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Holiday Living Editor Bella Brodie reports

A few years ago, I heard whispers about a particularly stunning park being created in a hillside location in Flintshire in North Wales.

As I visit North Wales a couple of times a year, I took time to seek it out, and arrived just as the sales office had been built. Instantly I could see that this was one of the most stunning vistas I had come across yet, and I’ve followed the park’s progress ever since with great interest.

That’s why it was so lovely to visit again recently, to see how it has developed further, and to find out more for potential holiday home buyers – after
all, we do love to highlight examples of excellence where we find them. Maes Mynan definitely fits that brief and from several perspectives. Not only does it command a superb view in historic hunting grounds, but the way it has been developed sympathetically according to the location’s history and
heritage is quite remarkable. The result is a characterful park of high quality, developed to ensure the very best experience for lodge owners rather than a corporate edict to maximise revenue. This might be a good place to mention that we know the images here look somewhat surreal, but
having visited, we know that they are a true reflection, and it really is that stunning, weather permitting!

Acorn Leisure, which has developed this park, is a family-run business, with a select few parks, including Maes Mynan, pronounced ‘Mice Minnan’ as a key offering for discerning buyers. The groundworks here are exceptional, with creative use of sleepers and original ironmongery included from the weighbridge which stood here a while ago, all incorporated. It is a park that honours its history through time, and that’s as evident in the landscaping as it is within the lodges.


This is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and as the park is set in 100 acres of beautiful countryside overlooking Moel Y Parc, lakes, lush green valleys and woodland, this is the perfect picturesque location for owning a luxury lodge. As already mentioned, this area has history as one of the hunting grounds of the last medieval Prince of Wales, and as you look out from the decks of the lodges here, you can easily imagine how it used to look.


The views from the lodges here are amazing, and with a 12-month holiday season, getting away from it to stay whenever you want here is easy. Across
from the quiet roadway from the lodge section is the entrance to a second park area where a number of holiday homes also enjoy the stunning views
uninterrupted, such was the careful planning from the outset. So, for those with a little less in their budget, that’s another great opportunity to acquire a holiday home in a very special spot.

There are eight lodges already on site in the lodge section of Maes Mynan, and Wessex, part of the Omar Group, are the predominant manufacturing supplier going forward. Six bespoke lodges have been sold here already, with two more currently for sale and available. There are further bases ready for homes of a buyer’s choice, and another phase to follow overlooking another lake to the right.

Speaking on behalf of the park, park director Louise Barlow said; “The most successful way we have worked on lodge sales is via the bespoke
route with customers. I believe that it is important for customers to choose their own tweaks to suit their own style and needs. We are a rural holiday park in North Wales, surrounded by hills, moorland, woodland and parkland, so having a separate entrance for
example is essential, especially for owners with dogs.”


She continues; “One of our Omar bespoke lodges was designed with dogs in mind and has a large separate utility, with each dog having their own large spaces for their beds – there are three in total. These spaces have been devised under the worktop counters, with a raft of storage cupboard space
above on one side of the room and the washer, dryer, boiler and worktop on the other. This has worked really well for the owner’s needs given
our location, and this wouldn’t have been possible without the bespoke service the Omar Group provides.”


This is a park happy to go the extra mile to help owners when their needs change, too, as Marketing, Aftersales and Customer Care Manager Verien Wiltshire explained. “We aim to be alert to our buyer’s needs well after they have bought a holiday home with us, as we want them to enjoy the benefits of their holiday home as much as possible. For example, one of our owners wasn’t able to visit as much as she liked after an injury recently, so after checking what would help most, we quickly adapted her access with a new walkway to the decking with handrail, and she was able to get back into her lodge with confidence and use it as much as originally planned. While that may seem the least of what we could do, it has hopefully made a massive difference, yet it’s still totally in keeping with our park ethos and infrastructure. I think that’s another beauty of being a family-run group
working hands-on at the park – there’s no hierarchy to go through, so we can address any issue quickly and effectively to make sure the overall experience for our owners meets expectations and exceeds them where possible.”

That’s an impressive level of attention to detail and service.

CARW LODGE
A nod to Maes Mynan’s hunting ground heritage

Currently for sale at Maes Myan is a Carw Lodge, built by Wessex. Carw is Welsh for stag, so it includes stag inspired fabric on the boot seat cushions as you enter, and the coat and hat hooks are stags. Louise said; “We chose Stags for this lodge, as Maes Mynan Park overlooks what was once the Royal Deer Park on Moel Y Parc, part of the Clwydian Range, in Medieval times. We also have the odd deer wandering wild around Maes Mynan Parklands.”


This Wessex Classic 45’ x 22’ lodge has a large wrap around anthracite grey deck with glass balustrade for £275,000. A spacious lodge with panelled walls, it has vaulted ceilings throughout, a pantry off the kitchen, a cupboard off the inner hall and a walk-in wardrobe in the main bedroom. The separate entrance houses a discreet utility room behind doors which includes a washing machine, integrated dryer and plenty of shelving for extra storage.


Exploring the lodge is a real pleasure and I can’t help but share that I probably love it more than most as it totally plays to my own personal tastes, however it’s definitely a lodge that needs to be seen in person to be truly appreciated as it is stunning – not just in design, but in finish, too.


Stylish, practical and spacious, yet totally in keeping with the environment, it is very well thought through, and there’s great use of space and light in a way that makes the most of the views. I could easily see myself reclining on that amazing sofa with a cuppa in hand looking out over the landscape and thinking how good life is! I would imagine any artist, photographer or creative would be in their element here, too. Carw Lodge will be as cool in summer as it is cosy in winter, and with an ever-changing landscape to look out on, it has what is arguably one of the best
vistas in Britain from this vantage point.

Delivering the perfect lodge for the location
the partnership between Maes Mynan and Omar Group

It’s one thing to have a great location, and quite another to find the right lodges for it, and the right partner manufacturer to build them to a high quality in timely fashion. Wessex has a track record of building stand-out, extraordinary lodges to a high standard, working hand in hand with parks to produce something really special. As part of the Omar Group they have the might of a larger group, and the expertise of an exceptionally talented team to hand.


Yet they also have the focus and drive to be anything but mainstream when it comes to building ultimate lodges. At Maes Mynan, the team have their own creative talents and understanding of the fabric and history of the land, so it’s no surprise that the combination of expertise and experience from both businesses has created a very special offering indeed. The Carw Lodge, a collaboration between the two businesses, demonstrates this perfectly. Of course, with plots available for bespoke lodges, those thinking of buying a lodge will also have an opportunity to add their own touches to ensure they get the lodge of their dreams here.


Talking about the park/manufacturing partnership Maes Mynan’s Louise Barlow adds; “We have a great working relationship with Omar, which is worth its weight in gold when it comes to aftersales issues. All lodges have to be classified as ‘new builds’ and with any new builds come snags. Their aftersales team are very helpful and courteous. We are delighted to have designated teams working with us – this helps smooth out the whole journey from design to specification, manufacture, on-site internal finishing, and aftersales for our customers. They also supported us throughout the pandemic years and worked with us to provide build slots at their busiest times. This has allowed us to work with our customers
to build their dream holiday homes in a difficult climate for manufacturing, and we appreciated that.”


In the holiday home area, you’ll also find a newly sited Regal Baywater available for sale, along with a choice of homes from a variety of manufacturers, and with prices starting at £60k there is something for everyone – despite the prime location, which we would expect to be far more expensive, the family have done all they can to make sure that the holiday homes are as accessible as possible price-wise. With their family
values and ethos of looking after their buyers well, it also creates the perfect pathway for those who might decide to upgrade to a luxury lodge later.
So, with so much to offer potential buyers, Maes Mynan makes the perfect target for buyers thinking of looking fora holiday home or lodge in North Wales, and we’d highly recommend a visit. We were welcomed to the office with hot coffee and biscuits and a roaring log fire on a cold day, and to be perfectly honest, we didn’t want to leave…

For further information:
www.acornleisure.com/maes-mynan-park
www.omar.co.uk

MAES MYNAN LODGE
A feature-rich lodge in New England styling 


The second lodge currently sited and available for occupation is in a completely different styling – a striking, contemporary two-bedroomed lodge including a large deck with glass balustrade, open-plan living area and New England feel.

There are treats built-in to the kitchen in the form of every applicance you can think of, and it also has great storage for those who want to spend quite a bit of time in their lodge, with a pull-out, corner larder unit. In the bedroom, a ‘floating’ feature panelled wall and headboard separates the main sleeping area from a separate dressing area behind ,and large en-suite shower room.

This is a lodge that will be great for socializing in, and with its striking use of blues, feature panelling and vaulted white ceilings, like Carw Lodge, this is another lodge it’s buyer will no doubt fall in love with, on the spot.