Hello! Really enjoying ciao-ing at the moment! Have been busy lately,so have loads of products to re...
Hello! Really enjoying ciao-ing at the moment! Have been busy lately,so have loads of products to review! XxX
Member since:25.05.2007
Reviews:324
Members who trust:78
We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Cardiff City Centre recently. The reason for our visit was because I was auditioning for the X Factor (again! - I didn't get through :( ) . We chose Holiday Inn because we had stayed at the hotel on many occasions before and were pleased with it and it's value for money.
The hotel is located right by the Millenium Stadium. This was convenient for us because the auditioning for the X Factor took place in the Stadium. The hotel is a short 5 minute walk from the high street which was good!
Our room was located overlooking the Stadium's car park. This was good because this was where the queuing for the auditions took place. We were told to be there for 8AM however , when we woke up at 5Am the queue was massive!
* The Hotel *
We had to go through two sets of large automatic doors to get into the hotel. There is a large "open space" in front of the reception. The reception is located to the right of the doors. To the left is access to the bar , and then down some steps from the bar is the restaurant which is large and spacious.
*
Checking In * Checking in was efficient. The staff were very helpful and professional and knew their stuff which I think is extremely important at a hotel. They'd obviously been well trained.
*Room* Our room was a twin room. The room wasn't very big however not small either. In our room we had most things you'd find in a hotel room such as television , tea and coffee facilities , wardrobe , hairdryer ect. We had a large window which was great because we had a nice view. On one afternoon we were there we watched a game of bowls being played on the green down below. We had a perfect room.
Our room was very clean and tidy. Our tea facilities were topped up continuously. I enjoyed the Galaxy Hot Chocolate supplied.
It cost £210 for two of us for two nights. Breakfast was included.
*Bathroom*
The bathroom was very small. It had a bath/Shower , toilet and a sink. There was a big mirror. We were given 2 large towels and 2 hand towels. One thing I disliked about the bathroom was the fact that the bath was very small. Our bathroom was very clean!
* Breakfast *
The breakfast was self-service.There was so much to choose from. There was a section with fresh fruit (such as kiwi , melon balls , orange segments , grapes and grapefruit - it was delicious) , cheeses and cooked meat. On another table there was a toaster where you had to make your own toast. On another table were cereals in small boxes and pastries such as croissants. Joining this table was a table with fruit juices such as orange and cranberry. In the middle was a "hot plate" with cooked breakfast ; Baked Beans , mushrooms , scrambled egg , hash brown , black pudding , fried eggs ect.
I had fresh fruit to start - It was delicious. Then I had a croissant which was rather dry. I then had a cooked breakfast of scrambled egg on toast and mushrooms. The scrambled egg was the weirdest I've ever tasted. It had a texture similar to that of bread and butter pudding. It didn't taste like egg at all. The mushrooms also tasted weird. I think they had been fried in a kind of vinegar. Although I didn't enjoy my cooked breakfast , the other food (fruit , toast , cheeses) I had were very tasty! The staff were great - very polite.
* Staff * The staff at the hotel were very good! They were extremely helpful. Because we had to be at the auditions early the next morning and breakfast was being served from 7:30am , we asked if it was possible to have breakfast slightly earlier than the time stated. The staff were great , and arranged for us to have breakfast at 6:30 which would consist of toast , fresh fruit , cheeses , cold meats , cereals , tea , coffee and fruit juices, although they said due to the time , we were unable to have a cooked breakfast , however I thought it was excellent of them to open the restaurant and have the food ready by 6:30 am for us!
The reception staff were great. They were helpful and made checking in easy.
The housekeepers did an excellent job in our room. Our room was very clean and tidy. They topped our "tea" facilities up ( I was pleased as it meant I could have more Galaxy Hot Chocolate!. We were given clean towels even though we hadn't asked for any and given more shampoo even though we still had some left. They provided us with a great service.
* Hotel Facilities *
There was a choice of using the very long stairs to get to our room which was on the third floor or use the lift. Of course we used the easier option , as the stairs were very long!
There are two computers located in the reception area where you can use the internet , for a small price. I can't remember the exact price , however I do remember using the internet there last time we stayed there , and it was something like £3 for 20 minutes , however that is just an estimation.
* Toilets *
The toilets at the hotel are very clean and modern. There are mirrors between each toilet which are a wavy shape. The lighting is modern. The toilets is a very large "room". There are four toilets there.
* Bar *
Connected to the hotel is an Irish Bar. We went in there , and discovered it to be a nice quiet place with a pleasant atmosphere. There was modern music playing and a game of "kick-boxing" showing on the telly. They served all kinds of drinks - I had a coke!
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Holiday Inn and would definitely recommend this place to everyone. It located in a great place. A big thank you to the staff - they were brilliant! I give this hotel a good 9/10
Holiday Inns are also great if you want to stay near an airport when you have a ridiculously early flight, plus you can get bonuses if you join their loyalty points scheme. Always reliable and well presented! Great review. Effy x x x
nic63 18.05.2008 23:46
Great review, I don't live too far from there. Sorry you didn't get through, keep trying : ) Nic x
Amy69 12.05.2008 23:09
Great review! Ooh, what cereals was there? Any weetabix? xx
exceptional by (3%):
very helpful by (97%):
