Quay Apartments Clarence House

The car park was the main problem for me. It looked dirty and poorly maintained, getting in and out was difficult, there were no clear instructions, and several exit doors didn’t work. I felt unsafe there, especially at night, so I wouldn’t recommend using it if you’re arriving by car. You should be fine if you don’t need the car park. The rooms, though, are spacious, quiet, neat, and fantastic. Convenience stores right outside are handy for stocking up. From a higher floor you can see Newport, the canals, and bridges, though the view looked misty when I took my pictures. Hopefully the outside windows are cleaned regularly for a clearer view.

I travelled 30 miles to stay in an apartment I’d booked, only to be told at check-in that none of my three debit cards worked in their reader. They wouldn’t take cash either, so I was left outside alone with no way home, while drug addicts and drunks passed every few minutes, shouting and urinating against walls. I managed to book another nearby hotel on Booking.com, which turned out to be part of the Celtic Manor Resort. My cards worked there and at the cashpoint, where I got money for a taxi. The difference was night and day, and I’m glad it worked out that way, but I wouldn’t recommend this place.

We cut our planned four-night stay short after just one night, because the bed was badly sagging in the middle and the noisy fans made it impossible to sleep. There’s no fresh-air inlet in the bedroom, so getting air means running one fan to bring it into the living room and another to push it into the bedroom. Turn them off and the room gets hot and stuffy quickly. It’s a choice between the noise and the stuffiness. The bathroom smelled slightly of sewage, the fridge was in poor condition, and the very dark parking garage stank of urine. Luckily, we got a refund for this horrible experience.

I cancelled my 7-9 July booking and moved to an international hotel in Cardiff, where my travel staff discount saved me around £90. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. It’s worth looking around for somewhere more helpful and accommodating. I’d booked it as part of a 10-week European trip, but this was the only accommodation in Europe or the UK that wouldn’t let me drop off my luggage before check-in so I could go exploring. As travel staff and a travel writer, I found that extraordinary and very unhelpful. Lyn Schuemaker