An idyllic Welsh holiday cottage

We were meant to be in the Isle of Wight. But at the last minute plans changed: we were craving a holiday somewhere remote, blustery and warmed by an open fire.

So we drove for almost a whole day to spend a week on the very beautiful Llŷn Peninsula in north Wales.

After despondency at so many holiday rentals that were photogenic on the outside, but startlingly ugly on the inside we couldn't believe our luck at finding Aberdaron Cottage, in the village of the same name. This is what "country cottage" should look like – what do you reckon?

It being so surrounded by water, there was quite a sea theme going on.

So many of the cottages we'd looked at seemed to have no concept of good lighting. Note to owners: stark overheads aren't a welcoming look for your promo photos. We couldn't move at Aberdaron for lamps: perfect.

Little details count. Loved the light switches.

The cottage isn't style mag fashionable (hurrah!): instead it had clearly been furnished with warmth, care, a collector's eye and in a style befitting the building, an ancient crog loft (a Welsh crofter's cottage).

The strong wall colours were different in each room, but picked up as a theme in details all over the cottage to hold things together. They really added to the cosy glow of the place.

And the views... This one is from the sitting room, while below you can see what we woke up to – the picture was taken out of the bedroom skylight.

Even the bathroom, often a chillingly blank canvas in the average holiday rental got lots of love.

The kitchen was huge and its orange walls and cosy lighting (it's out of shot, but there's a worktop lamp – instant atmosphere while you cook. But I loved the sign above the door most.

And as for the walks nearby... We spent one afternoon on a four-hour trek around the headland. We came back to tea and Welshcakes by the fire with a very happy dog (oh yes, and the cottage is dog-friendly too).

Reggie eyes up the local sheep.

Fancy staying in Aberdaron Cottage? Here's the website. Rates are currently £50 per night and technically it sleeps four, though probably only if the extra guests are your children – or you're very close friends – as the bedrooms open onto each other. There's an outhouse called the Garden Lodge on the land behind the cottage that sleeps more people. And the owners are very friendly too.

For more stories on other interesting holiday rentals, check out these previous posts.

Words & photos by Kate