- Sleeps 2
- No pets
Facilities
- Free Parking on Premises
- Hot Tub
- Kitchen
- Non Smoking
- TV
- WiFi
Cwt y Gwenyn means the bee hut, and it is a single teal-clad pod on Bryn Seiri Farm in the hills above Conwy. There is one of it, so you are never sharing the garden with anyone.
The setting has clearly had years of work put into it. The pod sits at the top of a landscaped garden with stone paths, planted beds and rocks set into the slope, and a hot tub on its own terrace below.
The pod
Inside there is a double bed, a sitting area with a sofa, a kitchenette and a shower room. The curved timber ceiling runs the length of it and there is a window at the far end looking out over the fields.
The kitchen has a hob, a microwave, a sink and a fridge, which is enough for breakfast and a decent evening meal. There is a television, a heater and WiFi.
The garden
This is the part people remember. The hot tub is set on its own terrace with the hills in front of it. There is a fire pit further down, a covered seating area, a picnic bench and an outdoor fireplace.
At dusk the lights come on along the paths and around the seating, which makes the garden usable well into the evening. The whole plot is private to the pod.
Around Conwy
The farm is up in the lanes behind Conwy, so the town is a short drive down the hill. The castle and the complete ring of town walls are the obvious draw, along with the Smallest House in Great Britain on the quay.
Bodlondeb Park is just over a mile away, a wooded park on the edge of the town with a path down to the estuary. RSPB Conwy is on the far shore, with hides looking out over the lagoons.
The Snowdonia National Park boundary is under two miles off, and Betws-y-Coed and the Ogwen valley are both inside half an hour.
Bodnant Garden is down the valley on the same side. Its laburnum arch flowers for about a fortnight in late May and early June, and the terraces below it look across to the Carneddau.
The lanes behind Conwy
Bryn Seiri is up in the hill lanes rather than on a main road, so it is quiet at night and dark enough to see stars. The lanes are narrow and high-hedged, which is worth knowing if you are driving something large.
The walk up Conwy Mountain starts in the town below and takes about an hour to the top. There is an iron age hillfort up there, and on a clear day you can see Anglesey, the Great Orme and the whole estuary at once.
Rowen, one of the prettiest villages in the valley, is a couple of miles south with a pub that does food.
Who it suits
Couples. It sleeps two, there is one pod, and everything about it is built for an evening in the garden rather than a family week.
Guests score it 9.8 out of 10 on Booking.com across 144 reviews, which is the top of the exceptional band.
Prices
Prices start at £167 a night, taken from two nights in January. That is the quietest part of the year, so expect more through the summer.
Common questions
Does the pod have a hot tub?
Yes, on its own terrace in the garden, private to the pod.
How many does it sleep?
Two, in a double bed.
Is there a kitchen?
A kitchenette with a hob, microwave, sink and fridge.
How far is Conwy Castle?
A short drive down from the farm into the town.
What does a night cost?
From £167 in January, rising through the season.
Can the dog come?
No. The pod does not accept pets.
