A hobbit-style holiday property in North Wales has been recognized as one of the UK’s leading glamping stays after receiving a silver award in the annual Gem Awards organized by Sykes Cottages.
The awards are issued each year based on booking data and guest reviews collected through the company’s platform, highlighting properties that perform strongly in both occupancy and customer satisfaction.
Cae Bach, located near the historic market town of Ruthin in Denbighshire, was named silver winner for Best Glamping Stay in the UK. The one-bedroom property, designed in a hobbit-style and sleeping two guests, is marketed primarily to couples seeking a rural retreat. The name Cae Bach translates to “small field,” reflecting its countryside setting.
The studio-style accommodation combines a kitchen, dining and sitting area alongside a king-size bed and a shower room with a walk-in shower. Amenities include underfloor heating and a compact kitchen equipped with an electric oven, two-ring hob, fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle and toaster.
Bookings are structured to begin on Mondays or Fridays, and pricing varies by season and duration. A three-night weekend stay in March is currently listed at £679, reduced from £861.
A key feature of the property is its outdoor offering. Guests have access to a covered outdoor kitchen with a Ninja BBQ, Bluetooth-enabled hot tub, outdoor television and fire pit, as well as a wood-burning stove intended to extend usability during colder months.
The property also includes a games room with a pool table and a football table, and an enclosed garden that accommodates guests travelling with dogs.
Cae Bach incorporates on-site renewable energy, with heating powered by a wind turbine system, according to WalesOnline.
For operators in the outdoor hospitality sector, the property illustrates how small-footprint accommodation can differentiate itself through themed design, all-weather outdoor infrastructure and sustainability credentials, while leveraging third-party booking platforms for visibility and demand generation.
Guest reviews cited by Sykes Cottages highlight the experience element of the stay. One visitor wrote: “This has to have been our best short stay ever. It combines the best of everything with wonderful internal accommodation… Outside is what makes this unlike any other stay.”
Another reviewer said: “We came for a weekend break with our dog, it was lovely, and we will definitely be coming back for a weekend in the summer.
“The pod was a lot more spacious than we expected, a lot more was provided than expected, and the owners are lovely. We have already recommended this place to friends and family”
A third guest commented: “stunning views, fantastic accommodation with everything you could need, perfect peace and quiet allowing you to fully relax and a great outdoor area with the most perfect hot tub together with great hosts Huw and Jane who keep a check on you to make sure you’re having a great time.
“Can’t thank them enough for a wonderful stay with a great detailed book providing all the info you need about the accommodation, local places to eat, local walks with detailed instructions, etc. We loved the enclosed garden area for our dog, safely knowing she couldn’t get out & the games room was a great added bonus.
“Never would I have thought we’d be sat outside of an evening in October cooking food on the excellent Ninja grill around a wood fire listening to music or watching the TV, but that’s exactly what we did! As for the rest of North Wales, the scenery is stunning & we literally ran out of time to visit all the wonderful places.”
Other highly rated Welsh properties on the Sykes Cottages platform include Chapel House in Anglesey, which accommodates up to nine guests, and Glanduad Fawr in Pembrokeshire, a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house suited to larger group bookings.
Together, these listings reflect continued demand across both boutique glamping units and larger group accommodation in regional destinations.