“On the face of it the property is really good.”
Excellent location, great garden and lovely property. However, there are a number of things that we had issues with. On arrival we were faced with an issue with the electrics that prevented the Wi-Fi, hot water and heating from working. We didn't have to leave the property whilst the owner tried to sort it but we felt like we were in the way so left to the local pub (highly recommend the food!). He couldn't sort the issue so an electrician had to be called, the electrician left about 11pm. The resultant repair left an extension cable running from the loft to a socket in the lounge- as apparently it couldn't be fully sorted until the end of August when there is a gap in the bookings. We were advised that we were the guinea pigs for the temporary repair. The heating and hot water didn't work properly all week and we had to manually put the heating and hot water on when we needed it. The owner didn't seem overly concerned as we had found ways to work around it ourselves. The en-suite shower did little more than a drip of water- which I assumed the owner would be aware about given they have to clean it before each occupation but it came as a surprise to him when I mentioned it. He made it clear that he was not going to sort it whilst we were in but he would get the part ready for him to fix before the new people coming in on Friday. He also asked why didn't we mention it on Sunday, to which we answered we assumed he would know.
This left 6 adults using one mediocre shower - 4 for the latter part of the week. The taps in the main bathroom were not fixed in properly meaning we had to hold the cold bath tap to ensure the water went in the bath not on the floor. Not ideal for washing babies/small dogs.
The owner seemed to let himself into the property whilst we were out - the first time to drop the cot off which he forgot about the day we arrived and the second time to diagnose the shower problem - which he didn't sort. He regularly let himself into the garden to check on the hot tub but he often left the gate open. This meant the garden was not secure for our dog, especially if we didn't know he had been through the gate and left it open.
The kitchen is poorly set out. The table prevents access to the dishwasher making it a two person job. There were lots of dog hairs - not belonging to our dog, especially in the window seat and around the edges of the rooms and in the main bathroom.
Worryingly, there were dead insects on the children's play equipment provided in the accommodation (the play kitchen set) The lighting is quite poor - but not a major problem. The hot tub didn't seem to be at temperature and there was no way of altering it. The owner even asked on our last night what our plans were for the hot tub as he wanted to get a head start draining it for Friday change over! We told him we were using it, To which replied that is fine as you have the property until your departure. We thought that would mean him coming at 9am to empty the hot tub, however at 5.45am the next morning Arwel could be heard coming to the property to empty the hot tub! By walking past the property it caused our dog to wake and bark meaning we were all awake by 6am. I don't think this is acceptable as we had paid for use of this accommodation until 9am and the early wake up is not what you want on holiday.
Given the new occupiers can't arrive before 5:30 pm, this seems like plenty of time to sort the hot tub.
Other than this the fridge needs looking at as it doesn't keep food cold enough, the curtain rails are falling off in the bedroom, there is no storage for clothing in 1 of the rooms and very limited in another.
Overall, the property is suitable for a base for a holiday. The garden is secure for all dogs (given the gate is shut) and the views of the sea are beautiful. Arwel is a lovely man who means well, however we felt from early on in our week long stay that we were an inconvenience given the issues the property was having. We felt like they were keen to get rid of us, and this is highlighted by the request to drain the hot tub the night before we left and Arwel turning up at sunrise to drain it on our departure day, waking us all up and it felt like hurrying us along. We struggled to relax knowing that the owner can, and
will just turn up at any time of his convenience to look at the issues (but never fix them). We accept that the electrics issue was beyond the owners control and he did everything he could to ensure we could stay at the property , but the other issues are all things that he should have known about as the owner who should spend time on handover day checking it over. Maybe if we had mentioned them to him he may have been able to sort them but they shouldn't have been issues in the first place.