Hi my name is Angie, and together with my husband, Rich, and Billy (of course) we are Ffestiniog Holiday Cottages!! Rich reckons I’m the driving force and he is just the support vehicle!! But quite honestly without Rich and his tireless support and hard work, especially when we are doing the changeovers there would be no Ffestiniog Holiday Cottages.
We established Ffestiniog Holiday Cottages in 2009 when we decided to offer Hen Aelwyd yr Urdd for self catering holiday accommodation. Hen Aelwyd yr Urdd had been tenanted for 2 years prior and when our tenant left we made the decision and set to work refurbishing and redecorating the little place ready for our prospective guests. Hen Aelwyd yr Urdd proved to be so popular when the opportunity arose we started our search to find another cottage.
Bwthyn Glan yr Afon was purchased in November 2010 and after 3 months of renovations and refurbishing opened it’s doors in March 2011. Bwthyn Glan yr Afon, competitively priced, booked up pretty quickly and when we were approached in December 2011 by the owner/property developer (Jade) of Bwthyn Afon, (which is only 2 doors up from Bwthyn Glan yr Afon) we just couldn’t miss out on this opportunity to expand our portfolio. With a little help and investment from my brother, John, Bwthyn Afon was purchased in April 2012 but not until we had assisted Jade with the design & finish so our stamp was put on the cottage from the beginning.
Now we’re not ones to never say never so when approached by the owner of Number 2 in the terrace in May 2012 we knew it was too good an opportunity to pass by. The cottage was pretty forlorn and sad looking but we could see the potential and again with some help from my brother (we love my brother!) we set the wheels in motion. Months of hard work paid off and Bwthyn Ger Afon is now a beautiful 1 bed roomed cottage with a wealth of character and charm.
Manod View, until recently had a long term tenant, so when Nikki gave notice we struggled to find another suitable tenant and the cottage remained empty for a few months until we took the decision to furnish the cottage and offering it as holiday letting accommodation too.
Rich & I always knew what we wanted to do with our cottages to ensure our guests were made to feel welcome from the start, a lot of thought went into creating real homes from home, with attention to detail such as providing comprehensive information guides, maps and even compasses. We’ve tried to think of everything and with all the kind words our guests leave we know we have done just that.
When we were approached by another cottage owner, who was struggling to get bookings, we were only too happy to help. We never thought it would lead to Rich and I expanding our services to managing other cottage owners properties but that’s exactly what happened! And so Ffestiniog Holiday Lettings was launched in 2013 and we are now currently managing 8 cottages in total, each one visited and inspected by us to ensure they meet with our high standards and our guests expectations. We want our guests to know they can book with us and be confident that whichever cottage they choose they will not be disappointed.
Angie, Rich & Billy (the dog!!)
Update.
Sadly, we lost our beloved Billy earlier this year (2015 after a short illness), he was a great age at 15 years and he was a well-loved little boy and a great hit with the guests. He will always be in our hearts and forever missed.
Sadie (Black) & Honey (Brown) have now joined our family, after been rescued from Romania, they have settled very well into the Welsh way of life. They are sisters and we couldn’t choose, let alone separate them so we have adopted them both and they have a forever home here with us. Hopefully, they will be as big a hit with our guests as Billy was. They are adorable, what can we say xx
