Summer 2022

We’re pleased to have been able to get to Pen-Y-Garth for a longer than usual break this time, we’ve managed to secure 10 day in a row which is a first for us! This year has been really busy at home and the lodge has been a little quieter, I think with Covid behind us now some have decided to travel abroad this year which allows us to spend a long break at Lodge 58.

We decided to not plan anything at all and take each day as it came, this meant that we had lazy starts and decided where to go depending on the weather… which I must say was mixed and a little sad considering the 2 weeks previous had been a heatwave and the week ahead was looking promising. Thankfully we navigated the Welsh weather and made more lasting memories.

We visited Pale Hall which is a lovely place to spoil yourself and have some food and drinks, if you have an electric vehicle you can charge this up here free of charge as they have their own hydro electric generation on site. Palé Hall is an AA Five Red Star with an acclaimed three rosette and Michelin green star fine dining restaurant features signature dishes from head chef, Gareth Stevenson. If you also like whisky and vodka, they have a fine selection in the bar to choose from.

Our trip to Wales wouldn’t be complete without visiting Betws y Coed, we managed to visit several times, directly and also in passing and always in sunshine thankfully. The Royal Oak is a lovely place to have lunch or just stop for a spot of tea, with some time spent afterwards to visit the town and walk around the park.

 

We had a wonderful time on Saturday at Barmouth Beach, the day was mixed and overcast at times but as you can see, this didn’t stop people flying their kites on the sand while children were playing, building sandcastles and paddling in the sea. A day at the seaside wouldn’t be complete without a fish and chip supper.

Bodnant Gardens is another favourite of ours to visit and this year was no different, if you are a national trust member then you can visit this place for free, and if you do, also make sure you pay a visit to the food centre which is just down the road where you can buy some lovely produce or have this cooked at their cafe.

It was sad to see some of the storm damage from Awen which happened late  2021, uprooting trees which had stood the test of time for 100’s of years.

We hope you all have a wonderful time at Lodge 58 throughout 2022 and beyond.

Lee, Sian and Holly

Summer 2021

We’re pleased to have been able to get to Pen-Y-Garth for a week’s break this summer. This year has been really busy with many lovely people using our lodge as their ‘staycation’ home for their holiday. We have noticed this year that Wales in general has been much busier, and on our days out we’ve had to be super early to ensure that you can find a parking spot or even gain entrance to attractions.

Once place that we have been to this year which is a first, but certainly not the last was Bodnant gardens which is a short drive away from the lodge. This is national trust property so if you have membership entrance is free, if not there is a small free to enter these wonderful kept gardens.

Bodnant also have a beautiful food centre which is a short drive away from the gardens and is accessible totally free of charge, here there is a restaurant where they serve food that they sell in their farm shop. The produce they stock here is of the highest quality, we have often stopped in when passing to get some supplies for a home cooked meal when we get back to the lodge.

We had some wonderful days out and half days in when we just fancied a lazy morning of afternoon by ourselves with time to spend in the hot tub. 

One of the days we decided to take a drive to lake Vyrnwy which is a short drive away from the Lodge. To get there all you have to do is to come out of the park gates and turn right and keep driving for around 10 miles. The route is very picturesque and stunning, however in places the road is narrow so be cautious and aware of the last pull-in in case you need to reverse back to allow other to pass. There is also a hotel and spar on the lake so you can stop for a break or hire a boat if you wish to explore the lake further.

 

We hope you all had a wonderful time staying in Bala Lodge 58 throughout 2021, we hope to see you back again shortly and look forward to sharing our home from home with you.

Lee, Sian and Holly

Summer 2020

We’re pleased to have been able to get to Pen-Y-Garth this year now that lockdown is starting to ease and there is a level of normality returning to daily life. The shrubbery around the front of the lodge is really starting to take shape, we had some feedback from guests who asked for a little more privacy when out on the decking from passing cars and also while enjoying time in the hot tub. I think this is mission accomplished with the before and after photos!

The view from the hot tub is excellent and you can see the mountains in the distance, which the sun sets over, this is a beautiful sight every evening with a cool drink on the decking or a relaxing soak in the hot tub. The shrubbery is kept trimmed so this doesn’t impact the stunning views!

 

Due to changes with Covid19 we have had to remove all personal belonging from the lodge, this means that we have had to remove board games, DVD’s and ornaments that made our Lodge a more pleasant stay with additional home comforts over and above the standard units on the park. The good news is that these have not gone for good! We hope to be able to return these to the lodge for our lovely guests to use once it is safe to do so and we have been given the go-ahead to from the park as well as Hoseasons via government guidelines. I hope you appreciate that this is for everyone’s safety and we hope you fully understand.

Our weekend visit on the 18th July 2020 was spectacular as ever, we had a wonderful evening when we arrived on Friday, a lazy day around the park on the Saturday and Sunday took us to Betws-y-Coed with glorious weather for a wander around and a spot of late breakfast. With packing to do we spent the afternoon back on park before seeing some of the lovely park staff before returning home.

We wish you a wonderful staycation in 2020 and we hope you have a wonderful time. Have fun and stay safe.

Lee, Sian & Holly  

360° View of Pen-y-Garth

Pen-y-Garth Lodge Park is superbly situated within the Snowdonia National Park, in beautiful, peaceful surroundings, only a short walk from Bala Lake and approximately one mile from the historic town of Bala. Pen-y-Garth Park is set in 24 acres of parkland and is home to 42 holiday homes. The Park is landscaped in order to allow each holiday home to be set on a generous plot to enable privacy and a sense of space and tranquillity.

See the beautiful 360 degree Aerial View

Known as the Welsh Lake District, the area surrounding Pen-y-Garth Lodge has dramatic scenery with mountains almost touching 3,000 ft high, deep valleys, fast flowing streams, rivers, waterfalls, forests and many lakes. The mountains rival those of other parts of Snowdonia but are not as crowded, enabling visitors to enjoy the lakes and mountain experience.

Pen-y-Garth is able to offer an intriguing combination of experiences locally to suit the tastes of adventure mad groups, exciting days out and adventures for all members of the family and also a beautiful tranquil retreat to get away from the world and relax surrounded by beautiful views – no need to go anywhere!

Lodge 58 – Covid19

From July 20th we will be open along with the other lodges at Pen-Y-Garth. New terms and conditions will be in place for guests and they must adhere to new covid-19 guidelines. There will also be operating a ‘track and trace’ system so that the park can monitor guests following the steps below:
 
The guest completes their Pre Check-in via the Guest Portal including the mandatory Health Declaration and Contact Tracing questions.
 
Guests will need to acknowledge a series of statements for the COVID-19 declaration as part of the pre check-in as well as register their place of residence for the previous 14 days.
 
This completed form is retained against the guest’s reservation for 28 days after departure.
If the guest answers ‘No’ to any of the statements on the Guest Declaration this means that there is a risk. RMS will notify the property via the Message Centre indicating that particular form requires review.
 
In the event a guest does answer ‘No’ to one of the statements, a staff member will make contact to discuss the details with the guest and refer to the local government health advice for proceeding with the guest’s stay at the property.
 
In the event that a confirmed case of COVID-19 occurs and contact tracing is required the Guest Declaration form can be downloaded from the Correspondence tab of their reservation and provided to the relevant health authorities.
 
The park is operating a ‘one in one out’ system at reception and trying to keep the numbers in the building at a minimum at all times. Understandably some staff members are nervous for returning to work also and so everyone is trying to prevent contact where possible.
 
We have challenging times ahead but I’m sure we will get used to this ‘new normal’ very soon and even get back to ‘ the old normal’ at some point – hopefully!
 
This does mean however that for the foreseeable future we also have to remove shared items items such as board games, DVD’s etc that we have left for our guest to enjoy. We hope this is a temporary measure and will review this as soon as we can. 
 
If you’re looking for a relaxing or adventure filled ‘staycation’ please get in touch.
 
Stay safe everyone and look out for one another!

Spring 2019

It has been a busy few months but we have at last been able to come to our lodge for some R&R. We are so pleased with the wonderful comments that have been left by our guests, many which are now returning for a second and third time. If you are a returning guest to lodge 58 then please ask reception for special offers, we would be happy to offer something additional for our returning guests.

Last week saw temperature reaching nearly 20 deg which is unusual for this time of year, we didn’t have this for our visit unfortunately. We were instead blessed with snow-capped mountains when we woke this morning which is a beautiful view as you have breakfast in the comfort and warmth of the lodge. You can also see the bamboo and other bushes that have shot up nicely during 2018 to provide additional privacy at the front without spoiling the breath taking mountain views.

We look forward to visiting in the summer for some Welsh sun and to explore this wonderful part of the world!

Missing Ducks

We proudly posted about our family of ducks which came to live in Lodge 58 on our Whitsun 2017 post. We also stated here that we were truly disappointed that some guests feel they can help themselves to personal items that we leave for the enjoyment of others. This also seems to be true for our little floating friends. 

For those who have not had the opportunity to enjoy these little creatures, we apologies on behalf of our guests who feel it’s ok to take what is not theirs, for reasons we cannot understand. Would you walk into a shop and steal?

I would hope not so why do this in our home.

We open Lodge 58 for others to enjoy and make lasting memories, please respect it and take care of the lodge and items that are left to enhance your stay as you would like others to do if this was your home. 

Lee, Sian & Holly

xxx

Summer 2017

Summer is well and truly with us now, this picture was taken by one of our lovely guests who have recently enjoyed a weekend break away in our beautiful lodge on the 17th – 19th June.

 

Sian and I hope that our guests make long and lasting memories in Bala Lodge during 2017 and beyond, while we can ensure the levels of comfort during your stay, we cannot always ensure the weather. In any event, there is plenty to see and do in the surrounding area whatever the weather brings. 

Whitsun 2017

We have finally found the time to visit our lodge in 2017 for a weekend away in lovely Bala. Despite this being a short weekend, we love this part of the world and look forward to spending some more time in Bala later in the year.

Our good friends, Chris and Jan sent some new additions to the lodge for us to enjoy in the hot tub …. a small family of ducks !  They have set up home in the main bathroom, but feel free to allow them to explore the hot tub with you!

We are truly disappointed that some guests feel they can help themselves to personal items that we leave for the enjoyment of others such as board games, DVD’s, tea lights, remote control units … to mention a few. We would respectfully like to point out that this is not a commercial letting but our home. We leave these items so you may enjoy them for the duration of your stay. Acts like this truly sadden Sian and I. 🙁 We were torn on whether we publish this post, however, we feel it is right for the honest and good people who enjoy Lodge 58. We want to apologise to our honest guests who may have missed out on these little extras (or essentials, depending on your view point) that we personally leave for your enjoyment. We do try our best to make your stay a little more special than the average lodge at Pen-y-Garth. 🙁

We are grateful for the wonderful comments that are being left behind in the guest book, we can see many lovely guests are enjoying our home making fond and lasting memories with their loved ones. As the summer progresses we look forward to coming back to enjoy Pen-y-Garth and its wonderful surroundings for the fall.

PS, if you want to find a wonderful picnic spot, when you leave Pen-y-Garth turn right and drive for around 10 minutes, you will come to a wonderful secluded place ‘Aberhirnant‘ which is just idyllic for a bite to eat … just remember your pic-a-nic rug !

 

Lee Sian & Holly

xxx