In April I spent a week in Pembrokeshire with an aunt and uncle and their two dogs. Our parameters for finding a holiday let were that it had to allow two dogs (most only allow one), had an enclosed garden and had two bathrooms, one of which was on the same level as the bedrooms. After much searching, we settled on Slate Cottage (Slate Cottage, St Davids | 4 Star Holiday Cottage in Pembrokeshire, Wales. | Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire UK) in St. David’s.
The cottage is part of a new development on the edge of the city. Despite its city status, St. David’s is actually quite small and is only a city because of the cathedral. The photos on the letting site are very true to reality – the rooms were not made to look bigger than they really are. The cottage was easy to find and there is lots of room for parking on the driveway. The main bathroom is on the first floor with the bedrooms and there is a powder room on the ground floor. There is a gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep the dogs downstairs – they also are not allowed on the furniture, but we took their own beds that they were happy to bed down in. The first night there was a bit of moaning about being in a strange place, but they soon quieted down. The cottage is very comfortable and perfectly situated for taking the dogs for walks and for walking the few minutes it takes to get to the shops and restaurants in town. On our first night there, we walked to CK’s for some provisions and found a short cut the next morning when taking the dogs out for their first walk of the day. The garden is very secure, and the dogs enjoyed being able to spend time out there while we were lounging in the living room. There is plenty of storage room in the bedrooms, both of which have televisions. The dining table is a bit of a squeeze when you’re all in there for a meal but it’s manageable.
The only negatives were difficulty working the induction hob and some lack of clarity with regards to the garbage and recycling instructions. We had never used an induction hob before and the instructions were not where they were supposed to be. Instead of being in the drawer under the television in the lounge, they were later discovered in a serving tray on top of the tall fridge. As they were laminated sheets, they could easily have been hole punched and put in the manual for the cottage. Meanwhile we looked up the model online and managed to unlock and use the hob once. After later reading the instructions, I was able to cook a few things. The trick is being quick about pressing the buttons in the correct order – if you hesitate, the cooker turns itself off and you have to start again. A quick call to the letting office helped with the garbage and recycling as coincidentally did being home when the very friendly bin men showed up.
All in all, we enjoyed our stay at Slate Cottage and would certainly recommend it and St. David’s as a good location for exploring Pembrokeshire. It is certainly a beautiful part of Wales with some stunning beaches. The dogs agree!
