Whisper it quietly, but it looks like we're going to be purchasing a new three piece suite, a 3 seater, 2 seater and single seater with oak frames and leather upholstery. There's a lot to sort out yet, but if we do manage it, Velvet Cottage will definitely be getting the WOW!!!! factor.

The cottage is really quiet booking-wise at the moment, giving us the chance to repair fencing and get everything painted ready for the new season - weather permitting!!! We're really excited to be able to show off our handywork to the lucky guests this year - if the Welsh weather plays ball of course....

We've just had a family stay at Velvet Cottage to celebrate a birthday. They've reported back that they absolutely loved it and said that it reminded them of the cottage in the Cameron Diaz film "The Holiday". Not being familiar with the film, I had a look and saw a quintessentially English country cottage in a rose garden. We appreciate the sentiment but sorry, Velvet Cottage will never be the cottage in "The Holiday"! What it will be though is a warm and cosy base for a relaxing holiday in a wonderful area of Wales!

A pretty chilly morning today, but the sunshine will warm the hearts of the family arriving at Velvet Cottage today for a birthday celebration. They've never been to North Wales before, they're in for a treat!

A couple of guests have asked recently if Velvet Cottage is haunted, as they'd heard bumps in the night. Although it would be nice to think that this was so, the explanation is rather more down to earth. We have an off peak/on peak electricity meter (these days, we describe is as an expensive/really expensive meter, but that's another story). We've got a split tariff, in the Summer off-peak is from 0530-0830, 1410-1710 and 2130-0030. The meter contains a rather loud changeover relay which "clacks" at 0030 and 0530. In the Winter it's 2330 and 0430, the "ghost" moves around an hour earlier at that time of year.....