Red Lion Hotel

This was easily the worst hotel I've ever stayed in. From the moment my heavily pregnant partner and I walked in, there was one problem after another. We'd booked a room with a double bed and a single beside it, but were sent to a twin room with two singles. When we raised the mistake, they told us it was the only room free, even though we'd booked in advance. We got hungry and asked for a menu, only to be told the kitchen was closed for the whole weekend. There was a hot water urn in the corridor, but it wasn't switched on or refilled during our stay, so we couldn't even make hot drinks. After 10:30 pm, hotel staff knocked and called us three separate times to say we'd been put in the wrong room and had to move, with an extra £30 charge. We packed, then were told we could stay where we were but would still have to pay extra. They said they'd completely lost our booking information before we even arrived. Complimentary drinks were offered, but by then we were too stressed and upset for it to help, especially with my partner so late in pregnancy. The next morning we were offered another room only five minutes before leaving for the whole day for a wedding, so there was no time to move and we had to stay put. We returned at 8 pm hoping for a quiet rest before the next day's long journey, but within an hour extremely loud music was coming through the floor. There was a loud disco directly below our room and a live band next door. I asked to speak to the manager and was passed around to everyone except the manager. They were unsympathetic and said the music was advertised on the website. We checked, and it wasn't advertised at all. When I explained the noise and its effect on my partner, they coldly said they couldn't do anything, that it would go on until at least 1 am, and that there was probably a hospital nearby if she had any problems. It was nearly 11 pm. We'd had enough and said we were leaving, but got no response, just a cold stare. We drove 200 miles home rather than stay another second. There were other problems too: no hot water in the showers, bugs in the room, damaged and unstable landing stairs, damp and mould throughout the building inside and out, and a smell of stale beer and mould everywhere. The beds weren't properly made and the rooms weren't cleaned during the day. A horrible experience. We only stayed one of our planned two nights, and I'm surprised we lasted that long. Anyone thinking of staying here should keep away and find somewhere else.

I spent a night at the red lion and was man handled out by the door staff. A drunk man came at me, and I defended myself by hitting out. He wasn't man handled out, only me. When I spoke with the manager, he was nothing but rude. The place is very dirty. The carpets stink, the glasses are dirty, and the toilets are falling apart. I wouldn't recommend it to a homeless person, let alone anyone else.

The pub was a nice place to spend time, with good beer, denizens and band, and friendly staff. We'd originally gone to pick up my things before heading off, but stayed for a few drinks until closing. I booked a room while I was around Tredegar for a friend's event, though in the end we didn't use it and crashed at their place. From the brief look, the room was basic but cheap, clean, and had everything we'd need, including a sizable shower. They were also flexible about returning the key the next morning, since we had to walk it back.

The room was clean, though a bit worn, and the price was good for what you got. It’s clearly a budget place, so don’t expect anything luxurious. The pub below had bands and DJs, and the noise went on until around 01:00. The receptionist was friendly and had warned us at check-in, though that was after we’d already booked online.