Senghennydd Court is all about location, location, location. It's in a prime spot at the city…read morecentre end of Senghennydd Road in Cathays, within a couple of minutes' walk of the Student Union, and is very near to the buildings where Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, Engineering and Computer Science are taught. It's self catered, but with the option of an evening meal (during term-time, Monday to Friday) at nearby Trevithick Restaurant. It's so close to town you're never far away from shops and nightlife - and its also only a couple of minutes' walk away from the Students' Union for entertainment, shops, cafes and so on. The accommodation is all split up into flats which each house 5 students with a shared bathroom (gross - a HUGE downside to this accommodation in my book!!), kitchen and dining room. There's a launderette and bike sheds on site, and the nearest bars, shops and restaurants are within the Students' Union or in nearby Salisbury Road, just a couple of minutes' walk away from the Halls. The pedestrianised Queen Street area of the city centre is also just a short walk away, so it's in a great location. Talybont Halls are slightly larger, have en suite rooms (YAY!!) and have a few more facilities on site, but in terms of location Senghennydd wins.

I've never been a student at Cardiff University, but I've had many friends over the years who have,…read moreand so I've managed to visit all of the halls of residence in my time... I totally agree that Senghennydd Court wins in terms of location, but that's about all it wins on in my mind. It's just a stone throw away from all of the bars and shopping areas, so you'll be close enough to stagger home whatever the state you get yourself into. On the down side, you're surrounded by carparks and trainlines and loud, drunk students. I personally wouldn't mind walking a little bit further to avoid all of that. The rooms themselves are quite small and dark, and not ensuite. These are some of the cheaper halls too, so there is a tendency for foreign students to all be put together in the same flats.

Aberconway Hall is a halls of residence for postgraduate students at Cardiff University…read more It's located next to Cardiff Business School, so very handy for postgrad business students - but it's also only a short walk away from the main Humanities Building and Library, Cardiff Law School, and the main campus. The halls are self catered and split up into flats for between three and six students, all of them with shared bathroom facilities and shared kitchen/dining areas. Each flat also comes with a kettle, iron, toaster, some crockery and cutlery, cooking utensils, and a colour television with the licence already paid - so it's ideal for foreign students who don't want to have to bring over or buy a load of household goods to kit out their flat. It's not a particularly large hall (housing 72 students), but since most postgrads are keen to find somewhere a bit quieter to live than the majority of undergraduates, this makes sense. The site has its own laundry facilities, car parking for 15 cars, and some wheelchair accessible accommodation - with Lidl supermarket nearby on Maindy Road.

University Hall is a bit far away from the main campus (nearly two miles), but it's not such a long…read moreway out if you're are medical student studying at Heath Park Campus (about a mile away). Luckily, there's a FREE university bus service which runs from 8am-5.30pm from Monday to Friday between University Hall and the Main Campus, then outside of those hours you can pay to use private Cardiff Bus services from nearby Ty-Gwyn Road (catch the number 52!). There are also free uni buses to and from the Heath Park Campus. Some buildings are newer (and slightly more attractive) than others at this site, and some newer flats have en suite facilities whereas others have shared bathrooms - but all are self catered. I suppose the good side about living on this campus is that because everyone's thrown together, a bit away from the heart of the action, there tends to be a very friendly atmosphere. It has its own tennis courts and a licensed University Hall Bar which hosts regular events such as quizzes and pool competitions, and serves up cheap food and discounted Domino's Pizzas.

I live here at the moment…read more The facilities are crap, the rooms are small and it's miles from anywhere BUT Everyone is really sociable, you tend to have more flat parties as it's easier than going over to town, which is great for meeting people, there's a shop on Maryport Road that's 5 minutes walk away to pick stuff up, and it's better than living at home All in all, it's the worst halls in the Uni (except for parts of Senghenydd), but to be honest, even though i'm aware of that fact i'm having the time of my life here! EDIT: The Bar is gone now, which is a massive shame

possibly the worst accommodation in cardiff, constant false fire alarms (several at 1am), customer…read moreservice is abhorrent, the building itself is falling to pieces, my roommate was there 2 days before her whole room was flooded, and she was asked to leave. the silverfish are non stop, the corridors smell of must and mould. 21 floors yet the lifts are constantly out of order. and everytime i put in a complaint i get yelled at by reception. also definitely do not follow recycling guidelines, no differentiation between plastics and paper, guy in reception told me "just chuck it all in a black bag, it all goes to the same place anyways" terrible terrible place and majorly overpriced, DO NOT chose to live here

Ty Pont Haearn is the really tall Liberty Living halls of residence just on the edge of town near…read morethe CIA. It's just up the road from the Atrium, so it's perfect for students studying there. It's pretty close to Howard Gardens too, for UWIC art students. These halls have more or less the same set up as Allensbank House, only it's much much bigger and all in one block. The flats also come in a variety of sizes from 3 - 6 bedroom flats, and studio apartments. It is enormous, and takes a little while to get used to the layout without getting lost! Ty Pont Haearn is well located in the city centre, so getting to uni shouldn't be a problem for anyone. It's walking distance from the train station too, for when you want to take a trip home for the weekend. There is a car park next to it, but it is not free, and not cheap, and there is no free street parking nearby either, so, as with Allensbank House, it's probably best not to bring a car. Out of all of the Liberty Living halls in Cardiff, Ty Pont Haearn is probably the most popular because of its location.

Senghennydd Hall is in a brilliant location along Senghennydd Road in the heart of Cathays,…read moresurrounded by University buildings and facilities, including the Students' Union. It differs from many other Halls of Residence, however, because it is part-catered, which won't suit everyone! I would rather have control over my own food, but for those who can't cook / won't cook, this accommodation provides a hot evening meal (usually between 4.30-7.30pm) from Monday to Friday during term times, over at the nearby Trevithick Restaurant in the Queen's Buildings - with the price included in the overall rent. Like nearby Senghennydd Court (which is self catered but with an option to have evening meals), Senghennydd Hall is really close to the buildings where Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, Engineering and Computer Science are taught. It's also not far away from most other university buildings, so pretty well located for most students. The other big bonus is how close it is to the Queen Street area of the city centre, with all its shops - as well as Queen Street and Cathays stations (which both have trains going through to Cardiff Central, where most intercity journeys start and end). The accommodation is all split up into flats which each house 6-11 students in their own individual en suite rooms, with a shared kitchen and dining area for the whole flat. There are some bike sheds on site, but to do laundry you need to go to nearby Senghennydd Court Halls, and for sports facilities there's the centre on Park Place on the other side of the Students' Union, about 5 minutes' walk away.

This university Hall of Residence for undergraduates is quite small compared to some of the big…read morecampus-style accommodation at Talybont and Senghennydd Court, but it's very handy for students studying at the Business School just opposite, and is only a couple of minutes' walk from the main Humanities building, Cardiff Law School and the rest of the main campus. The building is split up into self-catered flats each housing eight students, and each student has their own en suite room and then a shared kitchen and dining room for the whole flat. Whereas bigger Halls of Residence have more facilities, this one doesn't have its own laundry, shop, sports facilities, and so on - but that doesn't matter too much because there are plenty of places nearby. There are laundry services in neighbouring Aberconway Hall (which is for postgraduate students); there is a Lidl on Maindy Road for food shopping, which is a few minutes' walk away; and there's the Sports Centre is on Park Place just up the road. This is a good place to live in terms of location, but there are far more students at the bigger Halls such as Talybont and Senghennydd if you want to be in the heart of the main action!

This is a far smaller, quieter place to spend your first year than most of the other undergraduate…read moreHalls of Residence. It's on a small street in a residential area and - SHOCK, HORROR! - a small number of the rooms here have shared (SHARED!) bathroom facilities. Now, as far as I'm concerned shared kitchen and dining areas are one thing (who wants to eat alone, anyway?), but shared bathrooms are a whole other unsanitary story. Most of Cardiff University's modern student accommodation offers individual en suite bathrooms for each room within a flat. Not so at Gordon Hall. Eleven unfortunate rooms on the top floor have to share bathroom facilities. So, if this appals you as much as it does me, make sure that if you live at Gordon Hall you secure one of the 80 other rooms that are en suite, rather than one of these 11 duds with shared facilities. Other than that, this accommodation is particularly convenient for those studying Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, Engineering or Computer Science as their buildings are nearby. It's also fairly close to the students' union, the city centre, and all the main campus facilities. It has its own laundry, bike sheds, and limited car parking spaces, and there are plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants along nearby Salisbury Road.

Unlike most student accommodation at Cardiff University, Allensbank House is a private Hall of…read moreResidence owned and managed by a company rather than by the university itself. It's located in Gabalfa so it's best suited to Medical students sudying at Heath Park Campus - although it is within walking distance of the main university buildings in Cathays. The halls are self-catered and are en suite, mainly in flats of between four and six students - although there are also seven studio flats for single occupancy, with their own little kitchenette. The site has its own bike racks and laundry facilities, but the nearest shop is just off site along Whitchurch Road - and the nearest supermarket (a big Coop) is a bit further away on Crwys Road, but still within walking distance. Good for medical students, but not so good for most other students.

Allensbank House is part of the Liberty Living (used to be Unite) student accommodation group and…read moreyou can apply to live their through your university or through Liberty Living itself (although this will be more expensive). I stayed in Allensbank during my first year of university. Situated around the corner from the Heath University Hospital and Dental Hospital, it is very popular with medical students, but any student in Cardiff can apply to live here. The halls consist of six blocks; two are dedicated to UWIC students, two to Cardiff University students, and the third for students who apply for accommodation straight through Liberty Living (this mostly consists of second year up and medical students, post-grad and international students). As such, there is a chance to mix with a range of students from Cardiff, rather than just those from your own university. The halls officers also organise events for its residents so there is an opportunity to meet even more people from the other Liberty Living buildings in Cardiff. Each block has 6 floors, with 2 flats on each. There are 5 private, ensuite bedrooms to each flat, and a shared kitchen/living area fitted with modern appliances. The bedrooms themselves are a nice size, and may I just mention again that they come with ENSUITE BATHROOMS - no sharing! The place has an electronic entry system, is security monitored, and there is a member of staff on site 24/7. There are laundry facilities on site that only cost a few pound to use, and there are vending machines and a pool table in the common area by the office. All the utility bills are included in the rent, which is great for first year students, but does make managing money even harder if you move to a house in your second year as there's a big adjustment to be made! There are, however, two quite important negatives about this place. The first is the fire alarms. The fire alarms are very sensitive, and can go off if you leave the bathroom door open while you're showering! This is a good thing, though: it's nice to know that they'll work in the event of a real fire. However, the alarm system is easily abused, and it can be set off by anyone, at any hour of the day. You might get lucky, and have no mischief makers living with you while you're there. This is unlikely, though. Students like to drink, and when they're drunk they do do stupid things, and you may well find you're dragging yourself downstairs in your pjs at 4am on a weekly basis. The second is that, unless you're a medical student, it's quite unfortunately located. There is a bus stop just up the road, with regular buses into town. However, if you're a UWIC student you will have to get a bus into town and then get a bus to your Campus. A lot of students at Cyncoed choose to walk, which takes about 40mins. There is no parking on site, and next to know street parking nearby either, which is a big draw-back, especially since there are few supermarkets close by. There's a tiny coop and spar within walking distance, but otherwise you'll be going by bus or taking a taxi. You'll need a taxi to get to and from town on a night out too, and constant bussing and taxiing everywhere does add up. Apart from those two things, Allensbank House is a pretty good place to stay and I would recommend it. Unless you like walking. If you can't get yourself up and ready in time to leave at 8 for a 9am lecture, you might want to consider halls closer to your uni.

Absolutely amazing service! Perfect for students as the clothes are washed, dried and pressed and…read morethen returned to you all on the same day! Plus it's cheaper than the price of laundry services at Talybont. Really convenient and would recommend to students and the rest of the general public.

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This is a small, quiet hall of residence housing just 172 students and it's located in a very…read moreresidential area in the area between Crwys Road and Albany Road. This makes it very handy for shops - including the Co-op supermarket on Crwys Road and all the cafes and bars around Albany Road. It's still not the best accommodation to live in if your first year social life is of utmost importance, however - as it is to the majority of freshers! Talybont and bigger halls are far more fun for that. The other big downside at Cartwright Court (as far as I'm concerned) is the shared bathroom facilities - a big no-no when you can get en suite in so many other halls! If that doesn't bother you, however, this small site still manages to have its own laundry facilities, bike sheds and car parking for 45 cars - and it's only about a mile from the university main building and students' union (about a 20-minute walk away).

Cartwright Court also houses a single building of 4 family flats. We are in a one bedroom, huge…read morebathroom but small shower stall, kitchen, and huge living room apartment. These buildings are old but spotless and solid construction. No insects, rats, drafts... in fact its close to perfect except for one problem- the noise at night. Though I have been told it is the most quiet. There are also other multi room flats for larger families. As we are graduate student/couple we have likely outgrown the noise but it is noisy only a few hours a night, 10-2... or 3... In fact, I have called security a few times and complained multiple times. Small shower note: If you are over 6' or close the shower can not only be impossibly narrow but dangerous in this single family accommodation! All utilities and utensils and microwave, iron, board, water heater, toaster, cooking stuff... all brand new! Seems good security. A close walk to Heath Medical Campus. Student U is a bit further. We move about with bicycles and this is fine. Heath Park is 2 blocks away. Nice. Maybe 20 min walk to City Center, or a bus ride. We like this place except for the noise at night. It requires are cycle of life to follow alcoholics and we are doctors with patients to see in the morning. The reception staff are great, smart, and knowledgeable. Again, the reception staff are really a pleasure.