I was working away in Wales from January until June 2016, and rather than stay in a hotel, I looked for local holiday lettings. Luckily for me I found Ty Menai.
The cottage itself is set in a beautiful location, it is quiet and surrounded by stunning views which creates a calming/tranquil environment for you to relax. I often looked forward to arriving back from work as I was always welcomed by the farmer’s horses, lambs, calves and cattle whilst driving up the driveway. I found the surroundings so peaceful and loved nothing more than getting back and sitting outside with a nice glass of wine, listening to the birds.
The inside of the cottage is charming with it retaining features from its previous life as cattle shed only adding to its character. The cottage it kitted out with everything you would need, for me it became a real home from home. The only thing I brought with me was a docking station and a selection of DVDs, something worth considering as the weather can be unpredictable.
During my stay I stayed a number of weekends and had various people come to visit, my husband, parents, girlfriend’s etc. all of whom commented on the stunning location and delightful property. For daytime activities I’d recommend the Rhyd Ddu trail Snowdon, Bear Grylls Ribrides (we did Puffins and Seals at Menai Bridge), Beddgelert is a lovely place to visit as is Caernarfon and its castle. Caernarfon is also close enough if you wanted to get a taxi to go out for dinner and a few drinks. For food the best restaurant I found was Hebog (Beddgelert) but you will have to book if you are visiting on the weekend, others that I would recommend are Dylan’s (Menai Bridge) and Blas (Caernarfon).
Over my 4 months at the property I found the owners Sian and Steve to be welcoming, attentive and very caring. As a lady stopping away from home and away from family for quite a period of time I was apprehensive. Sian and Steve were the perfect hosts. The cottage was cleaned to perfection every week with fresh bedding, and flowers in place to welcome me back on a Monday. Anything I needed was no trouble to them at all, and I can’t thank them enough for making me feel so at home.
I’ve been away from the cottage for a few weeks now and I already miss it. I’ve booked to return next year with my husband and we are really looking forward to it.