Holiday Inn Express Newport by IHG

The location worked well for us, near the M4 and Newport City Centre but far enough from both to avoid their traffic noise. We all got excellent service from the staff, from check-in through our three-night stay. The rooms were tidy and clean, with the listed amenities: iron and board, hair-dryer, kettle, tea, coffee, sugar and milk. Breakfast was a well-stocked buffet, kept replenished while staff cleared tables and helped guests. There’s a varied evening menu at reasonable prices, and we took our food back to the room. Downstairs, the reception area has a small bar, tables, chairs and a TV. The Dragonfly next door serves pub food and dinners, with plenty of drinks at moderate prices. Booking on the website was easy too. My friends and I really enjoyed our stay at Holiday Inn Express, Newport.

The M4 is close by, so getting out to see the sights was fairly easy. The Dragonfly pub next door is friendly and often busy, so book a table, especially for particular dates. Asda is four minutes away by car or a 15-minute walk, and there’s a macdonalds in the store. You can bring food and drink back to your room. At the hotel, the bar food can be eaten in the restaurant/bar or boxed up for your room, and you can order anytime. We booked six nights with breakfast. There’s cooked food, continental options and cereal, and breakfast was good. Staff were friendly and happy to suggest places to visit if you needed ideas. The rooms are clean and fine as a base, though we found the bed small and quite hard.

We were stranded overnight while my vehicle was being recovered, and the staff were kind and helpful to me and my teenagers the whole time. It was excellent value, with clean, well-kept rooms and shared areas. Breakfast was included in the room price, with no hidden charges. The location just off the M4 worked perfectly for us that night. Thanks to all the ladies who looked after us and gave us shelter. I signed up to the holiday in program.

The beds were super comfy, the staff friendly, and they served good beer. Breakfast was a letdown, though. The bacon was plappy and the hash browns barely cooked. They say breakfast runs until 9.30, but by then everything’s put away. We came down at 8.50am, and when we finished at 9.32, the coffee machine had been cleaned and turned off, so we couldn’t get a coffee to wash the food down.