floor verandah with furniture. There are lovely views of the woodland & golf course beyond. The location is very convenient for the areas various tourist attractions and there is a lovely restaurant & bar at the Trefloyne Manor hotel. There is enough parking at the lodge for 2 or 3 cars. Access to the lodge is via a steep, windy gravel driveway. It’s probably not a problem in a 4WD vehicle but we found it very difficult in a powerful saloon car.

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