Groesffordd

16 Customer Reviews

• "Groesffordd was okay but could be really lovely with a bit of TLC."

  Floor covering in kitchen looking worn and tired. Shower wasn't powerful enough, my husband had to scrub the rubber mat for the bath because it was black mold on the underneath. He also had to clear the plughole in the bath because it was blocked with hair. Duvet and and bottom sheet wasn't large enough for two single beds joined together in double room. The twin bedroom was too cold to use, no wardrobe provided in this room and little draw space. The open fire in lounge kept blowing the smoke back into the room. The storage heaters weren't working and the oven wasn't working when we arrived.. Menai Holidays were very good at sorting out oven problem for us but the heaters were still not working when we left. The owner was kind enough to give us a refund for inconvenience caused.

  Dear Barbara and Robert Thank you for your feedback. We are very sorry you found so many elements of your stay at Groesffordd unsatisfactory. Especially considering that there are three portable electric heaters at the property as well as the open fire. When we spoke to you the day after you arrived, I asked if you were warm enough and you confirmed you were. I offered to send another heater to you, if you wanted me to. We gave you a discount for your stay (which then averaged out at about £25 per person per night) and provided you with an unlimited amount of fuel for the fire. The shower was new this year . There is no gas supply to the cottage so an electric shower is the best we can do. We’re sorry it did meet your expectations. I called you within 24 hours of your arrival to provide you with help to turn on the oven and try to get the night store heaters working. You told me when we spoke that you are both in your 80's, and Robert has a chronic health condition. Under these circumstances, it may be worth spending a bit more on accommodation for your next holiday, and staying at a hotel? Best wishes, The Owner Property Owner

  Reviewed by Barbara2.2★Sep 2023

• "On Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday of our holiday it rained all day and water flooded the kitchen to the extent that there was a flow from the kitchen back wall to the kitchen door."

  The adjacent bedroom carpet was soaked as was the mat in the kitchen. As there was no mop we used a broom to push the water to the kitchen door to prevent the whole room flooding. The garden had clearly been neglected for months and the bin was full of full bags which had accumulated for many weeks. There were no instructions for rubbish disposal and we did not know the local bin regime.

  Dear Robert and Barbara Thank you for your two feedback comments. We are very sad to receive two such critical reviews when we did everything we could during your stay to try to make you warm and comfortable and to respond to your various complaints. When our housekeepers attended the property the day after you left, they could find no evidence of the flooding you reported. The garden is, by design, a cottage garden. Sometimes we are unable to mow the small lawn between guests as the weather does not allow, but I can assure you, it has not been 'neglected for months'. I explained to Barbara when I spoke to her on the phone at the beginning of the week about the rubbish disposal. Perhaps she did not tell you? I do think you may need to spend a bit more than £25 pp per night for your next holiday, in order to ensure a comfortable and fault-free stay. Best wishes, The Owner Property Owner

  Reviewed by Robert2.8★Sep 2023

• "Arrived 18th August with our grandaughter (8) unfortunately the weather was not on our side, however we did not let this deter us from having an enjoyable stay making memories, the views from the studio window were amazing looking down on caernarfon bay and our grandaughter was fascinated by the sheep and rabbits how close they came to the window."

  We also enjoyed our daily trips out (llamberis, llandudno, conway etc) The whole experience was delightful.....Thank you kind regards Mike, Janet, Libby : )

  Dear Mike, Janet and Libby Thank you so much for your lovely review and positive feedback. We're so pleased you had a delightful experience and had an enjoyable stay, making memories. Yes, the wildlife experience from the studio is great, isn't it? We do hope you'll come back again soon Best wishes, The Owner Property Owner

  Reviewed by Michael4.7★Aug 2023

• "Cottage was clean and very well-equipped."

  Luxury huge double bed was very comfortable. We enjoyed the views to the sea from the large light living room. It would have been nice to have a welcome pack with instructions on how to use the oven and information on local shops, cafes etc. The nearest shops are Fron and Penygroes, neither of those places were mentioned in the info from Sykes Cottages.

  Dear Alison Thank you so much for your review and comments. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay at Groesffordd. We now provide a detailed visitors' guide and think that your feedback on that subject was fair and useful. Thank you for the suggestion. Thanks also for making us aware of the shop in Fron, which we weren't aware of previously. Much handier than Penygroes, for the essentials! We hope we'll see you back at Groesffordd soon. Best wishes The Owner Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alison4.7★Aug 2023

• "My son loved it, the layout, the location, talking to the nosey sheep and watching the lights come on in the bay at night really appealed to him."

  A very good base for visiting castles and the many narrow gauge railways that Wales is blessed with. A few instructions on how to use the oven or even the WiFi would have been handy. Worked it all out in the end.

  Thank you for your feedback, it is really useful to know ways which we can improve guest experience at Groesffordd. We have now provided a comprehensive information booklet at the property full of handy hints and helpful tips. An electronic version of this is now also available should incoming guests wish to plan ahead. We are pleased that your family enjoyed your stay here, thank you. Property Owner

  Mr FirmagerJul 2023

• "A lovely, restful break."

  Nice hot weather. Gorgeous views of sunsets. Dogs enjoyed the freedom of garden and house. Fantastic week here , very cosy, enjoyed the views, sheep and fire. But quick question: why is the sink overflow at almost the same level as the plughole?!

  Thank you for your review, I am so pleased that you and your 4-legged friends enjoyed the property. Regarding the plugholes- this is a very good question. I spent many summers as a child here and they have always been the same! I hope this did not affect their use. Property Owner

  Mark & KirstieJul 2023

• "We have photos which speak for themselves."

  The holiday cottage is a disgrace and is breaching, in our opinion, all advertising standards. To come back from a holiday where all your luggage and clothes reek of damp. The damp "twin" room has no wardrobes, just coat hangers from screws in the walls. Had to store clothes and retain in our suitcases in the very damp pantry. (Photos available) Also in the twin room, we met another guest, a snail crawling on the rug disgusting and very distressing. The next night we found another one on the wall behind the bed nearest the window. (photo available) This was removed pronto. In every room, reed diffusers have been placed to obviously try and mask the damp smell. The pantry ceiling appears to leak as we found water on the window ledge (photos available) after heavy rain and the ceiling is all damp. The cleaning of the cottage is non-existent, filthy in a word as photos illustrate. Garden is a mess; the lawn not mowed, roses are all overgrown over the arch and footpath as are shrubs when entering the pedestrian gates. A collection of chicken wire, old rusty iron bars and barbed wire are used in two separate places in the garden and add to the squalor of the place. not good for children or elderly persons (photos available) The outside brown waste food bucket is mouldy and has not been cleaned out, see photo of same. The whole place looks as if it has been fitted out from a very bad second hand shop. Furniture is ancient and worn, photos available. Curtains in the lounge are very badly stained, dirty and dropping to bits (photos available) The throws over the sofas were not clean. The bedding on the twin beds was grubby and mismatched, photos available of a split duvet and marked pillowcase. The duvet on the double bed was not big enough for the bed. The sofas and beds had black dog hairs all over them obviously where pet had been on them which I know is not allowed. Our pet was not allowed near any of the furnishings but previous renters had not adhered to this. But your cleaners should ensure all is good for next renters which was not done before our visit. This cottage is far from the standard I expect from Sykes Cottages having had numerous accommodations in the past.Where a hospitality tray and visitors manual was provided but not here. When plugging in the electric radiators, the only form of heating, apart from an open fire. The hairdryer each time used overloaded the electricity sockets tripped the electric. I had to ring Sykes to find out where the consumer unit was. There was no instructions left about how to use cooker, microwave or washing machine. Electricity sockets were overloaded all had extension leads or numerous plugs in an adapter. Various photos available. We had no contact details or instructions about the recycling had to ask neighbour when the blue bins went out, but did not know about the Green or Brown one so we left where they were and had not been put out previously as were disgusting. The cottage needs a dramatic upgrade in my opinion and is a health and safety nightmare. (VARIOUS PHOTOS AVAILABLE) When it comes to installing a washing machine in a bathroom, there are a few things to bear in mind. In the UK, due to strict building regulations, plug sockets can’t be fitted in the bathroom unless they are at least three metres from the bath or shower. The electric socket for this was just hanging from the ceiling loosely behind, hence we never used the washing machine as we were very worried it would cause a fire or overload the system. The photos on your website of this cottage makes it look very nice which it could be with a lot of maintenance, deep cleaning and gardening. The views from the lounge and double bedroom windows are very nice Was very good to have smart TV and WI FI but was very cold with only having 3 electric heaters, the storage heaters could not be operated and had no instructions. If we had put on the fire every night we would not have had enough wood for the week. We have lots of photos we could send you to validate our findings. If you can let me have e mail or postal addresss to get these to you. We were so looking forward to this visit and have been very disappointed, All of us have come home with chesty coughs and colds due to the damp conditions. I hope for future renters that you ensure improvements are done or you may continue to get more complaints. I understand people have different ideas and standards of cleaning but this has not even had the basic cleaning done before we rented. Asked if we would rent the cottage again definitely a big NO. Would not give it any star rating at all,. In every room, reed diffusers have been placed to obviously try and mask the damp smell. The pantry ceiling appears to leak as we found water on the window ledge (see photo) after heavy rain and the ceiling is all damp. The cleaning of the cottage is non-existent, filthy in a word as photos illustrate. Garden is a mess; the lawn not mowed, roses are all overgrown over the arch and footpath as are shrubs when entering the pedestrian gate. A collection of chicken wire, old rusty iron bars and barbed wire are used in two separate places in the garden and add to the squalor of the place (see photos) The outside brown waste food bucket is mouldy and has not been cleaned out, see photo of same. The whole place looks as if it has been fitted out from a very bad second hand shop. Furniture is ancient and worn (see photos). Curtains in the lounge are very badly stained, dirty and dropping to bits (see photos) The throws over the sofas were not clean. The bedding on the twin beds was grubby and mismatched, see photos of a split duvet and marked pillowcase. The duvet on the double bed was not big enough for the bed. The sofas and beds had black dog hairs all over them obviously where pet had been on them which I know is not allowed. Our pet was not allowed near any of the furnishings but previous renters had not adhered to this. But your cleaners should ensure all is good for next renters which was not done before our visit. This cottage is far from the standard I expect from Sykes Cottages. When plugging in the electric radiators only form of heating apart from an open fire and hairdryer each time the electricity sockets tripped the electric. I had to ring Sykes to find our where the consumer unit was. There was no instructions left about how to use cooker or microwave or washing machine. Electricity sockets were overloaded all had extension leads or numerous plugs in an adapter. Various photos available. We had no contact details or instructions about the recycling had to ask neighbour when the blue bins went out, but did not know about the Green or Brown one so we left where they were and had not been put out previously as were disgusting. Various photos available. When it comes to installing a washing machine in a bathroom, there are a few things to bear in mind. In the UK, due to strict building regulations, plug sockets can’t be fitted in the bathroom unless they are at least three metres from the bath or shower. The electric socket for this was just hanging from the ceiling loosely behind hence we never used the washing machine. We were very worried we would cause a fire or blow everything up. The photos on your website of this cottage makes it look very nice which it could be with a lot of maintenance, deep cleaning and gardening. The views from the lounge and double bedroom windows are very nice Was very good to have smart TV and WI FI but was very cold with only having 3 electric heaters, the storage heaters could not be operated and had no instructions. If we had put on the fire every night we would not have had enough wood for the week. We were so looking forward to this visit and have been very disappointed,. All of us have come home with chesty coughs and colds due to the damp conditions. I hope for future renters that you ensure improvements are done or you may continue to get more complaints. I understand people have different ideas and standards of cleaning but this has not even had the basic cleaning done before we rented. Asked if we would rent the cottage again definitely a big NO. Would not give it any star rating at all.

  Reviewed by Susan1.3★Jun 2023

• "The Cottage was absolutely lovely."

  The view of the Common Land and sea coast was wonderful. It was like going back in time to some story you read when younger. The rooms and furnishings were clean, comfy and lots of them. So many useful and things could be found tucked away in drawers and cupboards that helped you so much to enjoy the experience. We met some very friendly folk around the village of Y Fron and really enjoyed the wonderful beaches and towns in the area. Our dogs too were thrilled with teh long walks and paddling in the waves. Thank you.

  Amanda, Thank you for your lovely review. We’re so pleased you and your dogs had a great stay at Groesffordd. Hope to see you back soon! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Amanda5.0★Jun 2023

• "Perfectly situated with stunning panoramic sea views."

  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this querky gorgeous cottage, if it's a quiet glass of wine on the terrace listening to the countryside you crave or a base for exploring the Snowdonia National Park your in the right place. Plenty of historic towns, villages and Castles aswell as it's industrial heritage all on your door step. Simply "you can't go wrong"

  Reviewed by Gary4.7★Jun 2023

• "The cottage is wonderful, stepping back in time with so much room for 4 people."

  It feels so cosy and bright- View from lounge and bedroom is truly beautiful- Rough common sheep grazing & wide horizon. Totally everything is provided in duplicate and triplicate. Kitchen and bathroom so easy to access- warm and clean after a day on a windy beach. Front garden is cute & lovely to sit in with a cuppa and our dogs! I was very intrigued and delighted with the artwork of Iola Spatford and wondered if her work was famous within the family, or perhps whether her painting collection was bought at an auction? We loved this quirky cottage, in particular the garden. Great memories! We visited Dinas Dinlle beach, Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Criccieth, Pwllheli, Abererch. Ate at local venues. Thank you for all your work. x

  Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a lovely piece of feedback! We are super pleased that you had such a great time at Groesffordd and enjoyed our labour of love as much as we do. Property Owner

  Mark & MandyJun 2023

• "Ideally situated as a base to explore places further afield."

  Visited Porthmadog, Mount Snowdon, Caernarfon, all within easy driving distance. A great experience had, stunning views and would certainly visit again.

  Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are so glad that you enjoyed Groesffordd and all that the local area has to offer. We will look forward to welcoming you back again. Property Owner

  Gary & DebbieJun 2023

• "Stayed here for 11 nights and can't fault it."

  A lovely house in a very peaceful setting, not too far from amenities but far enough for it to feel like a getaway! It's a shame we had to work whilst staying here! The host Claire is very accommodating and makes sure you are comfortable. Many Thanks.

  Thank you for your feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your time here! Property Owner

  The WorkiesJun 2023

• "My husband Martin and I have spent a wonderful few days with friends at Groesffordd in North Wales."

  It is a comfortable, fresh, light cottage with all the amenities. The studio/lounge has amazing views with incredible sunsets over the Menai Straits to Llanddwyn Island on Anglesey, with the sheep peering in the windows. One evening was chilly so we had a roaring fire. It was a perfect few days. Thank you.

  JaneMay 2023

• "My daughter and I have stayed at this quaint quintessential Welsh cottage on numerous occasions."

  It's a restful, peaceful place with enviable views of the coast. The sunsets are stunning! Coastal accommodation with everything you need for a relaxing break. Ideally located, within easy reach of the breathtaking beach of Dinas Dinlle & Caernarfon Castle. Also easy access to host of wonderful places in North Wales. If you're looking for a break from the hustle & bustle of daily life then look no further!

  AliciaApr 2023

• "A truly wonderful place to stay."

  You can only love it. You will feel at home immediately, as will your dogs! It’s comfortable and cosy and the perfect place to spend a few days at any time of the year. There are also lots of great places to visit in the near vicinity. We have spent many happy moments there and can thoroughly recommend this happy place. You can only love it.

  VictoriaDec 2022

• "I have been lucky enough to spend some idyllic weekends at Groesffordd in both the summer and the winter months."

  The cottage has everything you need, whether it be a cosy winters evening by the fire or sitting outside enjoying the bucolic views. I would describe Groesffordd as home from home. It is clearly a loved family cottage with a truly inviting feel. There is so much to explore nearby, a wonderful beach, quaint villages where you can buy all your groceries or have a delicious pub meal and lots to see. If you enjoy walking there are walks directly from the front door or a short drive away. You can start, or finish your day with the most incredible sunsets looking out to sea through the sitting room window. Truly a place to switch off and recharge the batteries

  HenriettaNov 2022

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