Dartans, Penrhyn Bay

We were a party of 9 from three families, including children, parents and grandparents and it was our first visit. Having read previous, sometimes mixed reviews we did not expect such an amazing, immaculately presented property with unrivalled views. There was plenty of parking (always a bonus) and the entire house had obviously been freshly decorated throughout. It isn't often I use the word ' wow' but walking into the kitchen diner, was a real wow moment, with a great range of units and appliances and the panoramic view of the beach was amazing. There was a separate dining room, which we never used, given how wonderful the kitchen was. The lounge was great, with a woodburning fire and plenty of new board games to play. The property was listed as 2 bathrooms, but there was also a separate shower and toilet downstairs. The bedrooms were perfect ( no small cramped rooms) and the ensuite bedroom huge. Only one small point was the shower in the ensuite could have been more powerful, but that was due to water pressure. The steps to the beach were fairly steep but there was a handrail and it was perfectly possible for the older members in their 70's. There was building work next door, but this consisted of 2 very quiet workmen part of the week. Worth a visit, Llandudno Snow Centre for those who are energetic. The Welsh Mountain Zoo 2 miles away and the Seaquarium in Rhyl. We would not hesitate to recommend this property and found it first rate.

I've awarded 4 stars but it was difficult to decide and could easily have been 3. The review from guests in June filled us with foreboding. However, it seems that some issues (though not all) have been improved. We had no problems with cleanliness of bed linen or towels. Any broken chairs must have been replaced. The metal hole in the patio, presumably used for a dryer, is still there but the table is placed over it, and yellow paint highlights it. On the debit side, I have reported to the owners via Sykes on a few issues. In general it certainly needs some more investment, which hopefully may come over winter. The decor is tired, the ceiling at the top of the stairs to the left of the main staircase is so low that I cracked my head quite forcefully - it needs a sign. The rug in the entrance hall is still prone to slips. Doors are dated and warped, and need a push. Leaving aside the en suite bedroom, the remaining up to 8 guests share one bathroom. Water pressure is a problem. And yet - the views, the sound of the sea, the seals. All of these made it unforgettable. So we have taken a big expensive chance and booked again to celebrate our golden wedding! Having not had been away for just over 2 years, the holiday fund is healthy. But we won't be able to afford it thereafter unless the prices are reduced substantially. We may have been lucky with the builders next door, but they will be back. Are we mad? Well, we are crossing everything and who knows - hopefully we will be able to report that these and other comments have produced continued improvement to make it a memorable stay. Its a wonderfully located house, and deserves it. I have to say if we would recommend it to a friend. Being in a generous mood I've ticked Yes, but with a fair bit of hesitation.

For absolute clarity and openness I am the brother of the other reviewer Cath L . This is a 10 person, 5 bedroom property, my sister, her husband, our 92 yr old mother, and myself and my wife stayed Friday to Friday, though the punishing arrival/departure times conspire to waste two days. Arrival is only allowed after 4pm , and departure is strictly enforced by the cleaning agents at 10am. The 5 of us had stayed previously in 2019 , and whilst there were minor issues, it being fairly freshly refurbished, we enjoyed our stay thoroughly enough to eagerly book again. In the interest of parity, I’ll list the pros. If you trawl the entire coastline of Northern Wales, I defy you to find anywhere with a better view. It is simply…. Spectacular. The windows of the bedrooms and the railed patio, look onto a huge 180 degree vista of a beautiful cove/ crescent bay. The sea comes up to the gate of the property when the tide is in. The stairs and steps to and from this gate are exceptionally steep, and no handrail provided. I have disability issues, so sadly I couldn’t make it down, though my wife went daily. The beach is spotless , serving lengthy rock pools for exploring and plenty of shells and shiny crystal pebbles. This bay is visited daily, at high tide, by up to 7 different curious Seals, bobbing in and out of the water. Locals tell of occasional dolphin visitors, and with good binoculars and patience, there are hundreds of species of salt and freshwater birds sifting the shallows for food. The property is mere minutes walk away from a CoOp supermarket, a Chinese Takeaway, and Frydays fish and chips ( delicious) . None are visible or sellable from the house, but near enough to walk to. Glan Y Mor road ( on which Dartans sits) is a busy, but not noisy, road into Llandudno , and also the delightful mini town of Rhos On Sea. Three ice cream parlours, all with huge varieties of delicious flavours, cafes, tea bars, restaurants, and a couple of pubs, along with antique shops, ladies clothing and souvenir stores. Rhos on Sea is a must visit. Everything about Dartans location, vistas, and access to North Wales …is perfect. Now, what isn’t… perfect I mean. I was unlucky to get the sweaty man’s side of the double bed. Bed linen, for me? Spotless. Crisp and fresh. Though the towels were minging. I’m glad we brought our own bath sheets. But the mattress , oh dear! It was only after lying in bed for an hour or so first night that I noticed what I came to refer to as ‘old man stink’ . Obviously, the heat I was generating was **gag** warming up the soaked in sweat from previous incumbents. After that, I slept on top of the quilt and used my own towel as a blanket. Oh, and as it was on the window side, I kept the window open all night, every night, even the one night it howled with wind and lashed with rain . ( still an awesome experience) . Only one bedside light worked, my wife’s side. We used the minging towels as bath mats, because neither the shower, nor the bathroom floor had any grip flooring. Just very slippy when wet tiling. There were no grip rails in the shower or on the side of the bath. This house has absolutely ZERO facilities for the infirm , disabled, or old. My sister describes in her review what happened when my wife took her bath. The overflow pipe was not connected to the bath. So, my wife, who loves a full bath, inadvertently filled the ceiling space above the living room, with gallons of hot soapy water. So as well as the draconian checkin/out theft of a day, we had another lost day waiting for Mr Happy Plumber to attend. ( he was happy because , despite him offering to seal the outlet in the past, the owners refuse, and as a consequence, he keeps getting called out to reattach the vent) This could go on to become a full blown thesis, so I’ll try to be a bit more succinct. In the reception hallway, they have a huge Hessian rug on a polished wood floor. Yes, if you just processed that? I nearly broke my ankle on day one, lifting a bag and turning to the stairs…whoosh.. my left leg went sideways, my right knee cracked on the wooden floor as the rug slid into a small pile. There is no handrail up the awkwardly split stairway. My 92 year old mother needed taking up, and down stairs each and every time. The central heating controls are kept under a clear, locked plastic bubble. Two nights were quite chilly, but the only control we, the guests, have , is a 1 hour boost button in the toilet cupboard. 1 hour. Overnight. I was the only one who used the main living room, to watch the Euro football games. The floor, wooden, had a grubby tacky feel to my bare feet on day one, so I wore sliders after that. My wife likes to go barefoot, and at the end of every evening, she had to wash her feet. The floors, in every room, we’re dirty. The kitchen ..oh dear… this is the jewel in the crown of this house. It is two walls of glass looking out over the bay. Plenty of seating along the windows, and a din8ng table with one broken, and two dodgy chairs. The disposal unit in the sink…was broken. But it hadn’t been cleaned. There was rotten, macerated food and slops in there. It stunk. An odd hitch pitch of cutlery and knives, and a waste bin that wasn’t fit for anything except dumping in a big bin and replacing it. The step from the kitchen is unmarked and double raised from the bottom of the door, so you step gingerly from the door onto an unlit, unmarked step, that is 4 inches above the patio. Similarly for the French Windows to the patio. Step off, onto a step, which is smooth tile slippy, onto a concrete patio 5 inches below. No rubber grips. No yellow paint markings. No handrail. And the washing airer metal hole in the patio! Is 3 cm high. Just, right there, waiting to break someone’s toe, trip them up. Twice I’ve fallen victim to that , this latest one, it cracked my middle toe. I must reiterate. This place has the potential to be a Number 1 in NorthWales holiday lets. It isn’t because there has been no investment or improvement in the last two years. There has been deterioration, and after the initial wow factor of stay number one, we ALL began to notice the cracks in the facade. Finally, the privacy. There was no sunbathing in costumes on the patio, and the enjoyment was limited by the the noise of a mini digger/excavator, the hammering and chiselling of rocks, the tumbling of bigger rocks from metal skips , the whistling and singing of the workmen ( not their fault one iota,) our property owners didn’t tell us we’d be sharing the patio with 20 workmen 9 hours every day. If you add to that the fact that the owners are taking full advantage of the surge in demand for Brit holidays, the prices have increased 100% for next year. Some may call that smart business . Me? I call it scalping. At this years prices ?let alone up to £4,000 per week? With the deterioration in quality? I’d not go back. With all its crappy fixtures and fittings, it’s dangerous layouts and setup, it’s stinky towels, smelly bed, and filthy floors, kitchen, and hazardous layout? Sadly, I don’t think I’d go again for half its current price…let alone double. If the owners read this ? You have one of the most envied, beautiful properties in Britain. Why are you ruining your own reputation by not upgrading and investing? 3-5 grand would fix every single complaint … that’s now just one weeks rent next year. Shame on you. All the bad memories are fortunately tempered by the one thing you can ruin. The location, and the views.

Second time we've stayed here in this beautiful house and lovely location. There were some safety issues during this stay:- Outside light not working. Broken chair in kitchen dining area, luckily we noticed the wobble before anyone sat on it. Step outside door to patio has an invisible edge! Patio has a socket for a clothes airer in the centre, I tripped on this twice and had to cover it with the table. There was no garden umbrella and no means of shading from the fierce sun, (yes, you do get sun in North Wales occasionally) we could not let my visiting great-nephew (14 months old) stay outside, and despite factor 50 sun protection some of us got burned whilst having lunch. There is no grab rail in the shower bath, and no mat to prevent slipping. The beds are amazingly high, my elderly mum needed to stand on two pillows to get into hers! The overflows on both baths are NOT sealed. There is a notice not to fiddle with the overflow (no explanation why), but we complied with this as we’d seen the notice last time we stayed, we only used the showers then . My sister ran a bath and as soon as she got into it water started to pour through the living room ceiling, pooling on the floor, covering the sofa, and dripping from the light fitting! We contacted the owner, who seemed quite flustered, she rang us back saying a plumber would be there the next day. We spent the evening mopping up brown water and trying to dry off the mess, and the following morning waiting in for the plumber. He was quite amused, as he said this had happened a number of times before. It would appear that the overflows in both baths (which are quite new) are not sealed, and if they are touched or fiddled with, the connecting pipe unscrews and disconnects, allowing water to flow into the space beneath the bath. We suggested a spot of mastic, but he said the owners didn’t want this doing. There was an unpleasant smell from the kitchen sink, on investigation there is a macerator in the small sink, not working, which was full of a smelly liquid. We cleaned it out and bleached it, perhaps this should be disconnected and a free flow of water could then go through to the drain. Some other notes – The bed in the master bedroom smelled of sweat, as did the pillow on my bed. Nasty! The bedding and quilt on my mother’s bed smelled unpleasant, as did some of the bathtowels, I had to shower again after using one. I suspect they had been folded without airing, and were slightly damp. Luckily we had beach towels with us. My mother refused to use the quilt, and slept under a fleece blanket we had in the car. The land next to the house, which was part of the property when we last stayed there in 2019, has been sold and a house is being built. While we were there the garden was being landscaped, using huge sandstone blocks and an excavator, with a team of workmen. Work started at 7.45am and went on until 4.40pm. The men were very nice and friendly, but the noise from their radio and the constant deliveries of heavy rocks tumbling out of the lorries ruined the peace we’d gone there for. The construction of the house hasn’t even started yet! There was absolutely no privacy on the patio and at times conversation was difficult. We planned a barbecue for a family get-together, but there was no barbecue, not even the tools to have one. There were no serving spoons in the kitchen. There was a new can-opener in the drawer, but it didn’t work, so we had to extract the food from the tin with a fork. We have stayed at Dartans before, in 2019. We loved it so much we booked again for 2020, but this was postponed due to Covid, we re-booked for 2021 but had to pay an extra £400 as the original dates we’d booked were still in the lockdown period. All in all, we felt that this year’s holiday was not value for money, as many of the “extras” were not provided, probably due to Covid rules. We checked the bookings for next year and the price has doubled. We feel that for the outrageous price hike the owners should provide a little more in the way of safety, comfort and luxury. We lost two half-days of our holiday due to the flooding of the bath, and combined with the late check-in (5pm) and the early check-out (10am) we actually only had four full days to enjoy our break. Very sad to say this, but we'll not be booking again.

Back home after a fabulous week and all I can think about is I wish we were all still there. Eight of us, three generations, and a dog, spent the last few days in a perfect home from home, all the comforts you could ask for, and more. Wonderful house, fabulous beach access, spotlessly clean, hugely comfortable and spacious rooms, fully equipped kitchen .....I could go on. With public beaches left and right, local amenities just a short walk away, Llandudno and Colwyn Bay just a short drive, the location couldn't have been better. Watching the sunrise over a cup of tea, seeing the boys, and the dog, playing on the beach, and feeling completely relaxed - we will treasure the memories we made here

Stayed here for long weekend 4 generations from 80's to teens. The property is very spacious and comfortable and in a great location. Everything is good quality and very clean. Well equipped kitchen and great views. Would definitely recommend and would return.

Wonderful house! Gets a five star from us lot .Had everything we needed...being on the beach front was wonderful but also the local area was lovely too...will defo recommend .

Backs right on beach with own beach entrance, grandchildren loved it, in sea every day, always a couple of seals about 50mts off shore. Large spacious well equiped house in a perfect location Loved it, Loved it, Loved it