Holiday Diary – Luxury Holiday Apartment near Betws-y-Coed

“Enjoyed our stay in your beautiful appartment, very comfortable and a lovely setting.
Found some lovely walks and enjoyed our visit around the old town of Conwy. Good food at the Olde Shippe Inn and great sausages and steaks from the local butchers.”
– Stuart and Janet, Cumbria

During our first day we went to visit Conwy as we were staying so close to it. We hadn’t been to this area before so we weren’t quite sure what to expect, having only seen a few pictures of the castle and the surrounding area but it was a pleasant experience. I have to admit though, Britain’s Smallest House, on the waterfront did tempt us to visit first. As my wife put it, ‘it was very adorable’. The castle was even better if you love historical and heritage attractions like we do. We discovered that it constructed by the English monarch Edward I around 1283 as one of the fortresses in his ‘iron ring’ of castles to contain the Welsh. There was plenty of gift shops there too, so a great opportunity to get something for the grandchildren.

We spent our second day in Bodnant Gardens. There was so much to see that we couldn’t make it around the whole garden before having to visit the tea room for refreshments. My wife and I thought it would be a great place to take the family next summer with plenty open land and wooded valley to explore. For me, the highlight to the day was the laburnum arch, a 55m long pathway tunnel of greens and gold’s with the sunlight beaming through.

An interesting building, hidden deep in the garden is the family mausoleum known as The Poem. Built by Henry Davis Pochin, The Poem is a resting place for him and his family. Only open on the last Tuesday of every month. To me, Bodnant is just one of those places that you’ll always remember and so it’s always worth a visit.

We certainly couldn’t miss Betws-y-Coed either during our stay. We’d heard from friends that it was worth a visit and it definitely was. Even on our way into the village we could see straight away that it was going to be something special with the outstanding forestry and valley surrounding this idyllic village. There was so much to do in this area; you could see why so many people love to visit with it being suitable for all kinds of visitors. There were plenty of lovely gift shops, family picnic areas and walks next to the river that runs through the village. Being that this area is the outdoors capital of North Wales; the active visitor could easily fall in love with this area too. There’s the Marin mountain biking trail set right through the forestry, Tree Tops Adventures and even Go Below caving activities in the area.

Of course being retired, my wife and I were happy enough touring the beautiful village visiting the shops and visiting the Conwy Valley Railway Museum.
On our last day we thought that we would visit the Trefriw Woollen Mill. We were able to watch raw wool be transformed into beautiful bed spreads and tapestries before our eyes. The whole production seemed very organic with machines that date back to the 50’s or 60’s, still powered by the mill which dates back to the 30’s. The great thing about the Mill was that you were able to buy their creations there and then which meant you could really feel the quality for yourself, knowing exactly how and where it was made. We couldn’t leave without taking something away to remember so we had to buy a cushion that we were able to match up to our current colour scheme.

We had such a great time and we’ll have to bring the family along with us next time, knowing how much there is to do around the area. It was so easy to settle in thanks to the spacious, comfortable and contemporary accommodation. We really couldn’t have asked for more!