Delfryn, Goginan, Aberystwyth

What a wonderful place to spend the weekend! The detailed instructions made it very easy to find Delfryn and we were greeted by a glorious vase of tulips and some delicious local waffles and Welsh cakes; the complementary coffee, tea, eggs, butter, milk and bread were also most welcome after a long drive. The cottage is delightfully rustic - but with all the necessary mod cons and good WiFi connections! It was great to have a woodburner to use when we had a chilly evening and it was easy to light with the kit provided. We loved the fabulous views and the beautiful hillside garden and enjoyed visiting some amazing local places. We can’t wait to make a return visit very soon!

Unfortunately we left earlier than planned as just couldn’t relax in what is our first few days away from work all year. the kitchen is in need of a deep clean. some of the crockery is chipped and a bowl cracked. cutlery liner absolutely filthy -dirty, grubby shelves and greasy dinner wear, and cupboard fronts. Many plates covered in a powdery, mouldy covering. the bathroom towels were of a poor quality. the larger bed was uncomfortable. some blinds were removed or in need of TLC/ cords on tying off points rather than dangling for children to catch themselves on. the bedrooms needed a good vacuum and dusting - particularly under the beds and on top of the two wardrobes. the warning about not having shower water running out onto the electrical fuse board below was a concern and should have perhaps been made clear in the bathroom in case we hadn’t noticed it in the guide book. With this in mind a much better fitting (and clean) shower curtain would probably help provide guests with reassurance they aren’t likely to cause an electrical issue. the sitting room fire hadn’t been swept and left clean ready for next use. the cottage felt damp and in need of a good airing. there were mould spots by some of the windows and candle wax on one of the bedroom walls. there was opened food left in kitchen cabinets including stack of unpackaged egg noodles and mouldy packet of flour. Mouldy chopping boards. As we were due to stay a week we’d have expected a freezer - even a single shelf or drawer. The fridge was filthy and we spent the first couple of hours cleaning. the sitting room sofa was uncomfortable. Some of the furnishings bore the signs of being attacked by dogs - especially kitchen cabinet. Of course we noticed it’s a dog friendly cottage so you expect a little bit of evidence of that but this was beyond that. all in all the cottage needs a good thorough clean and some guest-friendly touches to make it feel more of a holiday let and less like you’re staying in a lived in home. Personalised mugs aren’t something we’d expect in a holiday cottage - they should be boxed up and locked away for guests. Also presumably previous guests or the owners make up left in a dressing table - a quick check between bookings would address this sort of thing and make new guests feel welcomed and thought about. There were coats on the back of the front door. It just felt a long way off what we’d expect If we’d been told the previous occupants or owners left 30mins before we arrived and in a hurry it would have made sense. If you’d like images of the experience please let us know - it would be worth you booking in. Didn't raise the issues with the owners during the stay as simply couldn't relax and it needed far more than a couple of hours of cleaning to make up for it, during time we'd paid to be in the property to enjoy it. We'd already committed to leaving so being told after the fact we ought to have raised during the stay is entirely inappropriate given the very long list of issues in our opinion. Concerting they were totally oblivious of the desperate state it is in. Not so much as a promise to even address the same for the next unfortunate guests.