Meet Washfield Cottages: Family holidays with a little less packing

We caught up with Hannah and Stephen to hear about their move to Pembrokeshire, the 18-month renovation that taught them more DIY skills than they ever expected, and why helping other families fall in love with the county is one of the best parts of what they do.

Tell us a little about yourselves and how Washfield Cottages began.

We’re Hannah and Stephen and, along with our children Jacob and Martha, we moved to Washfield in 2017.

For Hannah, it was a return home to Pembrokeshire to be closer to family, while for Steve it was an exciting opportunity to move to the coast and spend more time with Martha and Jacob.

Our plan was to create five self-catering cottages where the main focus was families. We wanted somewhere that would make it as easy as possible for parents to come away, relax and make the most of their time together in Pembrokeshire.

We hear you did quite a lot of the renovation yourselves?

We did! And we learnt a lot of new skills along the way.

We spent an intense 18 months renovating the cottages ourselves. Steve took on everything from plumbing to rewiring, while Hannah learnt how to tile and lay floors.

It was definitely a learning curve, but doing so much ourselves means we have a real connection to the cottages. We know just how much work went into creating every part of them!

What makes Washfield Cottages a little different?

We know from experience that travelling with children can involve a lot of stuff, so we try to make that side of a family holiday as easy as possible.

Once guests have booked, we send them a list of extras that they can pre-book for free, so everything they need is ready and waiting when they arrive.

There are the essentials like cots and highchairs, but we also provide things like video baby monitors, baby baths, blackout blinds, bottle sterilisers and warmers, changing mats, stair gates and even retro games consoles.

And when it’s time to head to the beach, we have beach towels, children’s wetsuits and beach toys that guests can borrow too.

Basically, if we can think of something that means one less thing to squeeze into the car, we’ll try to provide it!

What do you want families to feel when they stay with you?

Relaxed!

Family holidays are precious and we want people to be able to spend their time enjoying Pembrokeshire rather than worrying about the practical things.

The cottages are somewhere to come back to after a busy day exploring – whether you’ve been on the beach, walking, cycling or discovering one of Pembrokeshire’s family attractions.

There’s also outdoor space for children to play, as well as an undercover play area, so families have space to enjoy time together when they’re back at Washfield.

Do you share your own Pembrokeshire recommendations with guests?

Absolutely. We love promoting Pembrokeshire and everything there is to see and do here.

We regularly share the things we enjoy doing as a family, places to explore and some of our favourite places to eat on our social media channels. We want guests to discover the places that make Pembrokeshire special rather than simply have somewhere to sleep at the end of the day.

It’s lovely when someone asks for a recommendation and we can point them towards somewhere we genuinely enjoy ourselves.

So, what’s your favourite Pembrokeshire hidden gem?

Telpyn Point.

It’s stunning at any time of year and getting there is part of the fun. There’s a short walk through fields and woodland, and caves to explore when you arrive.

It always feels like a proper little family adventure, which is one of the reasons we love it so much.

What’s the best part of running Washfield Cottages?

Seeing other people fall in love with Pembrokeshire.

We love it when guests discover somewhere new, find a favourite beach or tell us how much they’ve enjoyed exploring the county.

But perhaps the nicest part is when people choose to come back time and time again. Knowing that Pembrokeshire, and Washfield, has become part of their family holiday memories is really special.

Finally, what would you say to a family thinking about a Pembrokeshire holiday?

Come and explore!

There’s so much here for families, whether your perfect day involves building sandcastles on the beach, exploring the coast, discovering a castle, heading out on a family adventure or simply slowing down and spending some time together.

And don't worry about fitting everything into the car – we might just have that covered for you.