Blogger / 5 October, 2017 / Charlotte Pearl

A Luxury Family Staycation Without Leaving The Country!

Looking for a Christmas getaway or Easter holiday hideaway? Little Fish Anglesey is just the place. I sent my brother packing with his four children to review this luxury six-bed house just off the Welsh coast. Read their fantastic review below.

This summer has been a little hectic to say the least. Not that organising a summer holiday with 4 children, a dog and a cat to think about is ever totally simple, but on this occasion we were also moving home. There was one little part of me that did ponder whether going to Wales for 4 days at the end of the holidays, arriving back to a new house, resplendent with unpacked boxes, the day before term started was entirely wise — but only for a split second!

Then our car broke down and we had to change our travel plans. It transpired that getting the train, even with 5 children in tow (my eldest daughter brought a friend), was actually much more relaxing than driving. It was 4 hours from Euston with one easy change on the way and no worrying about stopping for loo breaks, cramped legs or an exhausted driver to contend with! In the interest of ease rather than glamour we all brought big backpacks as luggage, even the little one merrily trotted along with her mini wheelie suitcase! The one slight encumbrance was a heavy hold all heaving with wetsuits but we were very glad of these later.

From Holyhead station in Anglesey to Little Fish was a 15-minute ride in the 2 taxis that I had pre-booked, (all taxi numbers and any information you can possibly think of to make your stay relaxed from start to finish is provided in a brilliant manual that you are emailed upon booking).

The house itself is picture perfect; a large wooden gate leads through to a spacious, soft grey slatted wood house trimmed with brilliant white eves, set in a lovely garden. The garden is the perfect size for a family group and equipped with everything my children and my husband Rufus and I could hope for. Table tennis was a massive hit (literally) with family matches in the late afternoons whilst onlookers relaxed in the hanging, wicker egg chairs. If they weren’t playing table tennis the boys were honing their tennis skills against the repo wall or using it for football scoring practice whilst Henrietta, who is 3, convinced her big sister and her friend to play with her on the precious little and big wooden swings strung from an old tree.

The interior of the house is simply beautiful, very much influenced by its’ seaside setting; awash with soft blue and with beautiful pictures, cushions and artefacts dotted meticulously around. All the fixtures, fittings and features are gloriously luxurious yet despite this it still felt incredibly homely and was definitely decorated taking into consideration the needs of a family (which you would expect as Sarah has 5 children of her own)!

I had worried that we might be rather stuck without a car, but in fact it was a bonus. I am the sort of person that likes to organise excursions, here, there and everywhere whenever we go away but this time we were forced to stay put and enjoy the tranquility and perks of our location. The beach is a mere 5 minutes stroll down a little lane from the house that suddenly opens out onto an idyllic; wide, calm, bay. The children spent hours in their wetsuits paddling, swimming (there are boogie boards housed thoughtfully for guests in sweet little beach style huts in the garden) and rock pooling (dragging nets, buckets and spades again provided at the house) followed by picnics on the beach. To top it off, after returning from the beach, slightly chilly, (this is the UK after all), and having first showered off outside (I now think every home wherever it is should have an outdoor shower in the interest of keeping it clean!) we were able to warm ourselves up in the decadently hot, hot tub!)

Our children range in age from 3 years, (Henrietta), 8 and 10 years (Lucas and Arthur) to 13 years (Amelia-Rose) and Little Fish left each one of us with a magical memory of a wonderful holiday. My eldest and her friend were able to be independent and tootle off to the beach to wait for us and back to the house again as the advance party. My boys loved being outside away from the space restrictions of London (and being allowed to play on the Wii there on the one rainy day) and my little one could paddle safely with her siblings in the sea. My husband and I loved the invigorating walk from the house to the viewpoint; just the right length for the children, who picked and ate blackberries all the way, and which culminated in an awe inspiring coastal view. Everyone we met on our little jaunts seemed friendly and happy.

When I made a mistake with my online Waitrose shop (essential to do one with no car as there are no shops within walking distance), and forgot to order eggs and a cake mix for my son’s birthday the lovely lady in the local depot organised for the items to be sent to the house free of charge that same day just so my son would have a lovely birthday! In fact he said it was one of the best birthdays ever!

We had a lovely supper in The White Eagle pub a minutes walk across the lane from the house, followed by the cake, hot chocolate and marshmallows back at Little Fish on the gorgeous balcony that is stitched around the house, little lights twinkling into the darkness.

It transpired that the one day it rained was our last day, and a Sunday, and therefore a perfect day for a roast. It was lovely to have an excuse to hunker down, watch a family film (or 2) from the ample selection provided, then eat in the fabulously equipped kitchen, music flowing from the surround sound system, feeling cosy and warm as we watched the rain pelt down against the vast glass windows that looked out across the stormy countryside beyond.

We felt refreshed and rather sad when Monday morning arrived along with our taxis to the train station. The boys had loved their gorgeous blue bunk bed with cabin-style peephole windows, my husband Rufus and I had loved the incredible master bedroom hung with a mirror that turned out to be a vast television! Not to mention the luxurious en-suite bathroom with heavenly cast iron bath! Henrietta had loved the amazing playroom decked out with every art and craft material, toys and games that a child could hope for.

Indeed we had all loved every well thought out detail of Little Fish Anglesey and its idyllic location, but now it was time to return invigorated and ready to unpack our new house!