Y Castell Apartment 3

I absolutely love this place. The owners are amazing and Happy back many times.

I like where it is situated it is clean tidy and has everything that you may need

Really convenient spot and had everything that we needed. Communication with the owners was very good with really quick replies to queries. Very good value! Always managed to park outside.

There was nothing for us not to like!

Really nice second floor flat. Well decorated and had everything that you would expect and hope to find in your home-away-from-home. Great views of the castle from the kitchen and the bedroom, and also views of the sunset from the lounge. The flat is situated in a nice location, just a 1 minute walk to the sea. Close to local shops and a really nice local pub where you can buy a pint for less than £4. There was always on street parking available in front of the flat whilst I stayed there. Criccieth is close to Porthmadog (you can walk there along the coast) and a 50 minute drive to Llanderis (which is a great starting point to climb Snowdon). My host was Elen. She was friendly and helpful throughout my stay. Even when I contacted her in a panic because I set the fire alarm off whilst cooking and was worried that a neighbour would call the fire brigade. :) I would recommend this property to couples or small families looking for a lovely location to explore north Wales.

The smoke alarms are sensitive and when they go off they are super loud, so beware of this. I completely understand the need for having smoke alarms in a rental property though, so this is not a criticism. I would recommend that if you cook anything on the hob maybe open all the windows in the flat first and put the extractor fan on full blast to prevent a very loud surprise.

It was all good.

The hob top was quirky, but worked well.

Location and views

Internal artificial lighting could be improved No shelf or lay down space in poorly lit bathroom.

Spacious apt. Convenient for walks and visiting area. Views from windows and quiet area.

Stairs a bit difficult for us oldies and balistrading lower than usual.

Standard facilities you'd expect in a regular house were available to use right away (like dishwasher, microwave) and 'little but essential things' were provided like dishwasher tablets, washing up stuff, towels, soap, etc. Kids loved the Alexa smart speaker and the fact that the TV had Netflix so they could watch one their favourite shows :) Was possible to see the sea from the front room (lounge/diner). Very decent sized rooms all round. Close proximity to the beach was also very nice and handy. Location was quiet but the town itself was not graveyard-dead by any means! There was space to leave 2 adult bikes inside, safe under the stairs, and the kids bikes could be plonked in the back yard safe from prying eyes.

Getting up to the top floor was a little bit of a chore, especially having to lug a largish suitcase. The corridors leading up were a tad narrow but we managed without leaving any marks on the wall! Being on the top floor and having a few sweltering hot days meant the rooms were oh-so-hot. The provided fan was not really up to the task of cooling us down and it was quite noisy! Parking directly outside the property (on even on the same road) was not possible on any of the 7 days we were there for. However, we were fortunate enough to be able to find a space big enough for a mid-sized SUV (with a bike rack attached to the tow bar) on one of the neighbouring roads and within a couple of minutes walk of the flat. It was a minor inconvenience and not the end of the world, but had it been tipping it down with rain, I may have answered differently!! Bathroom pull-cord light switch was very dodgy and wouldn't click on most of the time! Elen said she would look into it as it had already been recently changed. Fridge door shelf was on its last legs (badly cracked and near to dropping all its contents on the floor) and could have done with having one more to store little things like butter/marg., cheese, etc. Again, Elen is aware of the cracked one and has a replacement on order. Although a good variety of knives were provided, they were not very sharp and posed a danger to those who like to self-cater like us. Perhaps if a sharpening steel were provided, this would be a satisfactory and cheap solution?

Had a lovely week at Y Castell. The apartment was spotlessly clean on arrival and had everything we needed for a week away. It was more spacious than we realised with lots of room, nice sea and castle views and in a really quiet location across the road from the sea and a couple of minutes walk to the castle. There was lots of parking outside the apartment and it was an excellent base to explore this part of Wales. We would 100% return again if visiting this area.