Rhianfa Aberdaron, Gwynedd

Do not book this house! We stayed here last year and it was the worst experience we've ever had. 3 generations of my family have been visiting Aberdaron for the last 60 years. We know the locals so when we saw we could stay in the 'American' house we were excited. The pictures on all the websites make it look amazing, it is the exact opposite! The shower didn't work, the hoover stank like wet dog, half the windows don't close or lock, conservatory light and windows don't open/ turn on, the shower room outside has holes in the ceiling full of spiders etc etc etc. We had to clean when we got there as no one had bothered to do anything. My elderly Grandmother couldn't have a shower because the indoor one was broken and the outdoor one is unsafe. We contacted the owner and waited in for a plumber who came out to repair it (wasted a days holiday waiting for him to show) He then told us he'd been to this property many times and it needs a whole new plumbing system. When we got home we were all so angry, 8 of us had gone and all had a miserable time. Even some of the locals came to see inside and were shocked. We complained and received £50 compensation! Do not bother with this house, I've stayed in nicer places in Blackpool.

The property was warm and had been cleaned, but it was downhill from there. It is obvious that this was once a lovely house with nice things, unfortunately a gross lack of maintenance and neglect means you share the house with spiders, woodlice and ants. They probably crawl in through the cracks in the bottom of the ground-floor bedroom wall, the leaking conservatory door or any of the ill-fitting doors. The table cloth on the dining table was too small to cover the table and despite being washed and ironed it had what appeared to be rust stains on it. The cupboard in the dining room is tied together with ribbon and wool and upon opening it one finds spider-webs akin to a Halloween film and some copper pipes. The furniture is terribly stained especially the conservatory furniture and even the loose cushions and the living room pouffee look dreadful. We had rain during our stay and quickly discovered the conservatory roof and doors leaked. The glass roof is also covered in algae. The downstairs bedroom carpet must have once had a leaking radiator this is evidenced by the brown staining spreading out across the room. The seal on the shower screen has red/black mould in it and during a shower the water backs up until you are standing in 3-4 inches of water. This was remedied when my husband pulled out enough hair and slime out of the plug-hole to fill a pint pot. The basin is cracked and bathroom cabinet is old and the MDF is swelling. The paint is peeling down the side of the sink and the toilet flush broke whilst we were there. However, this was fixed quickly by a plumber. Beware the pan rack that has been hung in the bathroom, it is broken and has arms that when down can be walked into causing painful bruises to the shoulder as one of our party discovered. The shower is powerful and hot, so has presumably been fixed since previous guests stayed. The second bathroom is not fit for purpose, its essentially a brick built shed in the yard with a corrugated plastic roof and a mirror so rusty it should be sent to mirror heaven. It is accessed from the house via the kitchen, through the lean-to porch, into the yard, past the builder's debris (the house next door is being renovated by the same owner). Many of the doors didn't close, the book case looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and should probably be decluttered and fixed to the wall. The standard lamps also lean precariously and the shades have cracked and split. The light and fan inthe conservatory doesn't work at all. There are way too many bibles in the house, one of which had a cover that was no longer attached and dated back to 1832. The house accepts dogs, but be warned they cannot be let into the garden unaccompanied as this is not a secure garden and despite it leading out onto a small road cars, quad bikes and tractors do travel quickly along it. One of the upstairs double rooms has a wooden cot in it. This cot is a threat to life, it is falling to bits meaning the bars exceed the width recommended for an infant to safely sleep in it (i.e they could get their head stuck through the gaps). I have advised Sykes of the issues and they are awaiting a response from the owner. The single room with the hot water tank has a chipboard shelf that is falling down on one end, it still has rail and coat-hangers clinging to it. This room also has a curled rug (trip hazard). The washing machine, dishwasher, cooker and heating all work well and there are sufficient pots and pans. Sykes initially appeared helpful, but closed my complaint after not getting any response from the owner and have not answered my request to escalate the complaint. Sykes continue to advertise the property on their website, despite seeing my photographs.

The cottage was filthy! I was unable to contact Sykes to report the situation. We came home early.

Rhianfa was a lovely cottage in a lovely location.. It was great that it was dog friendly, although our dogs are well mannered and don't go on furniture and we didn't allow them upstairs. Even though it was pretty windy while we were there the cottage was cosy and we were able to use the conservatory during the day. The location was great, we walked into the village every day and the coastal walks certainly blew the cobwebs away! There were 8 of us which meant we had to have a bit of a rota for the bathroom - but we knew that before we arrived! Would definitely come back for another visit.

What a fantastic place-every eventuality of equipment provided-the bed linen .... What a fantastic place-every eventuality of equipment provided-the bed linen was of a brilliant quality and vintage welsh quilts too Amazing collection of books to dip in and out off-conservatory was so cosy to sit in and great to have Netflix available on the tv- Sympathetically furnished to its era We only wish we could have stayed longer and hope to return very soon

We love to stay at Rhianfa this was not our first visit and hopefully not our last it is a large house very well equipped and very comfortable.. The large conservatory is especially a relaxing and a comfortable space to sit in and read in the evenings.It is very homely without rules and regulations. The only downside for us as we have two dogs is that the garden is not completely enclosed which means they have to be carefully watched when out side.Rhianfa is within walking distance of Aberdaron although it is a very steep hill back.Aberdaron is a picturesque village with great cafes, pubs, chip shop, bakery,and a very long sandy beach.

Quite a few cobwebs around interior windows and in rooms

Pictures looked lovely, bad smell in the porch (like gone off veg) a lot of cobwebs, very bad smelling wardrobe in downstairs bedroom (lived out of suitcase) window in bathroom leaked (window closed) conservatory leaked.. Other than that Aberdaron is a lovely village. Hope things get rectified.

Great time had by all.. Beautiful location minutes away from the beach.

A very nice house and we enjoyed our time there.. My only criticism is that the house would benefit with some maintenance.

I just want to reiterate a wonderful stay under difficult family circumstances ie my wife had a minor stroke and my youngest Granddaughter who is eight months had a major operation before the holiday. I did try to re schedule for another date but was told this was not possible. My Daughter and her Husband arrived on the Tuesday and the weather was terrible so they decided with having such very young children to vacate and go home as my youngest Granddaughter was still not well. My husband and I and my Grandson arrived late Wednesday and was very happy with the house except the small tv and broken remote control, apparently done by the previous tenants. Other than that the house is faultless warm and cosy and has everything you need!!!! Loved staying here but the only obstacle is the remoteness and the long drive, but hey we knew this from booking but a fantastic getaway really would recommend to anyone!!!!!

The listing was inaccurate no sky box which was advertised , this had a large impact for various reasons on our holiday .. When I rang up to clarify this on Saturday I was told there wasn’t a sky box advertised and so I had to read the description out from your website , no apologies were made I was told some one would get back to me but they never did. We have booked many cottages through you over the years and have been satisfied before and we only hope this time was an aberration .

The sea views were only from 1 upstairs bedroom.. The Garden was not secure after and after spending a long time searching for a suitable property it was very dissapointing as we had to walk the dog on a lead. The shower was very poor as very slow flow. The night storage heaters were not easy to control and the main heating was from 2 fires and there was no fuel. We were looking forward to a relaxing holiday and it was stressful due to the unenclosed garden and the road.

We had a lovely holiday, the cottage was in a great spot on the edge of a pretty little village and beach.. Our dog had a great time exploring local beaches (some beaches had restrictions through Sept), but the garden was not secure and so he had to be kept on the lead at all times in the garden which was a shame. All in all we had a great time.

A perfect getaway for a group.. Plenty of space for all of us and on the doorstep of some beautiful coastal walks.

The house was rather cold as the heating relied on the fires being lit.. Otherwise all lovely.

Beautiful area.. House comfy and well equipped. Conservatory was a dream