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"Bryn Derwen is a lovely cottage in a beautiful location."
The views are spectacular and it was great to have peace and quiet and breathe in clean air.
We only had one issue while we were staying there. The water was running very low. (It’s not on mains water). Unsurprisingly, after so many weeks without rain, the water source feeding the house had run dry. This hadn’t happened before. Friends offered us showers elsewhere so we agreed to continue on. We quickly learnt how precious water is and used it sparingly for toilet flushing, hand washing and teeth brushing. We used bottled water for everything else. For once, we were hoping it would rain on our holiday! It didn’t really do so until the last night. So by the time we left, the tank had started to refill for the next occupants.
Overall, this is a good base for visiting North Wales with Caernarfon about 20 minutes away for shops, restaurants and a castle. Despite the water problem, we’d consider staying here again.
Reviewed by Joy4.0★Aug 2026
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"This cottage was truly idyllic; the complete peace and isolation in the area was just what our weary souls needed."
The facilities were simple but ample, the beds were comfortable, and the kitchen was well equipped for the home cook. We really enjoyed not having access to a tv; it led to such quiet in the evenings and the log burner was a welcome focal point. We also really enjoyed exploring the area and walking up Moel Tryfan; there are some remarkable vantage points that are begging to be explored!
We had a couple of troubles during our stay (related to heating and hot water) but between the Housekeeping team and the owner, they were dealt with well and the issues resolved. We wanted to extend thanks for the promptness and communication through these maintenance works!
A great holiday and one which will help keep us afloat until we can book to come back.
Reviewed by Megan5.0★Aug 2025
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"We really enjoyed our stay at Bryn Derwen."
The bedrooms were very comfortable. The location was stunning, very quiet and peaceful. Facilities were generally very good, well equipped kitchen, two wood burners, excellent WiFi etc however it would have been useful to have known that there was no freezer in either of the fridges - we'd brought some ice cream so had to eat it all on the first night! There was no sign of any garden furniture which would have been nice for the sunnier days. Although generally clean the property could perhaps do with a more thorough deep clean now.
Reviewed by Seb4.0★Jul 2025
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"We had such a great time staying at Bryn Derwen, is was as good as we'd hoped, so peaceful, typical rugged North Wales hill-side scenery, between the mountains and the seaside - our perfect yearly getaway as a family, to charge up our batteries for the rest of the year!"
Will definitely visit again! The owner was really helpful when we lost the keys (so sorry!), and both he, and Sykes Cottages were quick to respond late at night during this emergency! If you like a proper rustic mountain cottage feel for a holiday, but with everything you need there provided, then this is the place for you! The eggs, milk and bread made us feel welcome on arrival, after we had a bit of an adventure finding the right place, because it was dark at the time of us getting there :-)
Reviewed by Katherine5.0★Jul 2025
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"The property was well maintained and very well equipped."
The kitchen had lots of crockery, cutlery and pots and pans and the cooker/microwave were easy to use. The double fridge was useful, but it was a surprise not to have this switched on for our arrival. Additional bedding and utensils were available, though we did not need them. Having a separate lounge and dining room was good. There was little storage space in the bedrooms, but this was not a major drawback. Overall, we really enjoyed the property. The location was great (very scenic if isolated) and the rough track up to the property was not as bad as we had feared. We would happily return to this property.
A welcome pack was waiting (including eggs and bread and Welsh cakes) for us and we had no problems throughout the stay.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback about our cottage. It is great to hear you enjoyed and appreciated the location and set up. On a clear day the views are quite special. I am so sorry the fridge was not on, ready for your arrival. Hopefully we will see you back in the future.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Garry5.0★Aug 2024
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"A lovely Cosy Cottage & well equipped for a relaxing Holiday."
The log burners are great on a chilly evening. 2 Bathrooms makes life easier for a group staying. We enjoyed sharing the outdoor space with the sheep & Cows. It is off the beaten track & you do have to drive Carefully up the gravel track but well worth it in our opinion
Thank you so much for your kind feedback earlier in the summer. We take all feedback seriously, and it is great to know when things have worked out well. We hope to see you back this way again.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Samantha5.0★Jul 2024
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"A very cozy cottage in a beautiful place,
both dining place and living room have an incredible view towards the sea, you can start your hike right from the gate and I especially enjoyed the sunsets over the Irish Sea."
We had only one problem which was the slate road leading up to the house. With our ordinary family van we could hardly use it and parked the car in the village, walking up the hill on the Slate Trail to the houseevery time. It would probably be good to mention this in the property description. But on the other hand it may have kept us from booking, and we would have missed our stay in this lovely place.
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback and your patience with our road up there. We are in discussions with our neighbours and hope to dramatically improve access for everyone soon. This weekend the quarry manager used some machinery to level the track and it has improved somewhat.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Anna5.0★Aug 2023
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"We have just arrived home from our holiday and have already re booked for next year."
We have had a fantastic stay. The cottage is lovely. Really clean and spacious and equipped with everything you need. We loved how it has been modernised to a very high standard whilst still maintaining the traditional features. Beds are extremely comfortable and the facilities are fabulous. The views are AMAZING! 10/10 from us. We didn’t want to leave! We had many happy nights sat around the fire playing games and having some real family time without the distractions of a TV in the background. Thankyou so much! See you next year
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We really appreciate your response and information about the cottage.
We also had many family holidays up there in the way you described and I am glad the space up there continues to provide that.
Thanks again and we look forward to your return!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Karina5.0★Aug 2023
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"Some imaginative creating of clothes storage space would really make a great difference and maybe a longer type of clothes dryer rather than the vertical one."
Having said that it's a great cottage, comfortable and really nice to stay there and the slate road is part of the charm. Possibly advise people to drive on centre and edge of road then they won,t need to worry about their car sump. Nice touch to leave the milk, bread & eggs! Next Wales visit will almost certainly stay here again.
Thank you so much for your feedback. It is really useful to hear your thoughts. I will continue to explore storage options and we hope to put a pulley clothes rack in the boiler room, if not another style of dryer. We are currently working on a solution to improve the road (which does vary according to the recent weather and type of use), so hopefully it will be smoother soon.
We very much look forward to welcoming you back!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Brendan4.0★Aug 2023
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"Excellent cottage, so peaceful and relaxing , nothing i would change ( only the weather )."
Would recommend ....
Thank you for your feedback and I do hope you get to see the cottage and views in good weather another time. The sunsets can be amazing!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Carol5.0★Jul 2023
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"Overall very rural place we love it, if you driving take a 2nd left not the 1st ..."
Overall very rural place we love it, if you driving take a 2nd left not the 1st left or you need 4x4 then you ok
There’s NO freezer
Thank you so much for your feedback, we are glad you enjoyed the rural area.
We will look into the directions and signage again and hope to improve access.
I am so sorry we do not yet have a freezer. We keep exploring space up there to be able to fit a stand alone one in eventually.
Best wishes and we hope to welcome you back there again!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Otabek4.0★Jun 2023
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"The property is beautiful with great location, views and appointments but there are drawbacks."
The access track should be either improved or stated on the listing as more suitable for 4x4s as having had a lot of rain both our cars scraped undersides when using the track. The property is listed as no pets but there was significant black dog hairs. My grandson had to go to Porthmadog for medical care and steroid/inhaler prescription. Push/pull in bathroom temperamental despite being reported in the visitor book previously. Saucepans had to be thoroughly cleaned before use. That said the quality of fittings and location are great. The beds and bedding are lovely and comfortable. The bathrooms spotless and the welcome pack very nice. A vacuum cleaner would have helped us keep on top of day to day cleanliness.
Thank you for your feedback and we are sorry you experienced issues during your stay. The track is a challenge and it constantly varies in quality. As it is shared use with others we are liasing with the quarry to give it a better finish. We will add a description to the Bryn Derwen information on the website. We were very sorry to hear about your grandson and we hope he is better. We have taken up the issue with the previous occupant and will provide further cleaning before the next guest. The light switch was replaced following previous feedback but we will investigate. We have noted points regarding saucepans and the vacuum cleaner. Once again thank you for your feedback.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Stephen4.0★Apr 2023
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"The driveway to the property requires a little attention."
Recycling waste is required. If you like peace and quite with good views at a reasonable price this fits the bill.
Thank you so much for your feedback back in January. We are glad you enjoyed the views.
We are currently working on improving the road on the final stretch to the cottage.
We appreciate your concern for recycling as we also believe fully in doing so. The recycling is in place now so hopefully this is easier to use.
We would love to welcome you back in the future!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Sophie3.0★Jan 2023
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"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay."
The place was in a lovely location with views on a clear day.
We didn't spend a huge amount of time there, as it was really just a base for us to explore from.
We did end up just using the track to the house once a day (once out in the morn, and once in in the evening). It is a rough slate track, which isn't particularly easy to navigate in the dark, nor kind to the car.
We didn't have WiFi, as advertised or a few introductory logs for the fire. There's no TV, but a plethora of games and jigsaws. This didn't take away from the experience, just worth a comment.
All in all, I would go again.... it's a splendid location!!
Thank you so much for your feedback back in October last year. I do apologise for this late response.
We really appreciated your thoughts and found them helpful.
The wifi is fully set up now but we do not yet have a screen available.
We are currently working on the condition of the road and access in general.
I am sorry you didn’t have the logs as expected!
I am glad you enjoyed the location and setting and hope to welcome you back in the future!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Lucy4.0★Oct 2022
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"Can’t really fault the property."
Cottage has been renovated to the highest standard and the views are to die for. Some people might miss aTV and the Wi-Fi was hit and miss but didn’t bother us. If you’re a walker, reader or someone who loves solitude then this doesn’t get any better. Will definitely be back. If I win the lottery I’ll be making the owners an offer.
Thank you so much for such kind feedback. We really appreciate your comments and hope you return.
Best wishes,
Teresa
Property Owner
Reviewed by Andrew5.0★Jul 2022
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