Colwyn Bay guest house owners celebrate decade of success

Colwyn Bay guest house owners celebrating their 10-year anniversary of relocating to Wales said the decision has “brought them closer as a family”.

Tracey and Joel Toulmin took ownership of Bryn Woodlands House in April 2015 – having made the permanent move 200 miles from Arlesey in Bedfordshire, which had been their home for 13 years prior.

Their daughter, Hermione-Rose, celebrated her tenth birthday at the guest house shortly after the family’s arrival.

“It’s the best decision we ever made,” said Tracey, 54. “Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. We have made a life for ourselves here, by the sea, beyond anything we had hoped for. We are incredibly grateful to all our guests and to the local community, who have accepted us as one of their own.”

Joel, 55, started out in hospitality as a silver service waiter at the age of 14. Both he and Tracey said they were fed up with working for other people and were looking for a new challenge when they bought Bryn Woodlands House.

“It took a couple of years to address the reputation of the old owners and change local minds,” said Joel, “but we turned things around and have worked hard to contribute to the area positively. Tracey sits on numerous Boards – including the Business Forum and the committee for the Place Plan, and she has her own show on Bayside Radio. We like to think that we’re now part of Colwyn Bay.”

Under Tracey and Joel’s ownership, Bryn Woodlands House has been four-star certified by Visit Wales. Numerous accolades include Luxury Bed & Breakfast Awards for ‘Best Use of Marketing & Social Media’ and ‘Best Breakfast’.

The secret, Joel revealed, is the guest house’s use of local produce from Tatws Trading, Meat on the Corner and Fresh and Tasty Microgreens.

“Believe it or not, I’d never cooked until we came to Bryn Woodlands House!” laughed Joel. “Tracey taught me how to scramble an egg! Since I found my feet in the kitchen, I’ve cooked more than 70,000 breakfasts. Breakfast is one of those things you have to get spot on. Winning the ‘Best Breakfast’ award was great, but returning customers mean the most to us. You know you’ve done something right when people keep coming back.”

During the pandemic, Bryn Woodlands House helped to get PPE equipment to essential workers. Acting as a hub for seamstresses across North Wales, the Toulmins led a team of volunteers who washed the handmade scrubs, hats and masks, put them into sealed bags and distributed them to local hospitals and care homes.

“It is one of our proudest achievements,” said Tracey, who also shaved her head in 2021 – raising £1,800 for Welsh Mountain Zoo. “The pandemic was a challenging time for everyone, so we were glad to be of practical help.”

Continuing to reflect on the previous decade, Tracey – a three-times-published author and Llais Cymru’s Welsh Women in Business Awards winner – said running Bryn Woodlands House has been “life-changing”.

“It’s an amazing thing to do, and I could never work for anyone else again,” she concluded. “It’s proper hard graft – changing beds on a daily basis – but it has brought us together as a family. We laugh every single day. Guests tell us: “You can tell you like what you do,” and it’s true. Bryn Woodlands House is our home, but we want our guests to treat it like their home too. ‘Arrive as a guest, leave as a friend’ is the motto we live by.”