Copyright dailypost

A once award winning holiday site on Anglesey is now attracting brutal reviews - with one recent visitor calling it a "hovel". Llanfair Hall near Dwyran, includes glamping pods, log cabins, a converted barn, bell tents and a geodome, with plenty of hot tubs to add to the experience. It was developed by John and Lucy Miller and named the UK's AA Glamping Site of the year for 2019-2020 and then Glampitect's Best Glamping Site in the UK in 2021 thanks to rave reviews from customers. The site was later sold - with Chris Dutton now running the accommodation. But in recent months it has attracted a large number of savage reviews on sites like TripAdvisor and Google. One recent guest described it as a "hovel of a place" after staying in a "luxurious" pod with her son. Beth Roberts, from Llangoed, said the pod stank with smells from the toilet and drain, with them having to sleep with duvets over their heads. The most recent TripAdvisor review described it as a "shocking place" - saying it was "dirty and run down". A recent reviewer on Google said staying there was an "upsetting experience" - with it "dirty" and "unwelcoming". North Wales Live contacted the property and Chris Dutton said he wanted to "acknowledge the issues with our reviews over the past three years". He said his background is in self catering holidays and he had not appreciated the difference with the move to glamping and the greater requirement for round the clock staffing and support. He said this had been addressed as well as major investment made in the holiday site to improve the offer, saying every property now has a wood‑fired hot tub and a cinema screen. He said the reviews on sites like Tripadvisor did not reflect the general positive response from guests who book through the sites they use like Booking.com. It currently has a 2.2 rating (out of 5) on Tripadvisor, and ranked as "poor". Sixty three out of its 114 reviews rate it as "terrible". One reviewer, Laura J, came to stay in a log cabin with her family. She said: "In all our years of traveling, this is the first time we’ve ever felt compelled to cut our holiday short and leave early." She left a long list of issues, from "unpleasant smells" and "appalling cleanliness" to a lack of privacy and poor communication. She added: "The conditions were so bad that we decided to leave after only one night, out of the three we had booked." Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone There are also negative reviews on Google although it does have a higher 3.8 rating. One visitor, Eleanor, said "all tents were filthy and one of the most unhygienic things I’ve ever witnessed". She added: "The owner of the property then told us to stay in the hut further along. She then also told another family that had turned up to stay in the same hut. Due to being absolutely no accommodation for us now at the property, we were forced to leave and go home." Another said: "This was one of the most upsetting experiences I’ve ever had while travelling. The pod was in a very poor state: water was leaking into the hot tub, there were leaves floating in it, and the whole place smelled strongly of smoke. It was dirty and completely unwelcoming." Beth Roberts told North Wales Live she had "saved for a while to go away somewhere" and was "so upset" her trip had turned out the way it had. She is trying to get a full refund. She said: "Arrived at the pod to find it in a really run down, filthy state. Hair in the fridge and cutlery drawer. "The tiny bathroom which was situated right next to the bed absolutely stank of a blocked drainage system." She said the only good part was the hot tub. She said a staff member came to try to deal with the smell and they were offered a bottle of Prosecco and pack of Matchmakers as an apology. But she added: "Then later got back into the pod to find the smell in the toilet had returned only ten times worse. It literally made Ollie vomit during the night when he woke for a wee, then had to wee outside because he couldn't bear to be stood in the toilet. We had to sleep with the duvet over our faces. "As soon as I woke at 6:30am we decided to leave because we couldn't bear the smell much longer." She described it as a "hovel". There are however also positive reviews as well. Natalie B said on Tripadvisor: "I must admit, I was nervous about our stay here having read an overwhelming amount of negative reviews, but thankfully we had a really enjoyable stay." She gave it 5 out of 5. On the same site another wrote: "Brilliant family stay, had everything we needed and very clean. The kids had a great time and the hot tub was great. Will definitely be returning." On Airbnb, Lauren wrote: "There is a few reviews on here which are unfair. I stayed in the barn at Llanfair hall and it was lovely. There is ample cutlery, bowls, glasses etc The rooms are nicer than the pictures show too, it is a lovely home inside. Overall I would 100% recommend this home to stay." On Google, Joanne said: "Lovely little find and very friendly and helpful staff. Lovely hot tub to relax in under a shelter with a TV and seating area. Loved the outdoor shower which was clean and powerful to use . Really enjoyed our stay." On Booking.com, where they have 6.4 (out of 10 score), Samantha said: "Lovely location, reasonably private, hot tub was great, bed was comfy". But overall there were mixed reviews with some also very critical of their stay. Owner Chris Dutton said: "I want to acknowledge the issues with our reviews over the past three years. Over the last year, we’ve made significant investments and learned a great deal. My background is in traditional self-catering holidays, and I didn’t anticipate that the glamping side would require round-the-clock staffing, even for shorter stays. We’ve now put that in place. "We’ve also upgraded the site: every property now has a wood‑fired hot tub and a cinema screen so guests can watch their favourite films from the tub. We’re fully pet-friendly now too, which wasn’t the case before. If you look at our listings on the booking platforms we use, you’ll see our reviews are strong. "We don’t use TripAdvisor, so what appears there unfortunately will only be people who weren’t satisfied from the approach of the on line travel agent and certainly doesn’t reflect the positive experiences our guests are sharing elsewhere. "We’ve evolved from a lifestyle business into a fully commercial operation and learned a lot along the way. I’m confident we now deliver the great guest experience we set out to achieve, and I’m proud of what we’ve built." Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone