Gelli Bach at Gelli Las Llanbedr, Gwynedd

Cottage was cosy and picturesque, all amenities were adequately provided, welcome pack much appreciated, unfortunately the weather was not on our side which didn't help with trying to keep cottage clean, the wood shed was damp so asking holiday makers to keep wet and dirty foot wear was not a option. Unfortunately the settee was uncomfortable needs a new firm one. The dinning chairs also were uncomfortable after a long period of time as we could not sit on settee, at least the bed was comfortable as we were going rather early to bed. The pub at the bottom of the road served lovely food and very dog friendly. If you are struggling with any form of mobility then be aware there is a walk from where your car is parked to the cottage, carrying luggage up a slight incline is hard especially on wet ground. It was a lovely break we left a day early due to weather, but beautiful scenery and walks our dog thoroughly enjoyed his holiday.

Gelli Bach is in a beautiful location, but there was a problem while I was there, which I hadn’t intended to write a review about as it was an unexpected event and outside of the owner’s control. I am not complaining about the issue, but rather how I feel I have been dealt with by the owners following the problem. On the second day (Saturday) of my holiday at Gelli Bach, the owners arrived and said there was problem with the water (connected to the bore hole), and that the water would have to be turned off. The owners said that they would not be able to get a water engineer until Monday and so the water would be off for the rest of the day, all day Sunday and hopefully be back on Monday. They gave me the option of staying or a refund of the cost of the holiday. Before I made my mind up, I clarified with the owner that I would be refunded for the full week and my petrol travelling costs if I chose to leave to which the female owner, Pamela, agreed. She said she would need to contact Sykes Cottages on Monday regarding the refund. The owners provided me with 2 large bottles of water and a bucket of water to empty into the toilet cistern for flushing the toilet for the Saturday evening, which was much appreciated. As it was difficult without water – such as washing up, no shower, but particularly toilet flushing – I decided to leave on the Sunday morning. There was no guarantee the water situation would get resolved on the Monday. On balance, I felt the best option was to get a refund. However, on returning home, the owner has changed what she agreed to and has said she will only refund the money she received from Sykes, which is £200 less than what I paid Sykes, so the owner has not refunded the cost of the holiday – she just wants to reimburse her own income saying: “I cannot be expected to reimburse you for money I never received.” However, the owner is happy for me to be £200 out of pocket. In another text, the owner said: “I said I would reimburse you the cost of the week, which is what I am doing. I am repaying you every penny I received for the rental of the barn”. She doesn’t seem to understand that my costs and her income are two different things. They have refunded their income and my petrol costs of approx. £50 as we agreed. Overall, I would say that the owner has gone back on their word of reimbursing my costs for the full week and I have lost £200. So I would be careful if there are any issues with this property that you get any refund details fully clarified and in writing before leaving the property. Last week, I spent hours of what should have been my summer holiday having to phone/ email Sykes to justify the refund of my holiday. Beautiful location, but I have felt misled, let down, out of pocket by £200 and without a summer holiday… In addition, photo 12/13 appears to show a sea view from the cottage garden. It does look like a summer time photo, but there was definitely no sea view from the garden while I was there in July.