cardiff lodging
 

My 13 year old daughter and I have 2-3 nights to spend in Wales. I was thinking of Cardiff. Any lodging recommendations? We'd like a nice, clean place within walking distance to shops, restaurants, sights, etc. We won't have a car. Is there bike riding in Cardiff? Any other suggestions are welcome! Thank you!

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A price range would be helpful for lodging recommendations.

As for cycling, there is the Taff Trail which goes to several places of interest such as Castell Coch. The public transporation system is also very good.

As historytraveler says, it really depends on budget and what facilities you want. There are the usual range of chain hotels in town such as Marriot, Holiday Inn (avoid at all costs), Hilton (very expensive in Cardiff), Jury's and Novotel. There is the 5* St David's Hotel in the bay and B&B's in Cathedral Road (try an internet search on Cardiff, Hotels and Cathedral Road). A nice central hotel is the Angel Hotel (owned by Paramount now).

Another consideration is the date you come. Cardiff hosts a considerable amount of sporting and music events. This summer the Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Madonna and Take That are playing there on separate days. Hotel rooms will be hard to find. During October there will be the Autumn Rugby International series and Feb - April will see the 6 Nations Rugby Tournament play on various weekends. In fact, if you look back over the last few weeks alone - yesterday had the British Speedway Grand Prix whilst the weekend before had the 2nd and 1st division football play-offs. The weekend before had the football Championship league play off final on the Sunday and the European Rugby Cup Final on the Saturday. Before that was the FA Cup final! Mind you, much of the football is to cease as soon as Wembley is finished next year. There is World Championship boxing on July 8th as well.

The point is to check on events in Cardiff before you look to book. Let me know the dates and I'll check to see what events are on at that time. Most of the events are on weekends.

AR, why should one avoid at all cost the Holiday Inn? Is it in poor condition? Is service bad? Just would like clarification. Thanks.

The Sandringham Hotel
http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/sand1.html

It is a great place right on St. Marys's Street. The bottom end were the travel lodge is far to loud too many late night fun pubs that gets rather really bust and roudy at the weekends starting from from Thursday. Toom ant stag and hen parties for my liking

The food is excellant I know of people that have friends that stayed here and they can not fault it. It ahs a wonderfull live music bar called cafe Jazz. Live Jazz most week night apart from Friday. Fraidy is the late night blues session, band goes on at about 10pm - to midnight. I have often eaten in the Cafe Jazz resturant lovely food. About the half the price of your Marriott hotel. It is within walking distance of the train and bus station. The castle is right on your door step and the lovey old fashioned arcades are all off St Maty street and High st. The millenum staduim is just 2 mins walk from the hotel they do tour around it. Your are a couple of minutes walk to the Queens and St Davids's shopping mall. I would say about 10 mins walk to The Capitol shopping mall. Loads of resturants and bars within walking distance. It is also worth popping down to cardiff bay. A taxi rank is just a few doors away from the Sandringham and it is about £5 for taxi to the bay. This has some really nice resturansts and bars, or take a boat trip to the barriage.You do not need transport once in cardiff. As the person before said you need to check what dates you are planning to come if there is any big event on in the staduim then you be lucky to get anything.

http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/sand1.html

http://www.cardiffharbour.com/leisur...ttractions.htm

http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?id=694

Yes me too AR; what's up with Holiday inn, you mean the old Crest hotel?

I would have thought that is a great location. Do you have anything on them?

As AR said Cardiff is full of great hotels. Don't know your budget but I would suggest the Hilton to be a modern hotel next to the shopping and overlooking the castle on one side.
National Museum of Wales and the Civic center all close by.
The New Theatre, St Davids Hall close by too.
Perfect for what you want I think.

As for cycling, well there are cycle paths almost everywhere around the city center and the Taff trail begins close by too, not sure about bicycle hire, if you want that come back and we can look into that for you.

http://www.tafftrail.org.uk/

The Hilton is pretty close to the front of the castle, for the open air tour bus that goes around Cardiff also the bus to St Fagans museum of welsh life is available from the bus station.

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

Cardiff has some wonderful old arcades with some quite individual shops, we also have a large shopping center with the same stores that you will find on every high st in the country selling pretty much the same things.

For entertainment there is a great center near to Cardiff bay, restaurants, bowling, cinemas all under 1 roof and just a bus ride away.

If you want anything specific. please come back and let us know.

Good luck

Muck

everyone know that stayed in the old crest hotel has moaned about also sorts of things. These are business people that have to saty over in Cardiff for work things. They always maon if that is the only place they can find a room in.

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions. My budget is in the $200 USD a night, give or take. The most important is that it be clean and in a safe area for walking and exploring. It sounds like Cardiff is fairly safe anyway. We wil be there July 24, 25, and maybe the 26th. Anything going on then? Guess I'd better reserve something quickly! All hints, suggestions of what to see and do, etc. are very welcome. Thanks again.

Muck - The Holiday Inn near the entrance to the Arms Park (club ground) and opposite the Angel (yes, I think that was the "Crest").
We've had many a rep etc stay there whilst on business in the hospital and I've yet to hear anything but complaints from them. With that in mind I no longer recommend it. Speak as you find, I suppose.
I suggested the Hilton to someone recently and was aghast at the prices!

You recommended a good one on Cathedral Road recently, Muck.

After a lot of research I selected the Lincoln House Hotel on Cathedral Road for our trip this summer. Don't know if this falls into your price range but give it a look. www.lincolnhotel.co.uk

Blimey AR, what's a major hotel chain doing being rubbish in Cardiff. There is no space for them here don't you think.

Cathedral rd is a great place to stay, and not too far from everything.
$200 /night, is that not within the Hilton Budget. Sorry not checked. If not then Cathedral rd has a few great Hotels there at half the price.

Well worth looking at.

Muck

Whilst the linton is a very nice hotel for the price I still think the Sandringham is better and slightly cheaper. It is a small hotel run by a french famliy and is in the heart of the center with the castle on your door step. http://www.sandringham-hotel.com/

Suggestion for one day a morning in Cardiff castle. Then jump on to the hop on and off tour bus that you can get on outside the castle. Do the full tour first, then stay on to the bay. Get off at the at Mermaid quay. Grab some luunch in one of the pubs or the cafe in the arts center itself. Take a tour of the new millennium arts center.
http://www.wmc.org.uk/
After the tour Walk around the waterfront see the new welsh assemble building the Norewigen Church and then walk back to the Roald Dahl plasa . Then take a boat trip from Mermaid Quay to the Barriage the ride is 30 mins each way you do not need to spend ages on the barrage but if the day is nice is is a nice walk around and get some sea air in your lungs. Then when you get back off the boat from the barrage go for a nice meal in one of the many waterside resturants. The harbour website will have all the details of the many pubs, resturants and attractions in the bay.
To get back in to the center a taxi will coast about £5. you can get one from Mermaid quay.

http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?id=694
http://www.affiliate.viator.com/broc...&AUID=4048
http://www.cardiffharbour.com/
http://www.visitwales.com/

Thanks for the wonderful suggestions. You have been incredibly helpful and have given me great ideas for lodging as well as activities. Do any of you know where or how to hire bikes for a day? Is it hilly in Cardiff? Again, thanks very much!

Someone early on put this website on a previous message.

www.tafftrail.org.uk
If you search on it I am sure you should get details of cucle hire. The Taff trail is a very good cycle route. Cardiff is mostly flat. The other thing is to get your hotel to find out for you when you get here.

Just a note about the Sandringham hotel. I stayed about two years ago and please remember that it is a two star hotel and not nearly or even close to what a major hotel would offer. Well used, soiled carpets, no lift. Now having said that, it is fine for a cheap, budget two star hotel. I would not stay again as I was dissapointed, but being a senior, I expected better and can afford a nicer place. When I first checked things out I wanted a place near the train station and it is within walking distance. Had I known that a new Holiday Inn Express was close by I would have opted for it.

Thank you for the information. I'm still looking at our options and I appreciate the feedback. Since we only have 2-3 days for Cardiff, it means we'll have to return! Everyone here has been so helpful and friendly! We're really looking forward to our quick trip.

The Sandringham.
Ok I have never stayed there, but the location is central to everything, however the down side is that at weekends, that part of St Mary St gets very very busy with people waiting for taxi's that just spin around in the middle of the road. This after a good night out. However your here for Mon,Tuesand Wed, which ought to be quiet.
The hotel is next to shops and pubs are very close too.

If access to stuff is what you are after then location is pretty good. But can't honestly account for the quality of the place, apart from it being in quite an old building.

But I guess it depends upon the rate they want.

Muck

foer months now on the weekends the road is blocked for cars down St. Maty's street. They can only go as afar as Howells. The end this hotel in is quiter than the bottom end by the travel lodge. that is were most fo the party anaimals are. Now saying that that doe snot mean you wil not see anyone but not as many a sthe othere end. If you staying with a 13 year old your not likley to out and about onthe streets at 2 o'clock in the morning.
In answre to the previous email about the the hotel from rogerdodger, thanks for your comments.I have never stayed in but friends have had relatives stay, and I often go to the resturant to eat and listen to the Jazz and blues in cafe Jazz. Cafe Jazz is part of the hotel I have never had a bad meal. The satff have been nice and people I talk to, in cafe Jazz, that stay there comment on how good it is they say it is frendly as it is a small famlity run hotel an dyou can't beat the location and price. It would be intresting to hear from more people that have stayed there. I would not like to have recommended somewhere on a persons saya so and end up sending then to a wrong place.