STAYCATION: BRECON RETREAT SWN Y NANT - A DOG FRIENDLY LODGE

Back at the end August, and still rocking the summer holiday blues, myself and James decided we needed another holiday before the year was out. We both had a week left and we were both well up for chasing some winter sun so we started looking. There wasn’t anywhere that was jumping out at us and we were pretty limited with wanting to fly Saturday to Saturday, so the hunt was stalled. Then I remembered reading about Brecon Retreat or Swn  y nant, a beautifully little lodge situated in the Brecon Beacons, somewhere neither of us had visited before. It was truly love at first sight and the log burner and hot tub were a very nice added bonus; we booked it there and then for the second week in November, which coincided with the date we met 3 years previously. We didn’t even think about what we’d do when we were there, we just knew it would be the perfect place to relax and unwind and we couldn’t have picked a more suited place, it has a beautiful stream right outside too which is how it gets it's name, Swn Y Nant ‘Sound of the Stream’.

The countdown was on and with us both being incredibly busy at work in the weeks leading up to it, by the time Monday arrived for us to head over to Wales we were so ready for it. A couple of days before the owner Helen had sent over directions and how to collect the key once we’d arrived etc, all of which was easy to follow and we didn’t have any problems at all. We settled in nicely and it really did feel like it was a home away from home. It was so cosy, peaceful and felt like a million miles away from home.

Although we had a couple of days hiding out here, we did go on a couple of long walks. Everything is so easy to get to and there’s many walking routes right on your doorstep with Brecon town centre just 10 minutes drive away. Helen has provided some really helpful guides which really did come in handy when looking for places to visit.

You can tell that so much time and care went in to providing such a lovely little lodge and Helen has done an incredible job of making your stay as enjoyable as possible. You’re provided with bathrobes, toiletries and wood for your entire stay. She even has her own personalised candles and sprays which smell delicious and are available to buy. There’s also full Sky, a range of DVDs and an iPad with Spotify included. You really don’t want for anything! She'd even put together a little hamper which was such a lovely personal touch. 

This lodge sleeps 4, there’s a king size bed upstairs and twin bed downstairs. It’s also dog friendly if you want to take your pooch! But if you’re looking for somewhere a little bigger, the place opposite (below here) sleeps 8 and even has its own cinema room! You can read about that here. 

We had such a lovely time here and we were genuinely so sad to leave, we're 100% planning on going back next year! Helen is a brilliant host and she was great at getting back to me with any questions I had. You can follow Brecon Retreat on Twitter and Instagram. 

Prices start from £495 for  the lodge, whether there's 2 or 4 of you. But it's booking up quick so don't miss out. A colleague of mine has booked to stay in August for a week, i'm so jealous! I’d love to be able to tell Helen if you found the lodge through me so please let me know if you book.