Cardiff - May 28th long weekend

Cardiff - unexciting.

Although we did go to Cardiff during some "qualifying" football game of some sort, there wasn't a whole lot going on.

My boyfriend Dan and I and our friends Haley and Geoff rented a car and left London on Saturday morning getting into Cardiff in the afternoon. We were staying at the Ibis and checked in straight away which was nice.

The rooms were tiny and we called the bathroom a "pod". If you don't plan on spending any real time (other than sleeping) in the bedroom, it's not that bad. But for anybody who likes to spend time in their room, the Ibis is not for you!

Despite the hundreds and thousdands of football fans in the city, it was quite easy to move around and again, the Ibis was quite central. Cardiff does have a surprisingly good amount of restaurants and we were shocked by the nightlife! No cover and no lineup at most places....but there's no need because there were tons of spots to go for drinks and dancing.

A trip to Cardiff definitely requires a car. Although you can get to Cardiff on a train or bus, there's not a lot to do in the city itself and a car comes in handy for trips to Gower Penninsula and "the mumbles".

There is a water taxi tour by the newer part of Cardiff (by the Millenium building). We got a return trip to Penarth for 4 pounds each and got off on the other side for a wander and one of the best meals at the restaurant right by the water taxi. After getting back to Cardiff we decided to get the water taxi from the new part to the center where we were staying.

There's not really that much to do in Cardiff and one night, two days would definitely suffice!

Unfortunately the Ibis wasn't the best. The air conditioning was on all the time and wouldn't turn off and the staff cleaned our room while we had put up the "do not disturb" sign. After a quick letter advising that we weren't all that happy and I had come away with a very bad cold, we received a reply including a voucher for a free night B&B for myself and Dan.

We do plan on going back one Saturday night but it will be more of a relaxing trip away from London as we saw and did most things that there were to do last time.

All in all, not bad but more useful for a one night stay - stopover on your way to another spot. But be sure not to miss the nightclubs and bars while you're there!!