Travelodge Cardiff Whitchurch

The staff were really friendly and helpful, and everything was clean and presentable. The rooms are looking a little tired, though, and haven’t been updated in a while. I’d give it five stars if they were more modern. The location is handy, beside a Toby Carvery by the A470 on the way into Cardiff. Despite that, it was reasonably quiet and much cheaper than a city-centre Travelodge, about half the price. The hotel has no restaurant of its own, and the centre is no more than a 10-minute taxi ride away.

The location is the one good thing here. The rooms are tired, the furniture is dated, and the shower is tiny and awful. A dirty, mouldy curtain made it worse. Towels were frayed, the twin beds were narrow and uncomfortable, the duvets too small, and the curtains barely covered the windows. The kettle was stained inside, one milk pod was out of date, and there was paint in the radiator. Doors banged horrendously, and the walls are so thin I could hear absolutely everything next door. Staff weren’t very helpful or caring. Sometimes nobody was at reception, just a note saying they’d stepped away and to call, but no one answered. The smoking area is right by the reception doors, so you have to walk past the smell. And don’t bother with the Toby Carvery, it’s rank. I’ve stayed at lots of Travelodges, and this is by far the worst. The most recent one I tried was London city airport, where the staff and rooms were really good. Why is Whitchurch so bad?

Just what I wanted, a clean, basic hotel with no frills, and a price to match. Be careful of high Saturday rates and prices on dates that coincide with major Cardiff events, though. I suppose that’s the same everywhere.

We had the ground-floor family room. It was a good size and had everything we needed, though the building and furniture looked older. I was sceptical after reading the reviews, but my family and I had no concerns. There’s a restaurant next door, a Tesco Express across the road for kids’ snacks, and a vending machine in reception. A play park, dog-walking field and train station are all about five minutes away on foot. I’d definitely stay again. My only suggestion would be bed guards for the family rooms. My kids are fidgety, so I put a chair beside the bed instead.