“Review for Coed Llai, Lon Sant Ffraid, Treaddur Bay, LL65 2YR Holiday booking – 21/06/25 – 28/06/25 (we returned one day prior to end of booking) After not having a holiday for 6 years owing to health problems, we, as a family, decided to return to Anglesey for a much needed break.”
We have had some good holidays there in cottages costing roughly £700 -800 per week, but thought we would treat ourselves by staying in a more expensive holiday let, Coed Lla, in Treaddur Bay. I booked in it August 2024 for the sum of £1847 for a week in June. It was expensive but sounded as though it suited our needs and those of our three small dogs. I did check on the latest reviews before we left for our break and was dismayed by the number of problems encountered by previous guests, then just before setting off, there was a fire in the Conwy tunnel which we thought might prevent us from getting to Anglesey. In the event, we made the journey with no problems and arrived at Coed Llai about 5.30pm on 21st June 2025. The owner had told me that should we arrive late and be unable to collect the key from the keyholder in the owner’s shop next door to the bungalow, they would leave the door unlocked and the key inside. • As we entered the driveway to Coed Llai, we saw that the front garden was not enclosed (despite being advertised as such) but partially open to allow vehicles to park in the front garden which was gravelled. The gateway was off the busy main road running parallel to the seafront and there were no gates. The drive continued past Coed Llai alongside the side of the shop and on to The Lodge, another holiday let situated behind Coed Llai. • As my daughter unpacked the car, I popped to the shop to collect the keys. We soon found out that the front door key did not lock the door so I returned to the shop and was given another set of keys which also did not work. I returned again to the shop and a staff member accompanied me back to the bungalow where he was unable to lock the door. He brought another staff member to try. He observed that the door would not lock and agreed with me, that a locksmith should be called. The first staff member then said he would contact the owner - who was on his way abroad – and ask for the locksmith’s name and number. He returned and told us the locksmith would be over “first thing” the following morning. It was actually early evening when he arrived to fix the door. In the meantime, we had to sleep and leave our belongings in an unlocked property. Unfortunately, things just went downhill from there; • The living room smelled of stale sweat as the furniture (fabric) was stained and needed deep cleaning or replacing with leather, wipe clean seating. • Several of the cushions smelled of body odour. • There was a large, rectangular glass coffee table with two, weighted, moving tops – one top was wobbly so couldn’t be safely used. The whole table was inappropriate for a holiday let where small children could potentially be staying. • A lovey dragon ornament had, at some point, been broken and needed repairing rather than merely propping up. • The TV was on a very short cable and could not be re-angled. This meant those sitting on the sofa running alongside it, had to sit at a somewhat awkward and uncomfortable position to watch it. • The curtain poles had no finials, so the curtains slipped off. • The first bedroom opposite the living room was large and spacious with a lovely wooden sleigh bed (King size). The linen was white and looked and felt clean and soft. However, there was an unpleasant odour in the bedroom. Upon further inspection, it transpired that the pillow protectors had NOT been changed and stank of body odour. One pillowcase had actually been put on a pillow already encased in a used and smelly pillowcase. They were subsequently removed and put in the laundry bag in the main bathroom and a sheet I had brought from home (you never know with bed linen!) was placed over the pillows. I also kept the window open to air the room. • The next bedroom – also with a King Size bed – seemed fresher and cleaner. However, the third bedroom (double bed) also had unpleasant-smelling pillow protectors. In addition, the mattress was stained beneath the mattress cover. The window catch was also difficult to open/close. Most concerning of all was the ensuite shower room which was lethal. There were 2 deep steps down to the shower room but when the door from the bedroom was opened, it was a sheer drop to the first step. There was no platform (building regs require a platform or ‘going’ of 22cms). There was NO grab handle or rail. The door to the ensuite had a small CAUTION sign but could easily be missed and was fairly useless for anyone getting up at night, still half asleep, in an unfamiliar room. Plus, the lavatory seat was loose and the cistern flush button was partially missing. • Next to the third bedroom was the main bathroom. This was spacious with lovely fittings but again, 2 very deep steps. The top step in particular, had a substantial drop and again, should be a maximum of 22cms in depth. There was NO hand rail and the tiled floor, when wet, was VERY SLIPPERY. There was a missing glass shelf from the wall which seemed to indicate someone had perhaps (understandably) used it to hang on to! Sometimes, the underfloor heating was on which helped to dry the tiles. However, handrails should have been mandatory in this situation. In addition, the laundry basket had one caster which was propped under the laundry bag, waiting for the owner to fix, along with the coffee table and the Dragon! • Next was the kitchen. Spacious and well equipped but the electric cooker had a black, glass finish with no obvious sign of any oven switches whatsoever. By pure chance, I managed to press a part of a front panel which must have been the on/off switch. It took my daughter a while to work the oven out (we are both trained professionals, so not stupid!) but there were NO instructions for either the cooker or the living room fire. Whilst everything appeared clean, some of the cupboards had a strong smell of damp. • There was NO Visitors’ Book which is an invaluable source of info for other guests and feedback for owners. NO general manual for the house including info on emergency services including the nearest surgery, vets, dentist etc. NO manual on places to visit or places to eat out, just two ring binders with a mish mash of loose sheets of paper mixed together in old, crumpled plastic pockets. Nothing was clearly labelled. There was also no Welcome Pack/Hamper which we have always had in previous holiday lets. There were just 5 small individual cereal packets, obviously let over from an opened pack of 6 and a packet of Welsh Cakes left on a tray on the worktop with a pint of milk and carton of juice in the fridge. We have stayed in much more reasonably priced houses and had wonderful packs containing wine, chocolates, samples of delicacies showcasing local cottage industries, homemade cakes and flowers on the table. In fact, we found an empty, lined basket in one kitchen cupboard, obviously once used for welcome packs but now consigned to a cupboard as seemingly, no one could be bothered with it! • Out of the kitchen was the stairs to the two attic bedrooms (both Singles). We did not require these and kept the doors closed. However, I used the small shower room as it didn’t have any steep steps and did possess clean and thick towels (as in the downstairs bathroom). • Also from the kitchen was the light and roomy utility room, containing a washer/drier, iron, ironing board, Dyson stick cleaner (with poor suction and a fair amount of hair wrapped around the brushes) and a long handled brush and pan. However, there were once again, two steep steps down into the utility room and yet again, NO hand rail. The back door from the utility led out to the enclosed, rear garden. There was one hand rail along these steps. • Unfortunately, the grass had obviously not been cut for at least 3 weeks. There was litter in the garden from the bins outside the back of the shop – one of which was open and had no lid. We were told to use the bins there, but the Jackdaws and Seagulls were also using it, having a great time flinging the contents everywhere in their search for food. • In the garden, one sun lounger was upside down, the decking was dirty and slippy and needed replacing with a clean, stone patio. Also, the tall grass and weeds in the corner of the garden, needed removing to open up the space. Our guess was, this had been left to grow to try and hide the scrubland next door. However, a fence or smaller tree could have been planted. The grass was not only long but had several bald patches. It would have been better to have replaced it with artificial turf and/or bark. The back gate needed a bolt, not just a hook and eye at the top, which was easily accessed from the other side and was actually opened by a member of staff from the Spar whilst our dogs were in the garden. There was a retractable clothes line but nowhere to attach it to. At one point, this was obviously been a lovely property but the ongoing maintenance and attention to detail were sadly conspicuous by their absence. It was certainly NOT worth the present cost of £1800. I could also see that one week in July had been originally advertised at £2600 but then reduced to £1800. NO WAY is this property worth £1800, let alone £2600. It is worth around £600 – 700, possibly £800 – 900 in high season IF repairs are done and cleanliness is of a MUCH higher standard. I would be very reluctant to recommend this holiday let despite its good location opposite the beach. Finally, be sure to have deep pockets as the eateries in Anglesey have increased their prices in line with London! £4.40 for one coffee, £18 for a lamb burger in a bun with chips, £8.50 for a dessert, £19 for 2 ice creams and 3 doughnuts to take out. Happy Holiday! NB - it does say on this review questionnaire that Sykes works closely with the owners to resolve problems but from previous reviews, it appears as though the problems stated have not yet been resolved. Based on this experience, I have sadly revised my opinion of Sykes as a Letting Agent. Previous stays have been good and would have led me to give a higher rating.
