Dog Friendly Bala Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Jessica - Verified booking

  The photos on the listing are not representative of the property itself.

  The overall cleanliness and finish of the property in reality is a much lower standard than you are led to believe from the photos. The beds listed as king size are not king size and the bunk beds listed as appropriate for adults are not big enough for adults. Many of the beds were squeaky and uncomfortable. The house is clearly not cleaned and tidied properly between stays, for example the bins were dirty when we arrived. There was damage such as a spindle of the bannister was hanging out of place, and curtain poles hanging out of the wall. You are met with a musty damp smell as soon as you enter the property. On top of all of this, there is a major problem with leaks and damp throughout the property. I was made aware prior to my stay that there had been and issue with damage to the ceiling in the main living room, it was difficult getting further information from Sykes about this ahead of the stay, eventually I received an image of the work half done and that was just a few hours prior to check in, this was stressful as I was co-ordinating a large group trip. When we arrived at the property, the problem with the ceiling repaired, but it hadn’t been painted and there was exposed plaster which was still drying, this made the main lounge feel very dark and depressing. I was not offered any apology for this inconvenience or any compensation. On top of this, there were several leaks and widespread damp in the property. In most bedrooms there is visible evidence of this with wallpaper hanging of walls, water stain marks all over paint work, and in some place water dripping onto carpets. Further, when we went to leave the property the bin at the end of the drive was full, there were no instructions on alternative on where to leave the rubbish so we made the decision to leave our bin bags tied up and neatly in the pantry of the property rather than the roadside where it could have posed an environmental risk. I informed the property manager of this when we left, and was asked to return to the property and leave them on the roadside. When I challenged this and said I was not happy to return, especially given the other issues we had faced with the property, I was told by the property manager that we were ‘lucky we had been able to use the main lounge’ !!! I do not feel ‘lucky’ about any part of this stay. The listing for this property should be considered false advertising because the quality of the property does not even come close to the reality, and the major maintenance issues leave much to be desired. I will be pursuing a refund for this stay.

  Read more less >

• Glynis - Verified booking

  19 of us ( adults and children) spent a week at Fron Derw House and had a fabulous holiday at the house which was a 10 minute walk to the village and the lake activities.

  There was plenty of room for us all to fit inside and outside the property with a very safe outside space for children and dog to play. The views were fantastic and we had a lovely place to sit and drink coffee or have a glass of wine in the evening. With the amazing weather we had the house and the area it really was a most memorable trip. However as always there were a few issues that could be improved on. It is an old house and of course there will be a problem or two. We would also very much like to thank the key contact person Gemma who was great and responded quickly and efficiently to any problems. We would also like to hope these are constructive comments and like l said it did not detract from our time there. 1. Having ongoing hot water for showers and washing up was an issue and perhaps the system needs upgrading. 2. Installing 2 dishwashers would be useful for managing large amounts of washing up. 2. The one bedroom downstairs was damp and we had to put sheets in the drier most days, that needs looking at. 3. It would make a difference to have a bigger two door fridge to fit in food you need for 19 people. 4. The freezers tended to get blocked with ice making it difficult to open at times. 5.Some of the beds could be upgraded as not all mattresses were comfortable. 6. Dining chairs were not that comfortable...maybe need an upgrade? Not that easy for us to fit 19 around on one big table but we managed it by putting 2 tables end to end diagonally across the room. Again would like to say we had a wonderful time at the house and delighted we got to stay there.

  Read more less >

• Miss Monkman - Verified booking

  Highly recommend this beautiful property, we had the most amazing time here and didn’t want to come home (we were there a week). The cottage is just lovely, it was inviting and warm and had everything we needed for our stay, it was immaculately clean, well equipped, there was a smart tv perfect for the cosy evenings and very comfortable bedrooms. We really enjoyed the large enclosed garden my dog absolutely loved this and the view was breathtaking. We enjoyed sitting out in the morning and having a coffee looking out to the view, the wildlife is amazing and if whether is better there is a BBQ. The location was only a short drive to Bala where there is the lake and lots of amenities, it was wonderful to be situated in a rural setting and so peaceful but there is also so much to do and all within an hour.. we need another week to further explore. I would highly recommend the Bala Lake, Bala railway, we did climb snowdon but be aware if you are taking a dog they aren’t allowed on the railway or cafe at snowdon. (Overall we found the other locations we visited to be very pet friendly). We also visited Conwy, Llangollen and betwys-y-coed - I highly recommend them all - absolutely beautiful places. I also want to add that the owner Ann was a really lovely lady so welcoming and friendly. We just had the best time, thank you so much!

  Read more less >

• Francesca - Verified booking

  The property is very spacious and in a great location in Bala where you can easily head down the hill to the town and lake.

  View from the house are beautiful and the house has everything you need for a holiday for a large group. The only thing that really brought this down for us was the comfort of the double beds in all of the rooms. All our party had poor sleep the entire holiday which really impacted everyone. A change of mattresses is what is needed here to make it really comfortable. Also, the double bed in the room that joins to the kids room with the single bunk bed in was extremely old and creaky and the frame absolutely needs replacing. The bunk beds for the kids were great and perfect if you have kids aged around 5-10. Overall the property has what you need for a large party and has great character, especially the snug room with the old fireplace where one of our party got engaged on NYE! Just an update on the mattresses will really make this property stand out.

  Read more less >

• Lucy - Verified booking

  What a brilliant holiday home!

  24 of us (12 adults and 12 children) stayed in this house for a week at the end of May. The pictures illustrate exactly what the house looks like. It was clean and well presented when we arrived. The kitchen was really well equipped to cook for 24 people. There was plenty of space for people to have their own quiet time, for children to enjoy themselves in the games room and tv room and an amazing outdoor space. The firepit was great for toasting marshmallows one night. There are lots of midgies so bring a citronella candle. The bins are at the bottom of the drive. They were full when we arrived so we just put our bin bags next to the big bins. They were emptied on Thursday. Bala centre and Bala lake are a 10 minute stroll down the hill. Thankyou for a brilliant holiday - we'd love to come again next year!

  Read more less >