Harlech Apartments - Efnisien

I should start by saying that we stayed in this apartment perhaps 5 years ago - so we knew what it was like.

First appearances are excellent - and the cleaners do a fantastic job. However .... the biggest let down is the water supply. The cold tap in the kitchen is barely above a trickle - whilst the hot tap in the bathroom is a joke! It takes at least 10 minutes before it gets warm - we never got 'hot' water out of it. It was like this when we last stayed and we naively assumed it would be better this time - but no. We would not stay again. Also teaspoons - there are just two, I know folk 'borrow' them to eat their yogurt on the way home etc but teaspoons are so cheap as to be almost disposable. The bed was comfortable but could do with a better duvet. Not sure what was happening with the heating - cold one night then all the electric heaters appeared to be on the next (without us adjusting anything).

A lovely apartment, with beautiful furniture and the bed was incredibly comfortable.

Everything was provided. Will definitely book again. The dedicated parking spaces were a great bonus.

This is our second visit to the property.

It is in a wonderful location, ideal for walking & sightseeing. Very picturesque with snow on the mountains. Lucky to have bright, sunny days. In easy reach of Barmouth by train, plus just over an hour's drive to Conwy Castle & town. Llandudno a similar distance away. The property is well presented and clean. A lovely touch was a Bara Brith waiting for us.

This was our second holiday stay in this apartment and we would definitely stay again.

The castle is visually stunning both day and night and the view is right outside the door to enjoy when all the other tourists have gone home! It was perfect for us and an ideal base for exploring southern and mid Snowdonia. We arrived in a storm and the apartments are very warm, quiet and secure with great views towards Porthmadog. The bedroom is wonderfully spacious with a very comfortable bed (though strangely there was no mattress protector on it?!). The kitchen and living area have everything we needed. The Wi-Fi was excellent. A couple of areas that could be improved are that more wall hooks could be provided inside the apartment door as in Wales you're going to need lots of coats, and it would be nice to hang them up somewhere! Secondly, we thought that although the apartment was superficially clean, it would benefit from a more extensive 'deep clean' as there was some dust in less obvious areas. I also had to clean out the shower waste as the water wasn't draining away properly (easily fixed but not very pleasant!) and the oven was a bit dirty and the bulb had blown (again we easily fixed it with a new one from the hardware shop in Barmouth) so it would be nice if these things were checked in future but they didn't detract from a wonderful stay. Thanks!

Really nice apartment, just right for two.

Two issues which spoiled our trip: the very bright green light on the ceiling in the bedroom (along with two others) As eco friendly accommodation I think a stand-by light on the TV which could not be turned off is unnecessary. The first three days were not so bad but Monday and Tuesday the staff in the cafe below left the outside lights on which made trying to sleep even worse. The hallway outside the apartment often smelled of cooking fat. We left two days early. There was no hoover or long handled broom so, as older people, we couldn’t clean up the floor and crumbs had to stay.

fantastic place enjoyed everything

We had a lovely stay in the Efnisien apartment.

It was a beautiful space, comfortable, clean and had everything you needed. Although there are no views of the castle from this apartment, there's a great view of snowdonia from the bedroom window.

Great apartment.

Ideal for us to explore North Wales. Highly recommended

Such a lovely apartment which has all we look for - big, comfortable bed, decent shower, designated parking and quiet.

The only thing which requires looking at is the TV in the living area, as it blinks a lot so obviously something is not right. Other than that, we would most definately recommend the apartment and we had a really great stay.

We have a very relaxing few days in this beautiful apartment, very spacious and comfortable place, The king/ Queen size bed was amazing, the only nuisance was that the bottom sheet kept jumping out from the corner, But apart from that we have amazing time and the weather was on our side 23° for the 4 days.

Would definitely book again and would highly recommend it.

I believe my partner Karen has been conversing with one of your colleagues called Rose in reference to me slipping in the shower but as the named person I would have to be the one to highlight any issues.

May I firstly say your cleaning staff are excellent, the apartment was clean, tidy and well presented in fact I was very impressed and I do travel about and stay in different accommodation and it is up there with the best. I do have severe mobility issues and as so I somewhat naively expected the shower to have grab rails as standard and had that been the case I would not have had a problem, I do hope you will look at this in a favourable light, there are other minor niggles bit these would not be a problem if I did not have mobility issues. Kind regards ADL Winstanley Ps it is up to you if you wish to publish the review as if I had been a fit person I would not have had an issue

The flat is bright, clean and spacious.

It was also warm and draughtproof while Storm Darragh was raging across the Welsh coast. I notice that some guests have complained about a smell of drains. Clearly the cleaners had taken this to heart, as the shower room had been vigorously bleached prior to our arrival. We had no problems at all with any smell of drains during our stay. It is worth noting that this particular flat is at the back of the building and therefore does not have a view of the castle. Small issues: the mechanism of one of the blinds in the bedroom was faulty. We ended up leaving it down! And the freezer compartment in the fridge is solidly iced up (I see this problem has been mentioned before). It really needs to be switched off and defrosted completely between lets. Hint to owners: if a broom/mop/hoover had been provided we would have been happy to use these before we left!

Altogh very pleased with the apartment, devil is in the detail.

Slate place Matt's and coasters were filthy along with some crockery. Could not get WiFi at all for the duration of my stay. Little things I know but just need to box them off. Altogether a good break.

Efnisien was a really lovely apartment.

Well located with some good views across to the mountains. The apartment was emaculate,very comfortable and had everything that we needed for a pleasant stay.

Ice compartment was virtually full up with ice, so couldn't use.

No dishcloth, no broom, so difficult to clean up properly. The bathroom and bedroom still smelt of drains despite a number of previous comments pointing this out.

A perfect apartment for a holiday, plenty of space with every comfort that was needed.

A wonderful location to access walking in the hills, along beautiful sandy beaches and stunning castles. Having a reserved parking space helps a great deal. Will visit again!

My main problem was the view from the windows in Efnisien apartment lounge.

You just see a flat room with ugly installations. A more minor gripe - the icebox in the fridge was completely frozen up. Also the apartment was not ready at 4pm when we arrived. Otherwise it’s a nice flat in a good location.

We live in Harlech and rented the apartment while doing work on our own house.

It is a very nice place to stay ,good facilities and comfortable. BUT.... It has been stated in other reviews about the horrible dirty drain smell coming from the bathroom. Luckily it was quite warm so we had the windows fully open to mask the smell. If you knew about it why hasn't it been fixed??, or at least warned about it ?. It won't go away by itself.

Lovely apartment, very clean and everything we needed.

However there was a distinct smell of drains in the bathroom which required the bathroom fan to be left on - this helped but didn't eliminate the odour.

Lovely apartment in a great location.

Worktop space in kitchen too small.

Shower needs grab handles for safety, Televisions are tiny! Hot water is slow to arrive in washbasins Surprised to find no basic supplies such as dishwasher tablets, sufficient loo paper, kitchen essentials such as salt, washing-up liquid. But the flat is nice and spacious. Pity the view of the mountains is somewhat restricted.

Fantastic apartment let down by lack of service from Menai.

Tried on numerous occasions to contact Menai with virtually nil response. Because of this never got promised CADW explorer pass.

The apartment had everything we needed , could of done with more worktop space and were quite annoyed we couldn’t open the windows apart from the kitchen window , a brush would of been nice so I could sweep the floor, apart from that the apartment was very comfy , pity about the view as there isn’t one apart from the roof

One of the most comfortable and well thought out apartments I’ve stayed in.

Beautifully decorated with everything we needed in a breathtaking setting

A lovely apartment with good views from one side.

Nearly all the comforts of home that you require, but I don't like it that I could not get any hot water to shave from the tap in the bathroom at four o'clock in the afternoon? Time clock?? Also no car park permit available in foyer or the room, eventually staff dealing with the castle photocopied one for me.

The property was to a very high standard and I would definitely recommend it.

Very clean everything you need.

Excellent, very comfortable and luxurious apartment, beautifully clean and we'll appointed.

Would definitely return. Thank you

Very clean, good facilities and maintenance.

This accommodation was excellent making the weather outside irrelevant, Staff were very considerate and welcoming.

Wow!

What a beautiful apartment finished to such high standard with all the amenities you could ever need for a short stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the location as great! We even had the pleasure of speaking with a maintenance guy on a Sunday who was checking that the heating was working, which indeed it was! Would highly recommend and wouldn't stay anywhere else if we are ever in the area again.

The shower head was good only little niggle the head could not be moved into a good position as the water went outside the shower.

A bit more work top space would be useful.

We were really comfortable in this luxury apartment and didn’t want to leave.

Beautifully designed and containing everything we needed. Gorgeous views of the mountains. Delicious welcome pack and free entry to Cadw properties. We will definitely be back.,

Sash windows had not been fastened so rattled as winds got up at night.

Prior to arriving we asked if an explorer pass was included - we were told it was not included. The pass transpired to be included.

Wonderful apartment exceeded our expectations.

Was stocked with everything you could need. Would definitely recommend

Apartment was stunning absolutely beautiful could not fault it, very well equipped and spotlessly clean even had a little welcome pack of welsh cakes and chocolate, We both had an amazing holiday and would defiantly recommend and return.

Many Thanks Wayne & Rebecca.

Excellent location, beautiful apartment.

spacious and clean. I'll definitely go back

A really comfortable and stylish place to stay.

Great value and in a jaw-droppingly beautiful location. Will definitely stay here again.

The reason we have rated this apartment lower than apartment 2 which we occupied in December is as follows: The main view from the apartment was not good overlooking a flat roof and satellite dish.

We had a problem with hot water in the morning and had to run both the kitchen and bathroom hot taps for some some before the hot water arrived. This was usually after 9.00 am. There was one broken glass at the back of the glass cupboard - a rounded tumbler glass . One wine glass broke in the dishwasher. We had intended to leave these glasses in the kitchen area when we departed but forgot - apologies. The kitchen area lacks working surface with one small area between the hob and the kitchen sink totally inadequate to prepare food. A wooden board to fit the kitchen sink would help alleviate this problem otherwise food has to be partly prepared on the dining room table. Not a perfect solution. We were not advised beforehand that builders would be working on apartments 1 and 2 during our stay, although they were very careful to keep working noise down and were extremely polite. There is an annoying small red flashing light near the ceiling above the television in the sitting room which is distracting. On the positive side, the apartment was immaculate, well furnished with a wonderfully comfortable bed and the apartment situation is perfect for exploring that part of Wales. The castle tours were included in the price of the apartment which was welcome. The close vicinity of the Castle Cafe below the apartment is great for breakfast and a snack later in the day and the staff in both the cafe and the shop were charming and efficient.

Harlech itself is a lovely place for the daily tourists for the castle, being in a very elevated position, and the lovely views - but it seems to close down in the evenings with no pubs or eateries for us the resident holiday makers, but nevertheless we enjoyed the whole area for touring around the coastal towns.

The water temperature wasn't hot enough during the day so had to boil kettle to wash up.

Also the bedroom had a ceiling green light which was very bright during the night and lit up the room. Shame no cushions in the lounge but assume to do with covid. Shower door needs to be full length width as water spills onto the bathroom floor, whilst there is a mat to put down this this gets soaked, could do with the ventilation extractor fans working for longer. Very pleasant accommodation and quiet too. Would definitely stay again.

We thought the apartment was very comfortable, especially the lovely bedroom with the huge bed.

It was so peaceful and we had no trouble sleeping at night. The only negative was the bathroom, although very nice and clean the shower needs a door as it was hard to stop some water spilling over onto the floor. In time the floor will look shabby which is a great shame.

We would have recycled our rubbish if the system had been explained.

Excellent location, very quiet and comfortable, CADW staff were really friendly and helpful.

A clean comfortable apartment.

The bed was very comfortable. A longer stay might have posed problems because of the lack of worktop space in the kitchen area; we do tend to cook our own meals on alternate nights.

Great apartment in a very convenient location.

Parking outside. Very spacious and comfortable. Kitchen facilities were new and easy to operate. Bathroom excellent. Large comfortable bed. Very peaceful location - especially at night. Minor issues were the Keysafe proved tricky to operate & it was impossible to obtain Channels on the TV in the Bedroom..

A gorgeous apartment in an awesome location with lots of extras.

I didn't want to go home!

We had a lovely 3 days in wales.

The apartment was amazing.

A really well appointed apartment, excellent facilities and perfect location for the castle.

The beaches nearby are simply stunning, a short drive from the apartment. We did notice that the air blower in the apartment was a year overdue its PAT test and there was some rubbish (including used tissues!) left in a vase in the bedroom, so that hadn't been cleaned properly. That's laziness from someone staying there prior to us, you wouldn't normally put rubbish in a vase and no doubt the cleaner(s) wouldn't think to check inside. But overall the cleanliness was brilliant, especially in this current COVID-19 situation. One thing that did disappoint was the lack of shops and eateries in Harlech, we had no idea that it was so small. But overall we would return given the chance as the scenery was beautiful and the peace and quiet very welcome.

The Good Spacious, bright, comfortable bed, shower good, plenty of towels (and of good size) kitchen facilities generally good.

Quiet, secure - no noise from other appts. The Not so Good There was no hot water coming through taps throughout our stay - yes, we did let them run - there was no hot water. For a 'luxury' apartment you provide just 4 knives/forks/spoons and teaspoons. This is dire - especially the teaspoons. Cutlery is not expensive and may almost be considered a consummable. There is no where to put discarded clothes. No chair, chest etc - just the floor - or an impromptu surface made from the surfeit of cushions on the bed. Rubbish bins ie kitchen need cleaning inside. Re the water - had we been spending more time in the appt we would have contacted you re this. As it was we were down helping with family so only spent the nights there.

Initial issue with parking pass not been available but resolved with a phone call

Really comfortable, clean accommodation decorated beautifully with careful thought about what little extras are needed for self catering.

Communication was brilliant with clear instructions and easy access to the property. Free pass to castles in the area and easy available parking. Would highly recommend and definitely plan to return.

Very clean and comfortable.

Had everything we needed .nice an quite .local shops were good never went to a supermarket once as could get what we wanted in Harlech and locally made.

On the face of it the flat is just as listed, contemporary and chic.

Unfortunately, once settled in, it doesn't live up to expectation. When we arrived two lights were out (one a bedside table lamp), one of the TV remotes wasn't working and the Roman blind in the kitchen area couldn't be lifted. When it came to preparing a meal other shortcomings quickly became apparent. No baking trays made cooking even ready meals difficult, there was no microwave cooking bowls and space on the preparation area was miniscule. Eating was no better. Cutlery and crockery were barely sufficient with just four knives, forks and spoons. The cutlery, crockery and glassware were of first rate quality (Maxwell & Williams) though some pieces had been replaced with lesser quality items. The bed was most comfortable with plenty of room, quality linen and a most enjoyable experience. The shower room on arrival smelt somewhat musty as others have commented. Once using the shower, it quickly became apparent for this smell; almost as much water escapes onto the floor as goes down the drain. A wonderful shower in principle but, like much in this flat, the execution is sadly less than perfect. Expected basics, such as dishwasher tables, soap, spare bin liners and the like, were conspicuous by their absence; the first time we have experienced such things to be totally absent. Definitely an example of good effort, must try harder.

The apartment was lovely - really comfortable and plenty of space for us and our toddler in a travel cot.

The furnishing are of really high quality and very comfortable. The bed was incredible! So comfortable! We had four apartments and cooked in the biggest one so didn't use the kitchen facilities but it had an oven, microwave, hob, dishwasher and under counter fridge. No freezer to speak of apart from a small compartment in the fridge - ok for ice. There were a few essentials left (presumably from previous guests) like dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid etc which was really useful and it was a really nice touch to leave some fresh milk in the fridge and some homemade welsh cakes. We had requested a high chair and a cot and these were provided ready for our arrival and were good quality. The only downsides about this apartment was that it was the only one in the building without a view. As we spent evenings in the other one this wasnt a problem but had we just been in this one all week I think it would have felt a bit dark and we'd have missed a view of the castle and sea. Also it smelt very damp (from the bathroom) but not sure why as everything looked fresh and new and so no visible reason for this. It was a bit unpleasant though. Harlech is lovely and there are a few shops, cafes, restaurants and a spar for supplies. No pub which is a shame. The deli opposite was lovely! There is reserved parking for the apartments but the carpark is quite small so we often found our space was taken by visitors when we came back at the end of the day even though there were signs and cones. Not a huge issue though. The beach is amazing - must see if the weather is nice. Overall we had a fantastic stay and would come back in an instant! Thanks!

When we arrived on the Friday the hob would not work.

This was reported on Saturday morning and 2 engineers were sent to look at it. Unfortunately they were unable to locate the problem and said that it required a qualified electrician. We were then contacted by yourselves to say that an electrician would not be available until Monday at the earliest. Fortunately there was a spare unit available in the same complex and we were asked if we would be willing to move in to this apartment. I was surprised that there was not an on call electrician for the site and wonder what would have happened if there were no other apartments available on the site. A separate email will be sent about the subsequent apartment we were allocated as this had its own problems.

Lovely spacious flat.

Really comfy bed, well equipped. Was larger than the photos looked and a really high standard. Just a few small points Views over mountains from the bedroom but also of the rooftops, no good view from the sitting room, I didn’t read the small print about this when I booked, but it didn’t matter, I loved the view from the bedroom. Please change the blind pull in the bedroom as it is not easy to use and keeps snapping off. The ones in the main room are fine. It would be helpful to have clear information on what and how to recycle in each property, a good 3 compartment bin was provided but every area in the UK is different.

Lovely flat, spacious, bright and clean.

Decorated to a high standard with all the facilities that you could require. Although it is at the back of the building you still have views across the estuary to the mountains and is quite private. Parking is not an issue as there are 5 reserved spaces for guests, the car park can be busy during the day. The only thing I could criticise is that there is very little work surface to prepare meals which was bit of a pain. You will need to have cash with you as many of the shops and restaurants do not accept card payments due to poor phone reception in the area, there is a cash machine on the High Street but that charges for withdrawals so go to the Spar which also has a Post Office counter. Overall a very pleasant week, we plan to come back soon!

Upon arrival the heating was not working, read the most recent feedback in the foyer which highlighted that the heating had been an ongoing issue for months.

Contacted your department who arranged for someone to come over immediately. They turned up with a couple of heaters to address issues. The heating could not be controlled from the room, this is not mentioned in the listing. You have no control over when the heating comes on or the temperature. No good having radiators with controls when they set a maximum temperature of 20 from outside. Would not recommend this property and feel that you need to ensure that this is highlighted in the listing, no control over heating is a big issue particularly in Wales!

The apartment was ideally situated, clean and comfortable.

We really enjoyed our stay there.

We loved the apartment and would be happy to return.

We would have liked to have been able to control the heating as it did feel chilly in the evenings and the towel rail could have been timed for longer as our towels didn’t always get dry.

Please see earlier comments

This apartment was lovely and perfect for a couple.

Quality fixtures and fittings and very quiet especially when the visitor centre below is closed. Good base for exploring the local area. Plenty of places to eat in Harlech, all within walking distance. The cafe in the visitor centre below does an excellent breakfast with a great view of the castle.

Blinds not fitted in rooms

Everything had been thought of and supplied.

Just one recommendation though ... tea, sugar and cleaning materials was actually there but were empty so maybe worth checking! Easy mistake to make!

The apartment was very nice and clean a shame that two blinds were broken.

there was two people on roof at night time I assume checking things but as the roof was outside our living room there was no privacy. We had a comfortable stay but we did leave early

Would have been 5* except for a few little niggles:- -worktop cramped and virtually no space for preparing food -roman blinds on all windows with very short cords, some difficult to reach -no pyrex bowls provided to use in microwave -the lights in the bathroom mirror quite useless and there was no light at all over the dressing table mirror.

Contact lens wearers need access to lighted mirrors (also if applying cosmetics) -interior fire doors in the common parts are not fitted with soft closers so they bang loudly every time somebody goes in or out -recycling bins provided in flat but apparently all go into one hopper, so pointless To summarise - almost a case of style over substance?

The standard of decor and eqipment was first rate

Holiday apartment fabulous, own parking, voucher for free entry to castles.

Apartment exactly as described modern spotless clean everything you needed.

Apartment 5 stars info not quite so good.

A 3 compartment recycling bin is good but you need to know how to sort as this varies around the U K. As far as I could see no fire exits were marked and the cooker instructions were very brief.

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Just perfect, exactly what we wanted.

Would definitely return.

Really nice place to stay in a tiny town!

! Beautiful relaxing flat; it was unfortunate that we didn’t get much sleep as the fire alarm for the castle kept going off serveral times through the night

All was excellent from the booking to the enjoyment of the location and the fabulous apartment.

Thank you very much for an excellent, relaxing 4 days break.

Super, spacious apartment.

We would have liked a washing machine because we were on a two week tour.

No washing up bowl in kitchen sink.

Thick layer of dust on large freestanding lamp in lounge area.

The Efnisien apartment is exceptional.

We booked it as we liked the furnishings and had previously stayed in one of the other apartments which we give a resounding 10/10 for. On arrival we were told that a reserved parking space was available for our stay. There should be 5 spaces. Unfortunately there were only 4 as the lockable parking post on the 5th was broken and taken away. This means the space was available for anyone using the car park. It was inconvenient as going out you didn't know if a parking space would be available when you got back. A traffic cone or notice board would have eased this problem whilst waiting for the council to replace it. Although there were ample radiators in the apartment, and it was advertised as "what you could expect", you could not use the heating between April and September. The apartment was chilly at times ( because of the horrible weather in June ) so it did not feel welcoming. There was no where to hang coats or place shoes when coming in the apartment and this was not good when coming in wet through. The heated towel rail in the bathroom didn't work and this had been noted in the housekeepers book but not been dealt with. We did not feel comfortable enough to go down to the visitor centre at the castle with damp towels to ask for fresh ones. The fridge has a mind of it's own, freezing up things that are placed in it and this had nothing to with the controls unless they were broken. So overall even though it is a fabulous apartment we would not visit it again. Other people have made various criticisms in the housekeepers book and we agree with all of them. the ones we have noted are the ones that we were unhappy with. So sad as our other visits to Menai properties have been so good.Thank you

Without doubt a perfect apartment with a high specification - I know because I am a Chartered Construction Manager!

Beautiful location, although you cannot see the castle directly from this apartment, it has views towards Porthmadog.

This is our second visit to these apartments and Efnisien is a little larger than Matholwch where we first stayed.