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Tan-y-Bryn Cottages, Church Bay
EVEN Mariah Carey would be put in the shade by the stuff we take on holiday. I can survive for days on end with little more than a change of pants and socks, but then I feel lost without my bulky camera equipment.
Caroline packs half of Debenhams in her toiletries bag, and more changes of clothes than days in the week - no wonder Mariah has nine assistants to carry her stuff.
But both our suitcases are dwarfed by little Jac's mountain of "baby essentials". And although we manage to virtually vacuum-pack our Corsa, there are always things we forget - such as directions to where we're going.
This was why a stay at the 5-star Tan-y-Bryn holiday cottages on Anglesey seemed so attractive. Set a little back from Church Bay near Holyhead, they are aimed at families and are ready-stocked with everything you might need - including an outside hot tub.
Andrew, who runs the cottages with his wife Emily, came to find us after I'd got us lost down country lanes (yes, I'd forgotten the directions).
"We asked all our friends with children to list all the things they take on holiday," he said as he showed us round. "We couldn't believe how long the list was!"
Our cottage, The Old Stable, did have everything a child might possibly need. There were high chairs, safety gates, a bucket full of toys, a goody bag, DVDs, cot, baby bath, potty, bouncer, sand pit, nappies, talc, wipes... literally everything.
Jac made himself at home and was soon running here, there and everywhere - a new house with lots of toys was very exciting. Thankfully there were no stairs and cupboards and drawers had safety catches, so it was possible to relax more than we usually do.
Andrew finished his tour by inviting us to come and knock if there was anything we needed, then left us to settle in.
"Wow, this place is great," said Caroline. "I love the flowers, the hamper full of food, and it's so clean." She was right, the cottage has been renovated to an exceptionally high standard, with a large, open- plan kitchen/living room, high ceiling, wood-buring stove and comfortable sofas.
Despite it being cold and wet outside we were warm and cosy - it wasn't long before we were fantasising about moving in.
"What do you want for dinner?" I asked. "They've given us a choice of crab, beef Bourgignon or lasagne."
"Sounds good," said Caroline. "Where's it from?"
"Eleanor Jones, a local catering company. All we need to do is heat it up," I said.
The food was really tasty and eating local food helped give a flavour of what Church Bay and Anglesey are all about.
There's loads to do in the area, such as Anglesey Sea Zoo and its baby seahorses, or Pili Palas Nature World with hundreds of butterflies.
And if we'd needed to stock up on food, there's farmers' markets and plenty of farm shops, such as Hooton's at Brynsiencyn, with home produced pork, beef, lamb, free- range poultry, eggs, cakes and jams.
Feeling lazy after the meal, I decided to see what films there were: good DVDs, but nothing I really wanted to watch. I was quite impressed to find we had Sky Sports, not that Caroline would be keen on me watching football.
"Shall we try the hot tub? That might be more fun," I said. The temperature settings went up to 41°C, so I figured it would be warm enough despite it being January.
We sat there with our glasses of Champagne, as much of our bodies submerged as possible to avoid the cold. Just the kind of relaxing treat we needed.
We are clearly not alone in our praise for Tan-y-Bryn - Andrew and Emily are looking to expand their business.
Andrew told us: "We are now almost fully booked for the summer in The Old Stable and urgently need extra 4 and 5 star properties.
"We offer property owners the whole package from advertising and bookings through to cleaning, laundry and property maintenance."
I would thoroughly recommend a stay at one of the Tan-y-Bryn holiday cottages - the hot tub, stunning setting, lack of packing, and the attention to detail are a real winning combination. Even Mariah Carey would be impressed...
