-
"Comfy, homely cottage in a tiny, friendly village less than 10 minutes drive from Betws-y-Coed."
Plenty of space for our party of five and well equipped with everything you might need for your stay. The views from the top of the garden are just stunning. Would love a return trip when the weather is warmer to make the most of the garden. We found the heating a bit temperamental, but Jane the cottage owner was very helpful. Would recommend the recently reopened pub across the road for food and drinks. All in all we had a fabulous time at Arwel!
Reviewed by Jane4.4★Oct 2024
-
"Had a delightful few days stay."
Comfortable in every way. We loved sitting at the top of the garden in the evening, the view was stunning. Peaceful location. Perfect base for exploring the local area. Would definitely recommend.
Thank you for your feedback. so glad you enjoyed your stay.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Melanie5.0★Aug 2024
-
"Furnished with great attention to detail (e."
G. towels in matching colours to the bed linen), helpful information, good travel guides (including on Welsh place names), books and DVDs, small welcome pack, ... In short: a cosy house where you immediately feel at home.
Friendly telephone contact (including information on finding the house), nice pub just opposite (only open at weekends), good starting point for walks.
The best thing: Stepping out of the house in the morning, walking into the marvellous cemetery and enjoying the view of the entire mountain range of the Welsh peaks.
The epitome of Wales!
Thank you for your kind words. So glad the weather was good for your stay.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Christine5.0★Aug 2024
-
"Sadly not the idyllic memory making stay with our parents we’d hoped for."
Disappointingly, woken early by building machinery noise opposite going back & forth. Issue with flies in the cottage which made it very uncomfortable then finally unliveable.
The fly issue got progressively worse it was really anxiety provoking & felt so unclean, no one was sleeping so we had to leave a day early, it ruined what should have been a relaxing lovely holiday for us all.
The Owner was contacted & responded to reports, by sending the housekeepers to review the problem. They agreed it was awful and it ended up being a fly infestation in the space around the window frame. Unfortunately due to the age of the cottage all of the window frames have gaps so it was a ticking time bomb & we were the unlucky ones.
The owners were kind enough to understand the distress it had caused & offered a 50% refund or a return stay booked directly with themselves. We had to decline a re-stay as the trauma of that stay still remains anxiety provoking nearly a month after our stay.
However, during what was a very stressful time, following our stay (which was highlighted to the owners due to health issues) they decided to disengage communication & renege on their offer without clear communication to us. When approached about this I was informed ‘ I was right it was less than a third of our cost due to the additional booking fees & insurance’ this wasn’t the full truth and was never mentioned. Also that ‘the Sykes representative thought it was a more than generous offer in the circumstances as it wasn’t a problem of their making and they acted quickly’. They had no choice but to act quickly due to the severity of the problem which no doubt jeopardised existing bookings. It is also poor customer service that despite knowing these issues no representative from Sykes bothered to contact us to ask if we were ok in light of the situation.
I was truly taken aback it’s taken me over a week to even attempt to respond but I feel that it’s anything but fair. It also wasn’t our fault we had a truly terrible stay, we tried our hardest to stay & make the best of it until it was impossible. We couldn’t leave any windows or doors open from the time we arrived as we initially thought the flies were entering that way.
We subsequently, incurred increased costs due to the food wastage from preparing/trying eat meals in the property that flies had contact with ending up being thrown away/wasted. This meant although we were tired from forced early morning wake ups we then had to go out if we wanted to eat & not bring it back because of the circumstances. Both the emotional & physical upset plus exhaustion of our stay affected all the family negatively.
In providing an honest review of this property other issues we feel need bringing to the attention of anyone wishing to book are the steps leading up to the garden. They are dangerous even for anyone without any mobility issues especially lone children, as plants have been left growing over part of the top steps so you have to side step to get to the top which is awkward & a hazard especially in wet weather.
The kitchen table needs attention/ revarnishing/ table cloth it’s stays really sticky even when cleaned we didn’t know this & put magazines down that got stuck & ripped. It’s was brought to the attention of the housekeepers but they’re already aware.
Evening times the smell of smoke is very strong on the stairs & in the hallway, it obviously comes from outside despite no windows or doors being open. This is obviously beyond the owners control, but it wasn’t comfortable for 2 members of the family who have bronchial related health issues.
Needless to say we wouldn’t return or recommend this property.
These clients unfortunately experienced a swarm of cluster flies, this was the first time this has happened and advice was taken immediately from local pest control experts. The advice was, that the flies were trying to get out, probably from hibernating in the attic.
The owners were very sympathetic, offered and returned a substantial amount of money and a return stay. This was in view of the discomfort even though they were not directly responsible for the issue. They did not renege on their offer.
The windows are very modern with seals, but very little will deter cluster flies, this year they have been particularly abundant.
Communication was paused for a few days out of respect due to the clients' health issues.
The terraced layout of the garden is noted in the description and there is a clear photo of the steps on the website.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jane3.4★Jul 2024
-
"Loved are stay at this beautiful cottage such beautiful place and so relaxing ..."
Loved are stay at this beautiful cottage such beautiful place and so relaxing
Don’t really want to tell anybody about it because want to keep it our secret such a perfect little hideaway
We love it too!! Shhh!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Siobainn5.0★Jul 2024
-
"Arwel is really well maintained and comfortable and the owners were extremely helpful and kind."
The steps to the top garden with a magnificent view were tricky especially for the elderly but the more nimble of the party had little problem.
Yes, the steps are quite steep, but the views are worth the climb. Glad you enjoyed your stay.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jane5.0★Jul 2024
-
"We really enjoyed our stay, and found Arwel to be a perfect base for a group of 5 friends with a child."
The kitchen is well stocked, bedrooms spacious and we all commented on now comfy the beds are. There was maps/books and information about the local area, and things to entertain the little one with. We were lucky with the weather so we made use of the outside space. We had breakfast on the terrace and an evening brew in the top garden watching the sunset over the Snowdon range. Perfect! The village is very small but it's just a short drive to Betws-y-coed and beyond.
So glad you enjoyed your stay in Arwel, always so much better when the sun shines!
Thankyou for your comments
Jane
Property Owner
Reviewed by Katherine5.0★Jun 2024
-
"Fabulous cottage we enjoyed our stay"
Thank you, glad you enjoyed staying in Arwel.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Carole Ann5.0★Jun 2024
-
"A fantastic family cottage, we had three generations staying and the cottage was loved by all."
The house is so well equipped, it is closer to going into someone's home than a holiday let.
The log fire creates a lovely cosy environment in the main lounge, and having the second lounge for the kids to play in was brilliant.
The bedrooms are all of a great size with plenty of storage and the beds are very comfy!
For a cottage with such history the house is warm and quickly warms up once activated.
The showers in both rooms were great with hot water and good pressure!
The kitchen was amazing! A range cooker was great and easy to use but what we liked the most was how well equipped it was, with big pans and plenty of cutlery to feed the whole family!
The outdoor area is a lovely place to spend time in, and the views from the back are gorgeous.
The location is five minutes out from Betwys-coed and we were able to go anywhere from Conwy to Portmadog in less than an hour from the cottage, through some of the best country side the UK has to offer!
Cannot fault this property at all, and host gave us loads of great advice prior to our holiday starting.
Perfect holiday!
So glad you enjoyed our holiday home. We love it too!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Christopher5.0★Mar 2024
-
"Huge thanks to the owner for quickly arranging for us to stay on the day of arrival, when we were disappointed by original booking elsewhere."
Beautiful home from home in a village, very comfortable beds & quality bedding, great kitchen & bathroom facilities and local pub a few paces away! Views of the sunset sky from the elevated garden were great.
Thankyou for your feedback, we are delighted you enjoyed our holiday home.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Christine4.7★Mar 2024
-
"A wonderful house in a spectacular location."
Great support from the owners in advance. We had a lovely break and would stay there again.
Thankyou for your lovely comments, so glad you enjoyed your stay. See you soon. Jane
Property Owner
Reviewed by Anya5.0★Feb 2024
-
"Arwel is a fantastic place for a family get together."
There's lots of space, it's comfortable and very well equipped.
Thankyou, glad you enjoyed your stay. Regards Jane
Property Owner
Reviewed by Lizzie5.0★Oct 2023
-
"Lovely cottage , quaint but with very comfortable beds and sofas and , generally , well equipped."
The factor that spoiled our holiday was the lack of Central Heating - we were freezing !! When we got back , one day , the owners had sent a plumber and the radiators were hot . Sadly , they cooled and never came back on . From Wednesday morning onwards, there was no hot water . We used the Electric shower and boiled kettles for shaving , etc. NOT what one would expect in 2023 !!! The information booklet did not mention where logs could be bought - how to cope in a power cut ( a 12 hour one !) - the information re restaurants etc was dated 2019 - pre Pandemic - some no longer exist . This is our 4th Sykes cottage - the first 3 were really outstanding in every way . Sadly , this did not meet your previous high standards ! We have recommended your Cottages to several of our friends - I should be reluctant to do so after our experiences in Arwel. Sarah Parri-Sawdon
This is the first comment we have had about the heating in ten years of operation. We immediately sent the heating engineer and he adjusted two radiators. Clear instructions of the system are provided and the boiler has always come on when required. An immersion heater, electric shower and room heaters are provided against the unlikely failure of the boiler. After the party left, the heating controls were found to have been altered, and it should be noted that we were contacted about the heating 3 days into the stay!
There are a number of log sellers locally with boards outside their premises.
The last recorded power outage was in October 2020 and the owners did not receive a message about any issue this time. Torches are provided and easily found.
We kept Sykes Cottages fully appraised whilst this was going on.
We have a message from another member of the party thanking us for the use of a "superb cottage"
Property Owner
Reviewed by Sarah Dawn4.1★Sep 2023
-
"Enjoyed our stay at Arwel as plenty of space for us all."
Well equipped and large kitchen. Garden has spectacular views and plenty of chairs to sit out and admire them. We would definitely return to Arwel.
So glad you enjoyed your stay in Arwel, hope to see you again. Regards Jane
Property Owner
Reviewed by SUSAN4.7★Aug 2023
-
"Great stay at Arwel."
We had a peaceful time in this village. Very much enjoyed the fireplace and the garden with lovely view.
I would definitely stay here again.
Thankyou so much. Glad you had a good time. Jane
Property Owner
Reviewed by Bibhor5.0★Apr 2023
-
"It was a lovely stay."
The owner was friendly and very helpful. The views at the top of the garden are amazing. Would definitely stay here again.
Reviewed by Susan5.0★Feb 2023
-
"Great spot."
Friendly neighbour. We had a lovely time. If the pub reopened it would be perfect
Thankyou for your comments.
Great news the pub is now open!!!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Michael5.0★Dec 2022
-
"We spent amazing time, the cottage was very clean and charming with clear instructions how to use the equipments."
The host was very helpful and friendly. The village is lovely and quiet and we loved the view from the back garden of the house, it was amazing.
Thankyou for your kind comments. We are glad you enjoyed your stay in Arwel.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Stefan5.0★Dec 2022
-
"Nice cottage."
Helpful owner.
All fine thanks.
Reviewed by Adam5.0★Oct 2022
-
"Great comfy cottage."
Everything you need is provided. Fantastic location. Amazing views.
Reviewed by Yvonne5.0★Sep 2022
-
"Very comfortable house, in a great location, with fabulous views from the top of the garden."
We would definitely like to stay at Arwel again.
Reviewed by Amanda5.0★Jul 2022
-
"Very nice and comfortable cottage."
The owner was very helpful and friendly. We initially didn't have any hot water and it wasn't clear to us that we had to switch it on on arrival. But that was the only snag.
Given that we only spent 4 nights there I thought the price of ~ £1,500 was a bit steep.
Reviewed by Tony4.7★Jun 2022
-
"Cottage was lovely and a great location for exploring the area"
Reviewed by Katinka5.0★May 2022
-
"Had a fantastic stay at Arwel."
Quiet location in a hamlet a few miles from Betws y Coed, and with fabulous views from the garden. The property is very comfortable & well equipped. Communication from the owner regarding key collection was excellent. Would love to stay there again. 10/10!
Reviewed by J5.0★May 2022
-
"Excellent place to stay, shhh you will want to keep it a secret as a hideaway, so peaceful and quiet."
Red Kites and Woodpeckers seem from the back windows, the views across the mountains were perfect.
Reviewed by Carly5.0★Jan 2022
-
"The most cosy relaxing week in beautiful surroundings."
The views are spectacular, real relaxed week .
Reviewed by Susan5.0★Jan 2022
-
"Had a wonderful stay at Arwel cottage, we all felt at home very quickly and made good use of the excellent kitchen facilities, log burner and the plenty of space."
Great scenic location, with a small drive to Snowdon and other local attractions. We had the best break and the kids didn’t want to leave ☺️
Reviewed by Laura5.0★Nov 2021
-
"We loved the break - the property was wonderful, well presented and equipped and very comfortable."
The log fire was a special treat and very welcome after a trek up and down Snowdon!
Would definitely visit again.
Thanks very much
Reviewed by Stephen5.0★Oct 2021
-
"Wonderful engagement from owner, facilities exactly what we needed for our weeks cycling holiday in North Wales"
Reviewed by Neil5.0★Oct 2021
-
"The cottages was lovely, the whole experience started with a call from the owners (also lovely) to provide us with information on the local area, info on COVID rules and to wish us a great stay."
The cottage itself is clean, warm and friendly and quiet - and I mean quiet, we live in a small village but Capel Garmon is amazingly quiet and the night sky was incredible.
If you want a relaxing, quiet, homely stay in North Wales that's just round the corner from loads of stuff to do then Arwel Cottage is the place.
Reviewed by Neil5.0★Aug 2021
-
"Brilliant communication from owner - much appreciated phone call ahead of our trip."
Lots of info at the cottage to make the most of our stay. Thanks so much!
Reviewed by Katrina5.0★Jul 2021
-
"Great location and well equipped cottage had everything we needed."
comfortable beds and lovely shower
Reviewed by N5.0★Jun 2021
-
"Lovely comfortable cottage just a few minutes drive from beautiful Betws y coed."
All the facilities you need for a great stay. Great communication from Jane. A really lovely place to relax and explore stunning snowdonia and North wales. Would recommend highly.
Reviewed by Luci5.0★Aug 2020
-
"Arwell is a fabulous family holiday home in a great location, plenty of room inside, all the usual extras were missing, tourist info leaflets, games, cards etc due to covid 19."
.. We took our own made our own entertainment. The outside space is equally as impressive, steps from the back door take you up to the first terrace which has a wooden picnic bench, perfect for an early morning cuppa, then more steps up to the top to a grassy open space containing a summer house(with plenty of garden furniture) and the view! Two perfectly placed beaches await you so you can take in the breath taking scenery possibly with a glass of wine. A perfect spot to unwind.
Reviewed by Mark5.0★Jul 2020
-
"The cottage is beautiful and very clean."
The town is really small but local shops can be driven to within 15 minutes. The cottage was so well equipped and we enjoyed every second.
Reviewed by Sarah5.0★Dec 2019
-
"This is a well placed cottage in a peaceful small village."
On arrival it is found to be immaculately clean and it very well equipped. There are two large living rooms which is excellent for a group of guests who may want to do different things.
Reviewed by Diana5.0★Nov 2019
-
"Arwel is a very comfortable house which had everything we could possibly need."
Many holiday cottages have very limited kitchen utensils so often it's hard to do 'proper' cooking but Arwel is really well equipped so was perfect for our purposes of a family gathering.
We really appreciated meeting the friendly neighbour who assisted with local information and getting bins out etc.
Having plenty of room in the hallway for wet walking boots and coats was great.
The welcome gift of milk, butter, cakes & firelighting materials was lovely.
Reviewed by Juliet5.0★Oct 2019
-
"We had an amazing time, the cottage was well looked after and the garden had amazing views, great location."
Reviewed by M5.0★Sep 2019
-
"Sorry so late in responding, only just found the Email now whilst sorting out!"
Was a wonderful cottage, ideal for exploring the area.
The only problem were the cleaners, who seemed to think we had wrecked the place. They messaged the owner and said we had:
- broken the bannister
- messed up the oven
- put dirty dishes in the cupboards
- drawn love hearts on the mirrors.
This is simply not true:
- we didn't use the oven
- we always used the dish washer
- we did not touch the mirrors
- if the bannister was broken, we would have messaged the owner, as we did when we arrived and found a wardrobe door broken.
We met the cleaners, as they arrived early and came in the house. We gave them the remains of our food which we didn't want to throw away and couldn't take with us.
Of course we didn't clean the house, as we understood that cleaners were coming to do that. But it was in a decent condition when we left. Could they have confused Arwel with another place they cleaned earlier or later? Anyway, we never had a problem like this before and have rented before with Sykes and other firms
Reviewed by Paul5.0★Jul 2019
-
"So pleased with accommodation, plenty of space to accommodate all six of us with room for more."
Stunning location, views from garden breathtaking.
A really comfortable, family friendly home that I would definitely recommend.
Reviewed by Susan5.0★May 2019
-
"Lovely spacious welcoming house."
Excellent location for enjoying the countryside.
Reviewed by Sherrie5.0★May 2019
-
"Great house in idyllic location but only 1."
3 miles from Betwys Coed for shops and good selection of restaurants (most of which are dog friendly).
Reviewed by Claire5.0★Apr 2019
-
"Beautiful Base for exploration of the area,lovely remote village within driving distance of Betws -y -Coed house is well equipped for many people."
The lady who owns this property's a great communicator. Would go back again.Shame the local pub doesn't open very much.No Internet access. Reduced mobile signal...... But you are in a remote area.
Reviewed by Eileen Christine4.4★Nov 2018
-
"Lovely place to stay to explore Snowdonia National Park."
After long walks we came back to a comfortable cottage and set up a warm fire.
Reviewed by Natasha5.0★Sep 2018
-
"Mrs McPhearson certainly went the extra mile to make us feel welcome in her holiday home & everything we could have wanted was provided."
The cottage was delightful in a beautiful tranquil, rural village just two miles from the busy village of Betws y Coed & two & a half miles from the little shopping town of Llanrwst. A perfect location for anyone wanting to holiday in the Snowdonia National Park!
Reviewed by Malcolm5.0★May 2018
-
"Arwel was a lovely house in a charming hamlet and the view from the garden was fantastic."
It was very comfy and was kitted out with everything we needed in the kitchen and there were lots of fun games for the children. We will definitely visit again.
Our experience with Sykes Cottages was also extremely good and I would definitely recommend them.
Reviewed by Alexandra5.0★May 2018
-
"The holiday home was even better than the photos!"
So clean and tidy and the views from the garden were unreal! Jane was so helpful and was really flexible with arranging check in / check out times and really couldn’t do enough for us!
Our dog absolutely loved running up and down the steps to the garden (and barking at the cows), the neighbours were all also really friendly.
Location was also perfect you are literally 5 minutes from the centre of betsw y coed and the A5. Really easy to get to colwyn too it’s only 30 minutes away and the dog friendly beach is spotless! Definitely recommend and will be visiting again for sure!
Thank you so much!
Reviewed by Shaunna5.0★May 2018
-
"Amazing location and stunning views from the garden."
Comfortable stay had by all. Would definitely come back again
Reviewed by Kevin5.0★Apr 2018
-
"Fabulous cottage, lovely log burning fire for the winter and fabulous views from the top garden."
Very well equipped and owners extremely helpful.
Reviewed by Ros5.0★Feb 2018
-
"Nothing in particular - it was very spacious even for 7 people."
Everything was fine!
Reviewed by Alex4.6★Oct 2017
-
"Great location for ZipWorld and Snowdon and the surrounding hills for walking."
Lovely quiet setting to get away from it all. Well stocked cottage which was nice and clean.
Reviewed by Caroline4.6★Aug 2017
-
"A very well presented house in what for us is an ideal location."
The owner kind and helpful in arranging for access to the house.All in all a super holiday.
Reviewed by Diana5.0★Apr 2017
-
"We had a good time visiting family so wasn't worried that the pub opposite wasn't open very often but some guests might want to know also they don't do meals at the pub."
Reviewed by Sylvia5.0★Nov 2016
-
"The cottage was beyond what we could have hoped for."
Scrupulously clean and the owner went out of her way to make sure we were happy and comfortable there. She was flexible and pleasant to deal with. We're considering rebooking there next year.
Reviewed by Rachel5.0★Nov 2016
-
There are no reviews featuring this term
Show all reviews