The Olway Inn is lovely hotel situated just outside Usk village, its surrounded by countryside but…read morewithin easy reach of M4,Usk itself is a small market town with a good selection of independent shops,traditional pubs and high quality restaurants. On entering the Olway you find yourselves in a traditional pub with beams,flag stone floors and open fire, you can eat in here but most people use the lovely dining room. The menu has plenty of choice with a lot of emphasis on local produce and organic ingredients,they do a superb homemade beefburger which is divine ,as is their pork sausages with cheddar mash and onion gravy.The deserts were equally good and I can recommend the caramel apple pie.I went with a group of friends who really enjoyed themselves and everyone commented on how nice the meals were

I stayed as an American business traveler for five nights. The hotel is located in the Wales…read morecountryside outside of Cardiff. It was originally a house built in 1878 and is now a locally owned hotel. The grounds are well landscaped and maintained. It is next to a golf course. My room was on the smaller side overlooking the central fountain. The age of the hotel is evident and a remodel is due. There is no air conditioning and no screens on the windows, so if you open the windows you can expect insect roommates. The TV was small and channel selection standard for this area, don't expect complete sports coverage or American cable selections. There was a hot beverage tray and I had to juggle the outlet use between the TV, hot pot and my chargers frequently. Same for the lamp, fragrance ball and laptop at the desk. The shower flow was low and needs maintenance, but it worked. There is complimentary WiFi which worked very well. Since it wasn't very warm during my stay in late July, the room was comfortable and functional. The room rate was moderate. I had breakfast every morning. The continental selections were limited with a fruit bowl, baked goods, yogurt, boxed cereals and juice. There is no breakfast buffet and I ordered the same cooked breakfast which was fine with me. The restaurant is open for dinner from Wednesday through the weekend. It is a French themed menu, very good and reasonably priced. There is an adjoining leisure center with pool, spa, etc. which I did not use.

St. Mellons is on our Best Western premiere plan, or whatever. Since it was our first time to the…read moreUK, and Wales, we wanted to go to Bath, but it was full up during a holiday. instead we ended up in the capitol, Cardiff and were so happily surprised. Quaint, local, on a country club with all brand new health gym and spa, this place was quite a find! A little far from the center of town, say 5 miles, we found this homey, comfortable, with large "family rooms" with 3+ beds. Wonderful filling and perfectly cooked breakfast, late night snacks, and I think, even drinks at the bar were included in our 79 BSPs per night. The staff were helpful and kind. The lobby, seating areas and restaurant spacious and relaxing. I don't know if i'll ever been in Wales again, but the pleasant location would bring me there first. ~ Ms. ali

We only stayed here for one night. I couldn't get over how massive the room was for such a cheap…read moreprice. Staff are extremely friendly. In the room they give you water bottles, tea kettle, wine glasses, spoons, ice and a bottle opener. The beds are very wide which I love. Bathroom is also big. I that the shower and toilet are in a separate area of the room. Just twelve short minutes from the hotel is a lovely fish and chip shop called the Wellfield and a park you can eat your food in as you take in the different birds in the lake.

This Future Inn is located within Cardiff Bay, close to the waterfront Mermaid Quay. The Wales…read moreMillennium Centre, the Welsh National Assembly, Cardiff County Hall, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and the main business community are all within a mile of the hotel. Their rooms are less boxy than, say, a Travelodge, but they still lack soul. Still the cream and beige spaces are clean, quite comfortable and usually have enough desk space, if, like me, you tend to spend time in hotels more for business than pleasure and spend fretful nights meeting deadlines on your laptop. They also offer free TV internet access and free local calls. Not got time to eat out? Fear not, the Thomas Restaurant and Bar provides all food and beverage on site and is happy to allow in casual diners as well as Cardiff Hotel guests. BONUSES? Professional business meeting and presentation space are available for hire, they can also cater for private dinners, exhibitions and weddings in Cardiff.

Usual small type Premier Inn that is often found in industrial parks but has the advantage that…read morecity centre is only 15 minutes walk away . Also very easy to get to by road providing you come in from the East via the docks . The hotel has good large rooms , big beds , clean bright bathrooms and large tellies . Site has a Brewers Fair adjacent .

Staying here with work, check nice an fast, room nice and clean, as always with premier inn. Went…read morefor my evening meal, staff were fantastic, food was good, prices are probably to the high end of the "reasonably priced" restaurants, shouldn't be really but what you gonna do, can't really say anything more except come here either for a night away or just a meal, you don't be disappointed

I was recently en route for a walk in the Brecon Beacons when we called in at the Nant Ddu Lodge…read more Situated on the road between Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon it is classed as a hotel, bistro and spa. Despite this rather posh description, Nant Ddu is very informal, and as we sat in the cosy bar area, we were made to feel very welcome! They had a wide range of options to choose from on the menu, at reasonable prices. I had the roasted cherry tomato and goat's cheese tartlet, which was only £4.95 (that's cheaper than many starters I've had at other restaurants)! Despite this low price I can honestly say that the tartlet was most delicious there really was the right balance between pastry and cheese. Another thing I appreciated about this establishment, is that all the food is locally sourced and prepared on site; with fresh meat coming in daily from Brecon and fresh fish from Cardiff. After lunch I had a quick peep at the spa area, which with it's pool and jacuzzi looked the perfect spot to chill out!

This is the best place to eat in S. Wales! Lovely food and…read morelocation. Bit pricey mind! Been going here for years and there is nowhere else like it! Fantastic!

Cheap and cheerful. The rooms could do with updating but…read moreroomy and acceptable. The window near the bed was draughty, so we moved the bed and some mould on the carpet near the bath but all was clean. The shower was difficult to work. However, the redeeming qualities were the pleasant staff and newly refurbished bar and restaurant. The bar meals are ok not a great choice for vegetarians and the breakfast is acceptable. As it was a Groupon deal, it was well worth it but i am not sure i'd want to payfull price. It was very noisey despite being situated furthest away from the nightclub.

I've been going here for sometime now and the beers and meals are really good!…read moreThe Sunday Lunch has been recommended too! Had a mid week meal with my Wife and for £8.95 plus a free pint you can't go wrong! Always clean and tidy and the Staff are excellent! Try it if you are in the Town Centre!

First, the good. The hotel is very well located in central Cardiff. Right across from the Castle…read moreand 100m from Principality Stadium. Perfect, really. And, the traditional performance by the Cardiff Mens' Choir before the rugby was a pleasant surprise. Second, the bad. The hotel is a mess. A full renovation is required everywhere, and the price does not reflect the level of disrepair. We "upgraded" to a small suite, and the walls were filthy, carpeting burned with an iron and stained, the couch was cheap and ragged, the bed lumpy (and only full sized). The room heating did not really work, shower drain slow, peeling wall paper, and hole repairs which weren't painted. The iron had no steam, and had burnt on crud (from carpet burn), and the lighting electrics were atrocious. The lifts went out on the second day, which means we were trapped when the Choir performed on the stairs before the Italy match. There is no other ingress/egress from the upper floors. If you are coming in for a rugby match, go for it if it is cheap enough. Otherwise, avoid at all cost

Growing up in Cardiff, the Angel Hotel was always "the place"--famous for hosting high-profile…read moreguests and touring rugby and football teams. Because of that history, I was genuinely looking forward to staying here, but unfortunately the experience was extremely disappointing. We arrived on time hoping for an early check-in. No rooms were available, which was understandable, but we were told the bar/restaurant would not open until 5:30 pm, so we had to leave the hotel for lunch. When we returned, our room was ready, but we were informed the lift had been out of order since last year. With no assistance available for luggage until later in the afternoon thankfully the porter arrived early and carried our bags up 56 steps. The stairwell had a strong musty smell. The room itself was cold and uninviting, with stained carpets and no heating on. The radiator was completely covered by a heavy blackout curtain, preventing any warmth. We had to rearrange the curtain and use a portable oil-filled heater to make the room comfortable. The en-suite bathroom was in very poor condition: no proper curtain (only netting), no heating, a cracked sink, leaking taps, flaking paint, water stains on the ceiling, and even a cracked windowpane. There was also no fridge in the room. We paid for the breakfast package, but the buffet didn't open until 8:00 am and the food was disappointing--barely warm, dried-out bacon, and eggs sitting in cold fat. Bar hours were listed as 5:30-11:00 pm, yet on two occasions we returned before 10:00 pm hoping for a nightcap, only to find the bar already closed. Housekeeping also knocked on our door at 7:30 am, which felt unnecessarily early. On a positive note, the staff were polite and sympathetic, Given the Angel Hotel's history and reputation, this stay fell far below expectations and sadly felt tired, poorly maintained, and undermanaged.

Cardiff Backpacker is a beautiful little independent hostel, situated a stones throw from the…read moreentrance to Bute Park and the city centre, and occupying a promenant position within a great little enclave of local businesses and take-aways. With The Rocking Chair Café-Bar and Diner, serving traditional Caribbean food, and Yummy Yummy, providing authentic well priced Chinese food, and the renowned Madhav's opposite, offering a fantastic selection of homemade Indian delights, its got to be one of the best placed hostels in Europe in terms of convenience. There's also a couple of corner shops here too, selling papers and other essentials for getting the lowdown on Cardiff the moment you arrive. Of course, you can eat in as well. There's a BBQ in the garden, and hammocks to lounge in whilst you wait! There's all the usual services from internet to pool table. The nightly rate starts at £19.00, with free bed linen and a light breakfast included in the price. Best of all, there's no curfew! It's a small trek from the station, but well worth the effort. Being a 30 bed hostel, it's really intimate and friendly, and is staffed by people like Clare, who has worked here for 12 years, and will make you feel very much at home. There's four private rooms that can be used as a double or a twin. Sadly, there have been a few changes in recent years. Cardiff Backpacker Is now only open at the weekends. The owner of this hostel is also the owner of NosDa, a 170 bed hostel, slightly closer to town, which boasts better facilities as well as a slightly more central location. For one, there's a gym... but... er... well... not wanting to be impolite... but, I'm of the opinion that staggering around from city to city with my rucksack on my back, constitutes a mega workout, besides which, my explorations in general provides me with all the exercise I need... it's home comfort that I'm looking for! Show me to that hammock! So, if it's large and impersonal that you want, head to NosDa, but if it's intimate and friendly that you're after, then make your way to Cardiff Backpacker.

The Cardiff Backpackers is a long standing Cardiff institution, and as other reviewers have noted,…read morenow only opens at weekends due to the opening of a larger sister enterprise a few hundred meters away (NosDa). For the budget conscious traveller it can't be beaten - friendly, the perfect size to feel welcoming without feeling overwhelming, and in a part of town that used to be a little on the rough side but which now boasts some excellent and diverse dining choices, from Caribbean to Indian or Chinese. My pick is the Rocking Chair - amazing Caribbean food, but I'll save that for another review. There's also a fully licensed late bar, a DVD lending library, a BBQ area and lovely staff who are more than happy to point you at the best Cardiff has to offer. You are also conveniently located - you can venture into Canton by foot, to the delights of the newly refurbished Chapter or the slightly seedier watering holes of Cowbridge Road East. Or, in the opposite direction, the bright lights of the town centre await. For my money, the best hostel in Cardiff, and certainly the most fun.