Cardiff Hilton
 

Cardiff is one of my favorite UK cities, having spent 3 years at university there. The city is undergoing a revival, with a lot of new development especially around the dock area. None of this existed when I was last in the city. Neither did the Hilton, a new development on the corner of the main shopping street, and opposite the castle.

We checked in on Saturday, in the middle of the Wales vs Scotland Rugby match. Luckily, it was not at the new stadium in Wales, but the hotel was none the less busy, and the bar area packed. Nothing apart from twins available on the Executive level, but lounge access was offered along with a promise of a room change on the Sunday. The room on the third floor was very good, large with a huge bathroom – bigger than the room we had at the Kensington Hilton 3 weeks ago. It had views across to the castle.

We wandered around the shops to stretch our legs after the long drive, before visiting the lounge for a drink. We didn’t stay however, as it was full with both people and smoke. Everyone was watching the final moments of the rugby match on the tv, and making the most of the free alcohol.

The room suffered from a bit of noise due to the road outside, but nothing that stopped us sleeping.

Breakfast was available in the lounge, but was rather poor with only a selection of hot and cold drinks and a few pastries. There were no sign of the crowds of people who filled the lounge the day before.

After a day out at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, and a walk around the new docks area, we returned to the hotel and stopped by the desk where we were given a new room on the executive level. From what I could tell, the only difference was a couple of shower robes in the bathroom. The lounge in the evening was empty, and we enjoyed a couple of drinks before heading out for the evening.

Our final day in Cardiff was taken up with shopping, and relaxing in the health club. This is a very good club by hotel standards, with a decent (and stainless steel) 20m pool, all the usual hot tubs and steam rooms, and a good selection of equipment. The lounge was again empty in the evening, and we enjoyed some more free drink before heading out for a meal.

I was very pleased with our stay. The hotel staff was friendly and helpful. The hotel had good facilities, and very large by UK standard rooms. It was a pity that the lounge was so busy on our first night, and the smoke was a big problem to us.

Isn't this the hotel where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones stayed when she took him to meet the family? I'm pretty sure that I remember a picture of it in HELLO or some such magazine. So you're staying where the Welsh "royalty" stays - at least the Hollywood variety!