Cymraeg

Reviews

Eluned and John have taken great care in making their home environmentally friendly by using solar panels, eco-friendly cleaning products, home grown or local organic foods, and by doing plenty of recycling. They can accommodate six in luxurious bedrooms. Not only is there an Aga, but also some Fired Earth wall and floor tiles. (Issue 1, 2008)

Y Goeden Eirin has three bedrooms, one in the main building and two in a renovated outbuilding. Breakfast is served outside in good weather, and includes homemade preserves, and the dining room serves meals to residents as well as the public. Meat comes from a Caernarfon butcher, fish from a Llandudno fishmonger and vegetables and herbs can come from their own garden. The B&B has solar panels and is cleaned with eco-friendly products. The National Cycle Network runs at the edge of the grounds. (Bed &Breakfast Directory, May 2008).

‘The 20 Best Kept Travel Secrets’: For the full Welsh experience try Y Goeden Eirin, a green guest house. John Rowlands, who runs it with his wife Eluned, is emeritus professor of Welsh at the University of Wales. Natural hosts, they are passionate about Welsh culture and the natural and social environment. (14/10/07)

‘10 Chic Places to Stay in Wales’, by David Atkinson, author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Wales:  This small but charming guesthouse offers comfortable surroundings for a North Wales escape. More importantly, however, it differs from the traditional B&B as it is a centre of learning about Welsh culture and arts. Run by two former academics, it’s popular with culture vultures keen to soak up some Welsh art., literature or linguistics, although the owners stress that taking part in readings or discussions is not mandatory. And, if you need a moment of quiet inspiration, head for the most cultured little boys’ room in Wales – complete with Welsh political slogans. (06/12007)

‘When in Wales; Try the Y Goeden Eirin’: We like green, and that’s one of the reasons we like the Y Goeden Eirin, in the village of Dolydd, Wales. The building now used for this bed-and-breakfast style luxury eco-accommodation (that’s a lot of hats to wear!) was originally a cowshed, but things have come a long way. The getaway consists of just three rooms (two doubles and one twin), full of antiques collected over the centuries. Food, often local and organic, is served in the dining room. And the name? Well, in case your Welsh is rusty, we can tell you Y Goeden Eirin is all about a plum tree and a book of poetry. Got it? (11/09/2007)

‘We are a far cry from a conventional hotel,’ write the owners of this small guest house, very Welsh (bilingual menus and wine list) and very green (solar panels, recycling and composting policies; organic food; Fairtrade tea and coffee). Guests wishing to arrive by train can be collected from Bangor, and advice is given about the ‘excellent local transport’. The nominator wrote: ‘A winning formula of husband-and-wife team [John and Eluned Rowlands] running it on very personal lines.’ Inspectors found it ‘wonderful’. The renovated farm buildings (local granite, slates, beams; décor a mixture of traditional and modern) stand amid rough pasture with views of mountains and sea. There is under-floor heating, books, ‘beautiful objects, fine paintings’, a grand piano and Wi-Fi. In the dining room, open to the public, ‘whoesome, innovative’ Aga-cooked food, eg, roast pork with apple; coq au Riesling, uses local and home-grown ingredients (‘one of us is an award-winning cook, the other a restaurant critic’). ‘Excellent’ breakfasts have locally cured bacon, lamb’s kidneys, home-baked bread, home-made preserves. ‘Our room, large and bright, had glorious views, large TV, a good-sized bathroom.’ One bedroom has a collection of books, another a Welsh dresser.

An education in Welsh culture, and a stylish spot from which to explore the country. Against the backdrop of wild Snowdonia, surrounded by 20 acres of rough grazing, house and setting have an open seaside feel. Inside presents a cosy picture: Welsh-language and English books share the shelves, paintings by contemporary Welsh artists enliven the walls, an arty 70s décor mingles with sturdy Welsh oak in the bedrooms and bathrooms are chic. Wonderful food is served alongside the Bechstein in the beamed dining room – the welcoming, thoughtful Eluned and John have created an unusually delightful space.

‘Britain’s top 10’: Walter F Stowy
This is [The Good Hotel Guide’s] latest list of 10 properties to have earned a coveted César award, plucked from the 2008 edition … Over the past couple of months, I’ve been to stay in every one, to check that the GHG-ers are doing their job, and I have to say I’m impressed. Y Goeden Eirin … Eluned and John Rowlands, the retired couple who run YGE, make an effort to be environmentally responsible – they’ve coated one roof with solar panels, and will pick you up at Bangor or Porthmadog station if you’re not bringing a car. But their small, three-room property – set between Snowdonia and the sea – is memorable chiefly for its sense of syle and its Welshness. John used to teach the Welsh language at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, and even his atlas is in Welsh. The room: our room was set in a spacious, purpose-built annexe at the back of the main house. Usually I’m not a fan of annexes, but this was lovely – laid with a beautiful black-slate floor, and furnished with an Arts and Crafts feel. The bed was the best bit – I slept for 10 hours. 8/10 The food: home-cooked on the Aga, and served in the main house. Good value at £25pp for four courses. 7/10 The service: friendly, but not intrusive. They should keep the dog on a tighter leash though. 8/10 Value for money: 10/10 Does it deserve its César?: Yes – it’s a classic of the GHG genre. (30/09/07)

'20 GREAT HOTEL DISCOVERIES'
Every year the Good Hotel Guide scours the country for worthy new entries – places with the personal touch and bags of character. Here, editor Desmond Balmer picks his favourite additions to this year’s guide. Y Goeden Eirin: John and Eluned Rowlands have found a ‘winning formula’ at this small guest house: very Welsh … and very green …In the dining room, open to the public, ‘wholesome, innovative’ Aga-cooked food with local and home-grown ingredients is served. (7/10/07)

Desmond Balmer, the [Good Hotel Guide’s] joint editor, said they had noticed a rise in standards among Welsh hotels in recent years. … ‘John and Eluned Rowlands have a winning formula at Y Goeden Eirin, a small guest house which is very Welsh and very green.’ … Mr Rowlands said he was shocked but delighted to have won the award. ‘Having been fans of the Good Hotel Guide for years, it was a privilege to be featured in it at all, let alone to be given this coveted award. It is something we will have to strive hard to live up to.’ … The Good Hotel Guide nominates 10 hotels every year for the awards, named after the famous hotelier César Ritz. (1/10/07)

John and Eluned Rowlands’ business is at their own home in Y Goeden Eirin near Caernarfon – the two former lecturers have utilised their love of food and drink to create a small, luxurious guest house. (2/08/07)

It was after they retired that they had the itch to embark on this venture, not to prove that they could run a business, but to show that it was possible to do something in Welsh. (9/08/07)

There is no doubting the Welsh credentials of this restaurant and hotel business near Caernarfon – in terms of language, culture or ambience. It also offers high standards of service and taste with the emphasis on books, artworks and local history reflecting the interest of the owners, John and Eluned Rowlands. Although the business is small-scale and recent, they hope to inspire young people to venture in a similar way. Menter Awards, August 2007

The accommodation appeals to a niche market and currently offers room for six visitors and the owners are looking forward to continuing to promote the area. They say that they feel it’s important to give visitors the cultural experience of the Welsh language and Welsh arts and music. (20/09/07)

National Tourism Awards 2007 – Comments made by the judge, David Atkinson (editor of Lonely Planet: Wales)
The Plum Tree, named after a collection of short stories in Welsh by John Gwilym Jones, offers an alternative take on a B&B: a centre of learning about Welsh culture and arts. Co-owners John and Eluned Rowlands are both former academics and the house is lined with bookcases groaning under the weight of literary tomes, while original works by Welsh artists adorn the walls, attracting a steady flow of literary societies for dinners and academics for research trips. ‘Welsh is our first language, but we don’t ram it down people’s throats,’ says John. But most of all the little boy’s room makes the boldest statement in the whole house. Framed photos behind the throne include Aung San Suu Kyi, Brian Redhead and Václav Havel, while pieces of the Berlin Wall stand in a glass case and Welsh slate engrained with political slogans stand guard over the washbasin. ‘It feels like an extension of my life’s work to spread knowledge of Welsh culture,’ says John. (4/10/07)