Best Self Catering in Mid Wales Rhayader

A business that lets luxury holiday apartments in Rhayader collected the award for

Best Self-Catering or Self-Contained Accommodation at the inaugural Mid Wales Tourism Awards.

Mid Wales Holiday Lets, Rhayader collected the accolade at a glittering awards

ceremony held at The Hafren, Newtown, which was attended by Deputy Minister for

Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas. Compere was Welsh tourism

personality Jonathan Jones, CBE.

The business goes forward to represent Mid Wales at the National Tourism

Awards for Wales in March 2020.

Designed to celebrate and showcase the region’s exceptional tourism industry, the

biennial awards are organised by MWT Cymru with support from Mid Wales

Regional Tourism Forum, a public and sector partnership and Visit Wales, the Welsh

Government’s tourism arm.

A dedicated Tourism Awards Advisory Group was established specifically to assist with the awards.

Rhys Thomas, who owns Mid Wales Holiday Lets in partnership with Alan Samuel

and Thomas Evans, said: “Winning this award is epic and we are very proud to be

representing Rhayader. It’s another step in what we are trying to achieve, which is to

grow and become the best holiday lets business in Mid Wales for the next 10 years.”

Mid Wales Holiday Lets has luxury apartments offering stylish, pet and biker friendly,

self-catering accommodation in the heart of Rhayader. The business, which was

established in 2013, won the Start-Up Business Award at Powys Business Awards in

2016.

It now has a cluster of properties offering more than 30 sleeping areas for large

groups, families and those wanting to explore Mid Wales and the Cambrian

Mountains on mountain bike, motorcycle or foot.

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The business, which is embedded in the local community, has increased turnover by

around 15% by launching an interactive, high quality website. Packages offered

include a fungi foray with Dan Butler and catered options by working with Lost Arc

Cafe and local public houses.

Working with the Lost Arc and building a large dining room in Glandwr House, the

business has introduced a chalet style system for biking breaks. Working with local

specialists, the business offers bike hire to guests who want to explore Mid Wales on

two wheels.

Guest hampers, cleaning products, furniture and furnishings are purchased from

local shops, two local people are employed as housekeepers and local contractors

have carried out £300,000 of renovations over the past three years.

Runners up for the award were Trefeddian (Self Catering), Aberdovey and

Tanyresgair Cottages, Aberystwyth.

Granted an Awards Trust Mark by the Independent Awards Standards Council, the

awards were open to all businesses, organisations and individuals who

contribute to tourism within Mid Wales.

MWT Cymru is the regional destination marketing and membership organisation for

Powys, Ceredigion and Meirionnydd district of Southern Snowdonia. As a not-for-

profit social enterprise company, MWT Cymru supports and represents more than

550 tourism businesses and organisations across the region.

Picture caption:

Rhys Thomas, Alan Samuel and Thomas Evans from Mid Wales Holiday Lets,

Rhayader receive the Best Self-Catering Award from County Times and Express

editor Nick Knight (second from right) at the Mid Wales Tourism Awards held at The

Hafren, Newtown.