We recently had some major renovations done on our home, which involved taking down walls, and levelling the floor and we were somewhat under-prepared to the reality of working on a building site and living in constant dust and rubble. So on a whim I decided the boys and I really needed a break for 24hrs so I found a very good rate using the Hopper App for a family room at the Novotel Cardiff Centre hotel and wanted to share our experience of this well-located hotel in the Welsh Capital.
Firstly the hotel is within walking distance of the city and major train station, we decided to drive and they have plenty of parking connected to the hotel although there is a charge of £10 per night to park, however, this is still cheaper than parking anywhere else in the city for that long of a duration.
When we walked in we loved the reception interior, it's modern and cool with very high ceilings but also exposed brick for a warehouse feel. The staff were very friendly and made both the boys and I feel very welcome. We stayed on one of the upper floors in a large standard room that had a double bed and sofa bed, sleeping up to 4 people. We found it both spacious and comfortable and considering we only paid £69 it felt like a great deal (we were there off-peak).
What was a big draw to booking this particular hotel was access to the indoor swimming pool, which is included in your stay and the boys were very excited about. The boys pretty much immediately wanted to go to the swimming pool, so as soon as we checked in and left our bags in the room we were downstairs in the pool, which is a lovely space and great for all ages. There is also a gym connected to the pool which can be used both by hotel residents and a small number of private gym members.
After a fairly long swim we headed back up to our room, got changed and then headed downstairs to The Customs Shed, the restaurant and bar connected to Novotel, which has a fantastic industrial feel to it. Now usually we don't eat at Hotel restaurants as it can often be very pricey but I was pleasantly surprised at the menu with kids meals being £5.95 and pizza coming in at the same price of anywhere else in Cardiff. Again the staff were very friendly and the food while not fantastic was it tasty and the atmosphere was great which added to the whole experience.
Overall we had a very comfortable night as the rooms have climate control and both the bed and sofa bed made for a good night sleep. We also opted for the hotel breakfast and I am so glad we did at the pancake machine was a hit with the kids, as were the pastries and warm options in a similar style of places like Premier inn.
We managed to squeeze in another swim before checking out, which again was an easy process. As mentioned the staff were always smiling, friendly an happy to help and we would definitely stay here again.
