Where in Wales
 

We are traveling to the UK at the beginning of June. We are planning to take a side trip to Wales for probably a 2 day, 1 night stay. Because of our limited time period, we will probably pick one part of Wales to focus on.

Any suggestions on what region of Wales to visit?

Any wonderful hotels I should check out? Our budget is probably a max of $250 per night and lower.

What are your travel plans while in England? How will you be travelling? What are your interests?

We were lucky enough to meet up with relatives who stay just outside Cardiff.
We went for the Holiday Inn Cardiff North, had no complaints.
I loved the waterfront - cafes, bars, live music etc.
Did a tour of the millenium stadium and actually sat in Queen Elizabeth's seat when she has previously attended a match!(Third seat along - first row)
Did Caerphilly castle and a wander over the hills but we did have transport laid on, so to speak!

I would vote for North Wales.

However, since your time is so limited, I would make your final decision based on where you can reasonably and enjoyably visit in the time you have.

Of all the places my husband and I have traveled, North Wales is our favorite. The mountains are breathtaking, and the people are so friendly. You can visit Caernarfon Castle where the Prince of Wales is invested before he becomes the King of England. There are several castles in the area built by Edward the 1st and also by Llewlyn, the last true Prince of Wales. We usually stay in Llandudno, a resort town on the sea with many B&Bs. We've always rented a holiday apartment, so I can't recommend a hotel. There are plenty of little towns to choose from if you don't want to stay in Llandudno.

>>>>
We are traveling to the UK at the beginning of June. We are planning to take a side trip to Wales
>>>>

FYI...wales is part of the UK.

as general advice, the cities and towns are not the best places to visit in wales. wales is all about the countryside.

i don't know where you are traveling from that will limit your options. this would be useful for us to know. for example, from london, i would never go to anywhere in wales for just one night. per my advice above, it is difficult to enjoy the countryside if you don't even have one full day. "enjoying the countryside" typically means walking.

decent bed and breakfasts go for £60-70/night so your budget is fine.

I'm with Idbode. however, its a shame you dont have even 2 nights. DH and I spent a quick 2 nights in N. Wales (for the first time) in 2001 and although we were VERY ambitious we were able to see enough to absolutely fall in love. It is my favorite place in the world. Any chance of squeezing in just a bit more time?

If you like castles - North Wales

With only two days and one night, I'd go for Cardiff. Train from London Paddington takes about two hours. Cardiff itself offers a wonderful castle -- watch out for the peacocks on the lawn, they'll steal your sandwiches -- fine shopping, good food, active cultural life. From Cardiff, it's an easy bus ride out to Caerphilly Castle, one of the largest castles in Wales.

Another vote for Cardiff, with its castles, bay area & museums (the St Fagan's Museum of Welsh Life is supposed to be vg although I've not yet been).

You could take a trip from there up to the valleys to visit the Big Pit (former mine, former museum of the year) or out to Swansea (new award winning museum) & the Gower (area of outstanding national beauty).

frankly, a trip to cardiff for an overseas visitor with little time and who perhaps has not seen very much of the UK may be a recipe for disappointment.

the city is improving and many visitors to the city from around the UK are pleasantly surprised...but only because of the dismal reputation. the city is definitely moving upward but is still somewhat shabby.

and btw, i could probably live there and enjoy it but to recommend it without reservation to a tourist...never.

if just going to wales for a special reason (perhaps you are welch) and with so little time, cardiff may make sense but instead, do try to base your trip around the countryside rather than the cities in wales.

Each to his own, walkinaround. I'm a city person & North Wales doesn't hold much of interest for me.

I second - or third - the vote for the countryside, though of course it depends on what you like, SavTrav. If you like green countryside and walking, I would recommend north Wales/Snowdonia, where you can see castles and take some beautiful walks. I stayed in Betwys-y-Coed a couple of summers ago, and thought it very nice. I also stayed on the Llyn peninsula, and am eager to go back. I visited Caernarfon Castle, Harlech, Criccieth, and Conwy, as well as Dolbadarn and Dolwyddelan (a good castle website is http://www.castlewales.com/home.html). Conwy is a charming town, with a really interesting Tudor townhouse as well. if you don't want to travel that far north, the Brecon Beacons National Park also looks wonderful - thus far I've only driven through it, so I don't have any walking experience there. Anyway, it all depends on what you like to do - and transport might also be an issue. How are you getting around, and where will you be coming from? On my first visit to Wales I (and my travel buddies) made a classic mistake. We assumed that since Wales looks like such a "small" place on a map (we live in the US West), that driving around would take no time at all. Boy, were we wrong - getting from one castle to another took far more time than we were expecting. And it took us a full day to drive from Llandudno to Salisbury, though we did stop briefly at Hay-on-Wye and Llanthony. Anyway, my point is: where you go might depend on where you are coming from - I'm sure you don't want to spend all your time in the car.