mouseRD

Anyone know of a good lodging option for ~ 3 nights? Looking for something clean, quiet, with nice amenities. Looked at a lot of the B & B's; many of the reviews on TA were 1 time reviewers, so not sure of validity. We were first thinking of the Holiday Inn Express, but it would be nice to stay somewhere with more charm & to support the local community. We have family in Risca. Not sure of distance of other areas outside of Newport for traveling - saw some things in Cardiff, Monmouthshire, etc. Located these on the map, but not sure of actual drive times.

Thank you for your help.

mouseRD

Anyone have any specific knowledge of Celtic Guest Houses, the Rectory located in Llanmartin, Newport; The Bay House in Tenby, Pembrokeshire; or the Pendragon House B & B in Caerleon, Newport?

Specifically what do you think of the location of these lodgings? Distance/travel time to Risca from these areas? If someone has stayed at any of these or knows them well, are these good choices to consider?

Thank you for your assistance.

poutine

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express last summer, as we are four and that makes B & B's hard to do. It was clean and comfortable. However, more importantly one of the best meals I had in the three weeks we were in England was within walking distance - at the Dragonfly. The lamb was amazing, as was the sticky toffee pudding. I am drooling now......

I also highly recommend going to Blaenavon, or the Big Pit. www.visitblaenavon.co.uk. It is about a 40 minute drive from Newport. The single best tour we took, by far. It is given by former miners who were laid off back in the Thatcher years. They were funny and honest, and obviously still very nostalgic about coal mining. It made other tours we took later on, like at Dover Castle for instance, seem very, very canned.

The ruined abbeys and castles along the Wye Valley and near Blaenavon are also beautiful and uncrowded.

Have fun!

poutine

Sorry, this may be a better website. You can also find it under the British Heritage site.

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/

Mucky

Hi There,
I live in Cardiff and can tell you with confidence that Newport is a 15 minute car drive from Cardiff and Risca is 30 mins.

What is your budget? because you have the Celtic manor in Newprt which is a 5 star ? hotel or there are cheaper places.
Cardiff has a huge choice of hotels and easy links to the M4 motorway.
Llanmartin to Risca is 20 mins by car.
Tenby to Risca is 2hrs + by car
Caerleon to Risca is 20 mins by car.

Cardiff to Risca is 30 mins by car.

I would stay in Cardiff, much nicer city than Newport and has some very interesting areas to visit.

Muck

mouseRD

Thank you all for your replies; I guess I'll nix the Tenby option & focus on the other areas. Any lodging suggestions for Cardiff?

Budget isn't really an issue, but some of the smaller places seemed quite charming.

We would need 2 rooms, prefer king bed for husband and me; sister-in-law & her daughter, 2 twins most likely.

Mucky

If your looking for B&B then google B&B cathedral road Cardiff. I haven't stayed in any of course but the location is good and the B&B on this lovely road are very popular. It's just a few minutes walk from Cardiff Castle and the city center too.

As for hotels there are loads to choose from.
From the 5* St David's hotel (stayed there once and it's over rated in my opinion) to chain hotels. Two nice places outside the city center and very close to the motorway are.
1. The Village hotel in Coryton:
http://www.village-hotels.co.uk/hotels/cardiff.
(I have stayed here several times)
2.The masons Arms, Whitchurch Cardiff. It has B&B and a traditional Carvery restaurant.
(Not stayed here but have eaten and attended weddings here too)
Alternatively just google Cradiff hotels, you will find most of the big chains here and smaller personal ones too.

Don't know about bed sizes, your going to have to ask.

See what you fancy then report back we can tell you about location and access to motorways etc
Good luck
Muck

tarquin

For B&Bs with charm anywhere in the UK, look on

www.sawdays.co.uk

I don't know why more people in the US don't use this great site.

tahl

In Cardiff, I'd avoid the Radisson Blu for your purposes -- parking is very cramped and hard to manage.

I didn't have a car at the Hilton, but it's in a good location both for enjoying Cardiff and for getting in and out of town (especially to the north). Nice hotel, especially if you stay in a room with access to the executive lounge, which has good food and a stunning view of Cardiff Castle.