Cwmgilla Farm, Knighton

Cwmgilla Farm near Knighton Powys23rd April 2022 My name is Gerald Cooper, my family and I rented Cwmgilla Farm for a holiday in Wales from 15-22 April 2022. We found Cwmgilla Farm to be set in a very pleasant and extremely quiet location, just over the English/Welsh border near Knighton. The layout of the property was as described and we found the bedding and towels to be well laundered and fit for their purpose. The kitchen was well equipped with a good range of utensils, crockery, glasses etc and a nice welcome basket of tea, coffee etc. Sadly, that is just about all of the positive comments that we are able to offer. I fully understand that due to covid lockdowns, the last couple of years have not been very profitable for the holiday and entertainment sectors. If anything, that should have encouraged holiday rental property owners to ensure that their properties were ready to receive guests when lockdown lifted. That clearly was not the stance taken by this cottage’s owners. Outside of the front door was a wooden bench, I sat on it to remove my shoes before entering the property and it virtually fell apart. Moving on through into the lounge, The seating in this room consisted of a leather suite and a fabric settee, There were at least five tears in the leather fabric, some as much a three inches long. The fabric settee was in better condition. The lounge door did not shut correctly, upon inspection the door catch had been installed backwards and the hinges where being pulled out of the frame. The television in this room was a rather small 26” basic model which fortunately we found little time to use, however it was indicative of the standard of cleanliness throughout the property. A further indicator of the standard of cleanliness was when one of my grandchildren spilled a drink on the floor, we quickly mopped it up and had to throw the cloth we had used away as it was filthy dirty, clearly the laminate floor had not been mopped in months. The snug room, opposite the lounge, was equipped with a fabric corner sofa, The seating surface of this sofa was damaged to the extent that several cushions had been shoved into the resulting hole prior to the main cushion being replaced, This sofa was essentially unusable. Moving on into the kitchen, Ostensibly this was one of the better rooms in the house, except that the top shelf of the dishwasher collapsed any time that it was touched, there was a roasting pan that was too large for any oven and whilst there were plenty of glasses provided, there were no heavy duty plastic ones for taking outside to the hot tub. The ceiling between the kitchen and utility room (which was directly below the main family bathroom) was water stained where the mastic seal around the bath had pulled away and allowed water to quite literally run down the wall and off of the doorframe below. We reported this to the property owners and they did have a handyman come out the same day to apply more mastic, He didn’t take the old mastic off before applying the new, so this will without doubt reopen in the very near future. The utility room also housed the downstairs toilet and shower for use upon leaving the hot tub. The shower mixer valve on this shower did not work properly (the thermostatic element was knackered) and it would only allow cold water to flow. The handyman did have a quick look at this when he visited but was unable to do anything to mend it. Hence it was unusable throughout our stay, This, coupled with having to let the freshly applied mastic set, meant that we were reduced to one shower between 8 people for the following 24 hours. Whilst on the subject of showers, the one in the en-suite bathroom started to leak water through the ceiling into the lounge on day 5 of our stay, once again this was due to the mastic seal along the bottom of the shower panel having split and thus allowing water to pass. Three showers, three significant defects, reduced to one shower for the bulk of our stay. Moving through into the games room, the main reason for us booking this cottage in the first instance. The floor was somewhat uneven, the carpet in the main part being badly wrinkled and hence a not insignificant trip hazard. The table tennis table, which is a fold up type was quite badly damaged and the table top did not sit flat, the bats were in poor condition, (Thankfully we took our own). The Dart board itself was fine, but the doors (which form the scoreboard) had seen better days and did not take chalk well. The one set of darts supplied were damaged beyond any sensible use. The pool table was a rather inexpensive home games room type which had a base made from plyboard, this was warped to the extent that the table was laughably wonky and the balls appeared to have a mind of their own. Cheap kids table football set up which was useable but not what we expected. Hot tub: The hot tub was s major feature in our decision to book Cwmgilla Farm, Once again this facility suffered from a lack of attention to detail. One of the water jet control knobs was broken. All of the clips holding the lid were broken and the folding mechanism for the lid was broken and disconnected. It lacked a fine strainer to allow those using it to scoop out any bugs or dirt that may have gotten in. Otherwise it worked well enough and was well used. The bedrooms appeared to be in good order until one started to look a little more closely. The ensuite bedroom bed had been damaged and repaired in what I can only describe as the most agricultural of manners. In the twin room to the rear of the property the beds were repaired in a similar manner. Family Bathroom: This bathroom was in very poor decorative order, had black mould on a number of surfaces, Broken ceramic tiles on the floor, cracked and water stained ceiling and as previously stated a leaking bath silicon seal. The bathroom and toilet doors locks have been broken and replaced with shootbolts, one of which is itself broken. Generally speaking the décor in this property needs significant upgrading. Walls are stained, doors and woodwork need painting, water damage to pretty much every ceiling. In short it needs some TLC. Moving back outside, The cattlegrid, over which the property is accessed, is completely broken with even the steel pipes having broken in half and which are now covered with ply which is itself breaking down. The outside lights do not work The lawn (if one may call it that) needs mowing and the molehills need to be addressed. The fencing which is supposed to be dog proof is generally ok but many fence posts and rails are broken. The Property is heated by a biomass boiler, we had this fail during one day of our stay and judging by comments in the visitors book this is an ongoing problem. The owner did attend within a few hours to rectify the issue in our case. We paid a very significant sum for the pleasure of staying at Cwmgilla Farm, I do not believe that we received value for money and indeed I would suspect that in legal terms our contract was not fulfilled. I believe that a significant refund is due to us for the shortcomings in the rental property, I would expect that refund to be no less than 50% of the fee paid for this holiday. I look forward to your earliest response together with your remittance. Yours sincerely Gerald Cooper I supplied a dozen or more photographs showing the issues noted above to support the veracity of this review but unfortunately cannot include them in this review. If you are looking for a well decorated, well maintained and well equipped property for your holiday, this is not for you.

We stayed here over the Feb half term with two young boys and extended family. It's obviously very thoughtfully looked after by the owners, we had no problems and the complimentary basket, alongside the excellent stock of plates, utensils, herbs, spices, gravy etc really did come I'm very handy The location was perfect for us, very quiet with only a 5 minute drive to Knighton. There's a lot of space in the house, and we used to two living rooms, 2 games rooms and grounds quite a bit. The boys and dog loved playing in the grounds and stream at the bottom of the garden (supervised of course). A good indicator to the thoughtfulness of the owner is how we found towels specifically for the dog after coming in. We didn't try many of the walks due to the age of the children, but did travel a little and what we saw looked interesting! We will definitely be returning to here, thank you for a lovely stay.

My husband booked this for us & family for my 30th in February, pulling up to the cottage I was sceptical and thinking it's not going to be nice inside.. as the saying goes "don't judge a book by its cover" inside was spotless I fell in love! very spacious. the welcome basket was lovely with wine, bread, Welsh cakes, tea bags, coffee even flowers left on the table was so thoughtful of the owners, we did meet the owner as the shower was leaking which we didn't know so when we arrived he popped down with someone else to put some filler in.. we asked about the cottages history and he told us it was very interesting and lovely that it has been kept in the family. the decor is nice.. with comfortable beds and bathrooms were of good size, games room and hot tub was an added bonus also the washing machine was much needed.. I would definately recommend this to others and will be back again soon!

Very peaceful location, excellent facilities, lots of space and lots to do. I would recommend visits to the Judge's Lodging in Presteigne as well as Ludlow and Shrewsbury in particular. Owner's extremely helpful and they left us a welcome basket which was very kind of them. Great place for a family holiday.

We have just all returned from a lovely week away in this beautiful cottage. I cannot recommend this cottage enough. Loved the welcome hamper, which included a bottle of wine, eggs, Welsh cakes, bread, milk, tea and coffee and lots more. All the little touches were brilliant like the washing up liquid, hand soap, dishwasher tablets etc... Thank you very much. The cottage was spotless and very clean. We all loved the hot tub and the games room especially the table tennis. We look forward to staying again.

The farmhouse had everything we wanted for an early Christmas for a large group of friends from all over the UK. When booking, the hot tub and pet friendly rating were deal-breakers, but the games room was an added bonus, providing great fun along with walks from the doorstep. It was warm and spacious, the showers were great and there was plenty of space for wet and muddy walking gear. Easy trips out to Offa's Dyke Path and Elan Valley, and forestry walks for the dog. A great week had by all (and all wanted to return!)

Stayed here for a week with my girlfriend and her family, arriving on the Friday teatime to a welcome basket including a bottle of wine, butter, eggs and much more as well as a box of homemade scones. The house was clean and perfect for a family holiday. The games room including a table tennis table, pool table, darts and table football was used by everyone on a daily basis and provided us with loads of fun for everyone aged 6-80. The rooms were spacious and very well decorated, with 2 single rooms, 2 double rooms (one with an ensuite) and a king sized room, as well as a main bathroom, toilet room and a shower room downstairs. The hot tub was used by most and as we had nice weather we were able to sit and enjoy the views. The cottage is far away from the town, even though it says it is a mile walk, it is a lot longer meaning we had to drive. The town itself is run down and there isn't much there apart from a few cafes and a supermarket as well as a couple of pubs.

The owner was very welcoming. The house was clean and well kitted out. The views were amazing as was the hot tub. Overall it is a lovely relaxing get away which we would recommend to friends.

I stayed at Cwmgilla Farm for a week at the end of June with my husband, parents, sister and her family for a three generation family holiday. The accommodation was excellent and perfect for our needs, with lots of space to spread out and plenty of bathroom facilities for us all. The house is in an idyllic location, not far from Knighton, but very peaceful and the views from the house are breathtaking. The house is very comfortable, well decorated and appointed and was very clean. The kitchen was well equipped with nice crockery and everything we needed to cook large meals and to bake. The games room was a real hit with both the younger and older members of our group and the hot tub was well used, even in the rain. Amanda and Mark were really kind and accommodating and very responsive. The very generous welcome hamper was a lovely touch and included fresh flowers and wine. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, in spite of the weather not being great, and would definitely recommend this lovely holiday home. We booked an online Asda delivery in advance, which worked very well and had an evening meal at the Red Lion in Knighton which was excellent and the pub is dog-friendly.

We had an amazing stay at the farm for 10 girls on a relaxing chilled weekend! The farm house was spacious, clean and very well equipped.

Brilliant cottage would recommend.

A group of 10 of us booked this cottage as a little get away from the city and to enjoy the seclusion of the country side, the cottage is beautiful located in the middle of a valley sounded by rolling welsh hills, we where greeted with a lovely welcome basket with fresh eggs laid on the farm and freshly baked biscuits and a bottle of wine. every room was nicely decorated and the beds where very very comfortable! The hot tub was amazing there isnt a negative comment i could make about this holiday cottage!

The surroundings of this house are absolutely beautiful, the location is perfect. The house was very clean and felt very homely. The space in the house is great for big families and children. The games room and hot tub are great added extras and made the stay very enjoyable.

This is a lovely property in lovely surroundings. We had great fun using the hot tub and games room, the kitchen was the most well equipped we have been in and the bedrooms were nicely done and very comfy. It was nice to meet the owner and know they were nearby if we needed anything. You can walk all around and its only a short walk into Knighton if you need anything. I think we only took the car out to fill it with fuel for our return journey! All in all an excellent property, we came home relaxed and refreshed and would encourage anyone looking at it to just book it - you won't be disappointed!

A beautiful house nestled in amongst the rolling fields of Wales with many good walks and pubs nearby. . Lots of space for the seven of us who went as it would happily accommodate ten and the hosts were nice but not intrusive.

Cwmgilla Farm was situated in a peaceful, secluded area with all the facilities required.

Absolutely everything was wonderful. It is a really spacious property and despite it's size, lovely and warm, and with plenty of room for the children to play. There were TVs in almost every room and the children made good use of the games room. Despite the gales and the winter weather, the hot tub was a great success and we all used it, and couldn't keep the children out of it! The lovely big cooking range made cooking for all 10 of us a breeze. Honestly I cannot make one negative comment. We hope to return for another family reunion next year.

Fantastic rural property, lots of room for the seven of us who stayed for a long weekend. Definitely a home from home, with everything you need if you decided to eat in rather than pop to one of the excellent restaurants/pubs in the village. Amanda and Mark were very welcoming and the basket of goodies was very welcome, especially the homemade flapjacks. We made good use of the games room and despite the weather even used the hot tub. You will need a designated driver if you do go to the village pubs, We will definitely be back and highly recommend Cwmgilla Farm.

We stayed here last weekend, and it was absolutely amazing! The owner was lovely and more than accommodating. There was a really thoughtful basket waiting for us with all the staples we would need (including wine :) ), The games room was a huge plus, especially with the weather being so bad. Spacious, clean, and plenty to do. If I had to critique something it would be that maybe a cover over the hot tub would be beneficial as it was raining for a large amount of the time we were there. We had a fantastic time and have all decided that we would rebook for 2016!

The house was perfect. Warm, comfortable, quiet and relaxing. It had everything we could need. The hot tub and the games room were fantastic and used every day.

Decided to rent this property for 3 nights to celebrate my wife's 50 th birthday for family , Was not dissapointed could not fault house or rooms everything was provided owners were very pleasant and helpful I highly recommend this property

A very well equipped, spacious property in beautiful rural setting. The hot tub and games room were used and enjoyed by all. Excellent value for money,

A very well equipped, spacious property in beautiful rural setting. The hot tub and games room were used and enjoyed by all.

This was an excellent house to base our weekend. It is very large and immaculately turned out. The kitchen was perfect for a family holiday and the view/position of the house was amazing.

Great place enjoyed every minute.Everything we needed was there and more.The owners were very welcoming.The scenery very relaxing and picturesque. Would definitely recommend. Friendly people in general and very convenient for shopping and entertaining.