Holiday Inn Express Newport

Booking online was easy, always a bonus. The hotel is close to the M4 and Newport City Centre, but far enough from both to avoid their traffic noise. My friends and I had a great three-night stay, with excellent service from the moment we checked in and throughout. Our rooms were tidy and had the listed basics, including an iron and board, hair dryer, kettle, and tea, coffee, sugar and milk. Breakfast was well stocked and staff kept it topped up while also clearing tables and helping guests. The evening menu had a good range at reasonable prices, and we took our food back to the room. There’s a small bar with tables and a TV in reception, and The Dragonfly pub next door serves pub grub, dinners and a good range of drinks at moderate prices. Five stars for Holiday Inn Express Newport.

Being near the M4 made it easy to get out and visit places. The Dragonfly pub is right next door, and it’s a nice place with friendly staff. It’s often busy, so book a table if you’re going on a particular date. Asda is about four minutes away by car or a fifteen-minute walk, and there’s a macdonalds inside. You can take food or drink from there back to your room. Our clean rooms worked fine as a base, though we found the bed small and quite hard. Breakfast was good, with cooked and continental choices, cereal and more. We booked six nights with breakfast. Staff were friendly and happy to suggest places to visit if you needed ideas. You can order bar food anytime and eat in the restaurant and bar area or have it boxed for your room.

We needed an emergency overnight stay while our broken-down vehicle was being recovered, and the hotel was ideally placed off the M4 for us. The staff were kind and helpful the whole time, and the ladies who looked after us gave us welcome shelter. The rooms and shared areas were clean and well kept. Breakfast was included in the room price, with no hidden charges, and I thought it was excellent value. I signed up to the Holiday Inn program.

The beds were super comfy, the service was great, and the staff were friendly. They served good beer too. Breakfast was the letdown: the bacon was floppy and the hash browns barely cooked. They say it runs until 9.30, but when we came down at 9.30 it had all been put away. We got there at 8.50 and finished at 9.32, by which time the coffee machine had been cleaned and switched off, so I couldn’t get a coffee to wash the food down.