“REVIEW OF Y FELIN COTTAGE, CARDIGAN WALES MAY 2023
Overall Summary:
We stayed at Y Felin for 7 nights in May 2023.”
This was our second cottage holiday with our adopted rescue dog. She is highly reactive to many situations, so we booked Y Felin as it was quite secluded and out of the way - and it catered for dogs! (Although, for us, with a reactive, dog the fence surrounding the side of the garden was not particularly high and we had to keep our dog on a lead whilst she was outside….just in case !!)
It proved to be a great base from which to explore the Cardigan area of Wales and, at a pinch, you could probably walk into Cardigan but, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for us.
The cottage itself is set on the roadside in a small hamlet and has a peaceful secluded garden with views over open countryside and woodland.
The garden housed the hot tub which we hadn’t had in any of our previous holiday cottages Surprisingly for us, it turned out to be a great place (and regular way) of relaxing at the end of each day following our exploration of the local beaches. It was a nice option to have.
With secure parking for at least 2 cars, it’s only minutes from the main road (and a couple of large supermarkets) up a short, single track, lane. There is minimal passing traffic.
The property itself is very well furnished and homely and has pretty much everything that guests could need.
Open plan in layout and decorated and furnished in a traditional style it had a couple of sofas, a small armchair and a 6-seater dining table inside, a picnic table and a table with 6 chairs on the small patio outside, together with a well-equipped kitchen. We also found that the small utility room that housed the oil-fired boiler and the freezer was an ideal spot for drying out our damp clothing and footwear at the end of each day.
The log burner in the lounge area looked very homely and a good supply of logs was supplied, but there was no need for us to use it during our stay.
It has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. That said, one of the bedrooms was more of a converted garden room with French doors leading out into the garden (It had 2 single beds in it but no wardrobe space).
The double bed in the master bedroom was very comfortable.
Ffion was a good host and, as she lives just up the road, was always on hand to sort out any issues which occurred during our stay quickly – and to our satisfaction.
If you want a base to stay in when you’re visiting this part of Cardigan then Y Felin could be for you. That said we did feel that there were some areas that looked a little tired and where a lack of attention to detail let the cottage down a little.
For us, these were:
• A layer of dust in some areas. (Granted, the cottage had been empty the week before we arrived but we would have expected that to be picked up in a check before our arrival).
• There were only 11 coat hangers supplied for the 3 bedrooms (and potentially 6 people).
• The kitchen was well equipped but with most of the cupboard and drawer space being taken up with kitchen equipment, crockery and utensils there was very little space to store groceries etc.
• No washing or dishwasher tablets were supplied. We do understand that this might not be a problem for some people but it would be a nice touch for the time we were there (and save having to buy a large pack of both from the supermarket).
• There was no handwash or soap supplied in the bathroom.
• One of the dog bowls supplied was dirty and clearly hadn’t been washed since the last visitors had used it.
• The clothes airer supplied was old and broken.
• The doors into and out of the garden bedroom were sticking and very difficult to open.
• The key to the French doors out into the garden was missing.
• One of the 2 light bulbs in the cooker hood was missing.
• The shower head and the towel rail in the bathroom were showing signs of wear and corrosion.
• The toilet pan was not secured to the bathroom floor so moved slightly when you sat on it !
• The barbeque was a little old and tired as was the table and chairs on the patio.
• The provision of a small “Welcome pack” would be a nice touch. It would be a great way to showcase some of the local produce and wouldn’t cost much to put together. (That said, if the cost was an issue then it could easily be added to the fees for hiring the cottage- and go pretty much unnoticed).
We have to say that none of these issues had a significant impact on our holiday but most (if not all) of them could be easily remedied and help create a much stronger impression on future visitors.
