Reviewed 26 Jul 2009 by Claire Thomas
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Amazing tranquillity and greenness away from people. Waking up in the night to the sound of the waterfall. My partner enjoyed chopping the wood and funnelling the smoke out of the tipi! We loved the two sheep and the hare in our field too.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
This is a very relaxing holiday so very active people may need to bring books, games or do lots of walking. It was a little chilly so warm clothes and be prepared to have a cold shower - very refreshing in the rain but fun!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It was really fun to go back to nature and really realise how much we rely on electricity for. A visit to Centre of Alternative Technology was very interesting an inspired us to go even greener.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very, very good and just what we needed to take a break from our hectic life.
Reviewed 25 May 2009 by Janine Hammond
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Staying in a tipi - they are very atmospheric and it is lovely lying in your bed with the candles lit and the chiminee streaming smoke out of the top of the tipi.
The lambs living by the tipi were so adorable, they used to sleep in the firepit (after the fire was out, obviously). The Reiki was a new experience and was enjoyable. On top of that we had the most glorious weather.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
You need to be quite fit...the tipis are on hilly areas and you have to go across streams and muddy land to get to them. Take some good walking shoes/wellies. You can walk for miles without seeing anyone so chose this holiday if you like privacy.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, the food in the welcome pack was organic and ethically sourced. The tipis are hidden and private and fit with the land the sheep live on the land and little is done to disturb nature.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good. A lovely way to spend sometime away from everything. I would recommend this experience to anyone as it is a brilliant way to unwind.
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your review, we really appreciate it. We would like to address your point that you need to be fit to come and stay; a reasonable level of fitness is necessary to access the steeper tipis like Mountain - the one you were in. However there are also tipis that are much easier to access, a gentle amble with no streams to cross! We take the time to phone people coming to stay with us prior to their arrival partly to try and "match" them with a tipi to suit their level of fitness as well as to run through other details.
Reviewed 03 Jun 2008 by Agnese Appleby
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The setting of the tipis and surrounding area was absolutely beautiful and we had so much space all around.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do not worry if it rains, it is very cosy in the tipi, while fire is going. Take all the food you need and do not plan to do sightseeing. This place is good for doing nothing.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It was a good lesson how to live eco way.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The best quality holiday for family we ever had.
Reviewed 12 Aug 2008 by Lisa Sherwood
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Great location, amazing scenery and beautiful weather when we arrived. Nice sheep and cows nearby. Nice buzzards flying about too.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Beware of bad weather - it is in Wales after all. Unfortunately we had such bad rain and thunderstorms the tipi was not as watertight as we'd expected and everything became damp. If you're used to camping in the rain and don't mind this, then it wouldn't be a problem but we found it uncomfortable and not relaxing. Expect the shower and washing facilities to be VERY basic - only cold water - which we were only aware of when we got the confirmation through. Okay if it's hot, not nice if it's damp.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It did have minimal impact on the environment - washing up liquid, soap and shower gel provided was all natural ingredients-based, water from the local stream and compost toilet was good for this. The fact you can only get there easily by car kind of makes it less eco-friendly but I guess you can't avoid that if it's in a remote location.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Probably not for us - more for the 'hardcore' camper. The weather made it quite a depressing experience unfortunately as it was warm, but very wet. This meant that making a fire to dry clothes and wet shoes was not ideal and windy conditions blew the smoke back in the tipi in spite of trying to direct tent flaps in the right direction. Nowhere to dry clothes next to the fire in the tipi. Although the bed was comfortable, with nice furnishings, we wondered why the tables, etc were all low to the ground and at crouching level when you could stand up in the tipi?! Nice touches like real coffee, organic food products and wine provided, but needed more surfaces to prepare food where you weren't crouched on the floor. It was a shame it wasn't the relaxing experience we were looking for but maybe we're not the target audience. Probably would have been a different experience had it been hot and sunny!
Read the operator's response here:
We are sorry that you were disappointed by your stay with us and we would like to address your comments. We are unsure what went wrong with the tipi, but we do take a great deal of time and effort to ensure that they are as watertight as can be, bearing in mind there is a hole in the roof which is part of the integral structure of a tipi. The particular tipi you were in had not experienced any leaks before so we can only apologise and say we have now added an inner liner (an ozan) to ensure this does not happen again. Regarding the washing facilities, we feel to describe them as very basic is unfair. You have a point that there is no hot water at the site but we do provide the solar shower bags that can have heated water put in them (if there is no sun). The shower/loo blocks are made by a local craftsman and are designed to blend in with the environment. The lavatory system is a compost separating design from Sweden where it is very commonly used in day to day life. As the site is remote, it has limited infrastructure and we cannot provide hot water. To build hot showers on the site would impact on the environment in an adverse way and take away some of what we are trying to do. We are sorry that this was not clear enough on our placement with Responsible Travel and have now rectified this.
Machynlleth has a train station with a regular service to Birmingham New Street; from Machynlleth you can get to the site by taxi or transfer by us. As you say, this is one downside of having such a remote site. We aim to provide a space where guests can connect to nature in beautiful surroundings and comfort. With this in mind, we provide a camping stove, all cooking equipment, china crockery and glassware, a proper mattress and pillows, organic bedlinen, a coffee table and an abundance of cushions, as well as camping chairs. If you had higher surfaces you would find that, with the sloping sides of a tipi, it would be cramped and cluttered. The weather you had was, indeed, very wet and windy and we cannot do anything about that. We are sad you did not have the time you were expecting but many of our guests who have experienced similar weather have left very positive feedback, saying how much they've enjoyed spending time away from the rest of the world, sharing their company by the fire in the tipi.
Reviewed 18 Oct 2007 by Lindsey Green
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful natural landscape/location, the peace, the stars at night (no light pollution), the "alternative" accommodation in tipis. Getting back to nature. A great place to recharge batteries away from the hurly burly.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared! Bring plenty of food and other supplies as it is a LONG way to any shops etc - but that’s the point really!
Bring warm clothes for night time and some wellies or boots as it can be a bit muddy. Some better directions and signage into the location might be good - a warning to keep on going through the forest! It’s a bit muddy and slippery and you should drive with extra care.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
This holiday had a minimal impact on the environment as much as possible - all rubbish was recycled or composted, toilets and showers are eco-friendly, eco-friendly soap and detergents provided, no electricity, dwellings are sensitively located and built - I'm not sure what more you could do! We visited local shops and the Centre for Alternative Technology (a local attraction). Info on where to purchase locally produced food and supplies would be useful. Unfortunately driving is the only feasible option - there is a train station at Machynlleth - maybe the operators could offer pick up from there?
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Most excellent! I had a really great experience and would really like to return again.
Reviewed 07 Jul 2007 by Rachel Innes
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Driving through a forest and then suddenly seeing a clearing and our huge tipi. Building fires, chopping woods and showering with water from the local stream in the open air
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for the isolation and take everything you need to cook and eat. Tipis are cosy and beautiful but not 5 star luxury so be prepared to experience outdoor living.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
This holiday was a lesson in eco living from the Scandinavian loos to the visit to the local centre for alternative technology, lots of tips to bring home.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This was an unforgettable experience and ideal for people who enjoy isolation and the gentle sounds of nature.
1of8
