After following Coastal Cottages social media channels over the past year I was thrilled to be invited to go and check out one of there cottages for a weekend break with my family.
Coastal Cottages are a holiday cottage rental company in Pembrokeshire. Offering everything from cosy cottages for couples to large premises with onsite pools and hot tubs. They will help you find the perfect property for your needs in the most idyllic part of Wales. In low season you can grab some utter bargains with rentals from £99 for up to 4 nights for 2 people..amazing right? With over 550 properties on their books you can be sure to find somewhere special to create memories.
We stayed in Forty Winks, a large bungalow overlooking Freshwater East Bay with 3 double bedrooms and a sizeable sofa in an additional lounge area. My parents joined us for the weekend and we all fell in love with the cottage and the area. Arrival and checking in at the cottage was easy and we were soon in and exploring. The cottage was immaculate and much bigger than I expected with a gorgeous farmhouse style kitchen, two living areas as well as two bathrooms and a large foyer area which the girls had so much fun running through and playing games. There was also a welcome breakfast hamper and bottle of wine at the cottage for us which was a lovely surprise, you can add various packages and hampers to your stay via the Coastal Cottages Concierge Team.
The view from the front on a brighter day from the Coastal Cottages website:
The area of Freshwater East is about 75 minutes from where I live and although I had previously been to most of the surrounding areas such as Tenby and Manorbier I had never visited this particular area of West Wales before. It is a small village and has a beautiful stretch of bay which we had great fun exploring. The first night we snuggled into the warmth of the cottage and enjoyed a home cooked meal. It was a rather gloomy weather start to the weekend but it actually felt perfect to be enjoying a candle lit dinner.
One thing which was picked up by all of us at the cottage including the girls was that it had everything you needed. The kitchen was the most well stocked kitchen in terms of gadgets and crockery that I have stayed in, which was amazing for someone who loves to cook. Too often I have been let down at holiday rentals when essential ( and often basic ) kitchen equipment has been missing. This is definitely not the case at Forty Winks. My mother must have exclaimed at least 5 times – They have thought of everything! The girls were also thrilled by the toy cupboard which was packed to the brim with board games, toys and craft games such as fuzzy felts. It means a lot to not have to pack a suitcase full of toys to go on holiday and ideal for when the weather isn’t playing ball. They also loved the nets to go crabbing and finding exciting things in the rock pools.
On the Saturday of our visit we headed into Narberth, one of my favourite places in Wales. This town is quaint and very much a foodie town with artisan ice cream shops and delis. This particular Saturday however was Narberth Food Festival. Narberth Food Festival was one of the first food festivals I ever attended and I really enjoy it whenever I can manage to go. This year was full of Welsh food traders such as Little Valley Bakery, Pembrokeshire Wood Fired Pizza company as well as fine dining offerings from The Grove Narberth and a LOT more. We ate so many samples that we didn’t really feel the need for lunch and the girls enjoyed the craft area inside the main tent. I especially loved lingering around Gilly’s smoked garlic stall and watching The Wrapshack cook their dishes.
That evening we hit the beach with the girls whilst my mum put a roast chicken in and we then spent the night just relaxing having long chats around the kitchen table.
Munching Welsh Cakes all weekend, we even got some gluten free ones for Chloe at Wisebuys Deli in Narberth.
Playing hide and seek on the beach:
Jumping with joy!
One of the most special parts of the weekend for me was the additional time we as a family got to spend with my parents. I spend a lot of time with my parents but this uninterrupted time of breakfasts and lunch and walks on the beach meant a lot and it’s times like that that I treasure. They have done so much for me in my life and continue to do so that being able to involve them in things like this is great and I know they appreciate it.
That night we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the back of the property:
The next morning after a turbulent night of sleep with Chloe who had a bad chest we headed to Freshwater West, another beach about 20 minutes away. There were two reasons for the trip, one was that the beach is incredibly beautiful either in the misty haze that set over West Wales that morning. The second reason was to visit Cafe Mor, an award winning street food vendor which is based in an entirely unassuming beach front car park. We tried some razor clams and the Mor burger as well as a hot chocolate with cream and a flake. It felt amazing to be eating super fresh seafood right at the seafront. Delicious. I wanted to go back and try the rest of the menu.
That sounds like a wonderful break 🙂 I love visiting Wales, I mostly go to Snowdonia though so don’t know Pembrokeshire that well. It sounds really lovely and well worth a visit!
Forty Winks is a brilliant name for a cottage! Pembrokeshire is not an area I’m familiar with but having seen your pics, I’m very intrigued.
These look absolutely incredible and your photography is really nice <3
The cottage you stayed at looks so pretty and very modern decorated. I like how close it is to the beach as well! The food festival sounds amazing too!
That looks so lovely. We like to stay in holiday cottages too, it’s so much easier when you’re travelling with kids I think. The location of your stay looks wonderful, being beside the sea is just the best!