Barcelo Cardiff Angel Hotel

, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Barcelo Cardiff Angel Hotel

4 star

Rooms: 102

Castle Street - Cardiff - Wales - CF10 1SZ - United Kingdom Hotel Website | | 029 2064 9200
308 Traveller

Reviews - Barcelo Cardiff Angel Hotel

1/10
Very Poor Hotel
Submitted by: Richard in 19/03/06
  • Age Group: 51 - 60
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Business Traveller
A very poor hotel all round with poor decor, poor service and poor food. This is not a 4 star hotel.
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10/10
Cracking Atmosphere
Submitted by: Jenkins in 21/03/06
  • Age Group: 26 - 30
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Young & Single
Very pricey as we stayed for rugby but the amount of atmosphere and service standard of staff was top class.

Historical Traveller Reviews of Barcelo Cardiff Angel Hotel

Stayed here out of desperation

from Mstoast
We stayed at the Angel Hotel because the Park Plaza had made a mess of our reservation (despite being booked more than 4 months in advance!) and I can safely say I have never stayed in a worse hotel room!
Please don't be misled by the grand entrance hall - our room was dreadful. The shower was filthy and had to be re-cleaned, there was dirt in the grout, the room was small and it was generally tired throughout. Thank goodness the Park Plaza paid for our stay - £180 was absolute robbery for this hotel.
I feel sorry for the staff here - they must have to deal with a lot of complaints.....

A tired old lady in need of refurbishment

from Guidor
A 4 Star hotel, convenient for the Millenium Stadium in the heart of the city. Rooms and bathrooms need refurbishment. Food & public rooms OK. Parking a nightmare on busy weekends.

Living on past glory

from Prop
We have just stayed at the Angel after the Wales v Scotland Rugby International. Its venue opposite the Millenium Stadium and the old Cardiff Arms Park means it is part of Welsh rugby folklore. In days gone by the teams would stay there, but they now prefer the better quality facilities elsewhere.
The bar atmosphere on match day is terrific, but the hotel sadly does not now live it to its reputation. I had stayed before on business and was so excited to be booked into the famous Angel. On arrival I was pretty disappointed with the room. We only stayed this time because we had a cracking internet rate and I knew what to expect.
The hotel is typical of many old city centre hotels which in their heyday were the glitzy luxury place to stay, but more recently appear to have suffered from a lack of investment on modernisation and development. I include the Angel in those hotels which have a "Faded Grandeur" - the Adelphi in Liverpool is similar.
Our room like others I have had, was pretty drab and characterless and some would class it as shabby. Breakfast was ok and the staff were friendly and helpful, especially bearing in mind how busy they were.
If you can get a room rate of about £70-£80 or less stay here and enjoy the atmosphere in the bar, the history and the location, but don't expect a 4 star room.
If you want to pay less the Big Sleep or the St Mary's Street Travelodge are far better value. If you want to spend more, the Holland House, Park Plaza and the Royal are all likely to be nearer your expectation of a modern day 4 star city centre hotel.

Four Star - what a joke!!!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
Having seen the hotel on the internet we decided to book, on arrival we were very surprised, very warm welcome, lovely entrance hall, then came the biggest surprise..our room. We were situtaed at the back of the hotel overlooking the car park. Our room was non smoking however when we arrived we noticed there was a strong smell of smoke. The room made us both feel sea sick as the floor was not level and all the furniture seemed as if it was falling over, even getting out of bed to walk over to the TV felt a bit like walking up a small hill.

The cover over the bed was dirty with marks, everywhere was dusty, not how I wouold expect a hotel room to be.

The breakfast was ok, nothing special, we will not be staying at this hotel again and we would not recommend it, we paid £65.00 for a double room and we've had 10 times better in a travel lodge.

They even charge you £5.00 to park in their own car park??!!!

Bedroom was awful

from CTR
We arrived at the hotel on foot and I was more than a little dubious given the very run-down look of the side of the hotel (very grubby, peeling cream paintwork; boarded-up shops that formed a part of the hotel building; vagrants who appeared to be bedding-down etc.)
Once inside the hotel, I was studiously ignored by reception staff for several minutes (the receptionist on duty appeared to be more concerned in counting the copper coins in the till than attending to guests, and the other receptionist and Duty Manager were engaged in conversation with each other).
I have to say that once I had the attention of the receptionist, he could not have been more courteous or helpful (although he did provide me with an incorrect check-out time for the day of departure). Indeed, virtually all of the staff I encountered during the stay were the epitome of courtesy and efficiency.
Given that the entrance is very grand, with an imposing staircase and crystal chandelier, the bedrooms couldn't have been in greater contrast.
Our twin room was particularly dark and poky, and only just had room for the two single beds and a tiny wardrobe across its width. The "desk" had a broken wireless internet access point and a table lamp that smelled of burning when switched on. An apologetic note concerning an ongoing upgrade to digital TV meant that only the "standard" four terrestrial channels were available - not a big deal, but certainly not an expecation one has of a four-star hotel. The bathroom was unheated and the glazed floor tiles were freezing cold! The wall tiling was cracked and broken in many places, with filler / sealant badly trowelled into the gaps. I was also concerned about the safety of a metal-clad switch that supplied the electric towel rail. Even the towels left a lot to be desired - one that I nearly used to dry off after showering had a very dubious-looking brown stain across it, meaning that I had to use a hand towel instead.
The room's decor was very dated and looked anything but fresh, and the same could be said of the corridors - especially the white fire doors that were very grubby indeed.
Given that we had asked for a quiet room (we don't get up particularly early at the weekend), we were dismayed to discover on the first morning that the housekeeper's store was next door - meaning constant opening and banging shut of the door from an early hour.
All in all, I have stayed in better three-star hotels and guest houses. Indeed, I would suggest that The Angel is more reminiscent of, at best, average-quality two-star accommodation and is definitely not worth £98 per night for a twin room. Very disappointing.

NOT a four star

from k1ller
I'm a frequent business traveller to various cities around the UK and I must state that I'd be hard pressed to find a four star hotel as dreadful as the one I was booked into in Cardiff.

My usual choices of either the Hilton on Kingsway or Jury's Hotel on Mary Ann Street were both fully booked [due to the Royal Variety Performance which was being held at the Millenium Centre on the same evening] and so I chose the "four star" Angel Hotel on Castle Street as an alternative.

The journey up to the Angel is impressive, you have the majestic castle in your sights, the Millenium Stadium is visable and the bright lights and bustle of Cardiff at 5pm creates a good, vibrant atmosphere. However, the Angel is just too far along Castle Street and one gets the sense that you may be entering the "rougher" side of Cardiff; several shops under the hotel are boarded up and the facade of the hotel is a very tired looking grey - previously cream.

Like other reviewers, I noted that the car park was completely seperate from the hotel, although the cost for 24 hours parking was competitive [£5.00]. I was quite buzzed up when I entered the Hotel from the street as the entrance and its decor is outstanding. Huge chandeliers and a staircase reminiscent of the one depicted on Titanic rises in front of you. To the left awaits reception and again, like previous reviewers, I was impressed with the calibre and courtesy of all the staff I met.

However, walking through the corridor to room 110 reminded me of scenes in Stephen Kings "The Shining" and I expected to see Johnny come trundling past on his three wheeler. The room was dreadful. Holes had been made and left unattended to in the walls behind the bed, the bathroom was grubby and in all my travelling career, I met Clients the next day without taking a shower - I just couldn't. The shower was fixed and the curtain was yellow and stained with something I couldn't hazard a guess at!

There were no ironing facilities, the wardrobes were reminiscent of [very] early 1970's [yellow with cream borders and brass handles] and worst of all the room was serviced by one [very small, extremely hard working] radiator. It didn't help that I visited the Hotel when temperatures were around the -2 mark, but the bathroom was not heated and the floor tiles were cracked and cold.

All in all, a dreadful experience and one I couldn't face for a second night. After work, I trawled the other Hotels in Cardiff and luckily spent a second night in relative luxury in the Jury's Hotel!!

d go back to the Angel!

from sjc1967
We stayed at the Angel Hotel Sept. 16-20, 2005 while on vacation to visit my family in Cardiff. Selection was based on web information, corroborated by local Cardiff family as well as local Ohio Welsh friends who have been to Cardiff. Overall it was a pleasant experience. Hotel is very convenient to shopping - many stores within a quick walk. Reception desk personnel are friendly and professional. Our twin bed ensuite accommodations were wonderfully located in room facing Cardiff Castle, currently somewhat obscured by renovation scaffolding. The best feature was air conditioning, as it was warm when we were there (68 - 72 F.) Wardrobe had ample room for hanging clothes but had little drawer space for folded clothes. Bathroom was fine, except little shelf room for toiletries. Mattresses were fine. Our room (80 GBP) included a FULL breakfast: both cooked items (eggs, bacon, black pudding, home fries), cold items (cheeses, fruits, yogurt) and dry items (5-6 kinds of cereal, pastries, more fruits), juices (5 kinds) coffee and tea (including herbal), all served in a beautiful dining room (gorgeous ceilings). The chandelier at the mid-stairway level past the reception area is breathtaking (my cousin had her wedding reception there over 20 years ago). Hotel is on a corner and parking is limited to a very small lot in the back off the side street, which is best place to have someone come to pick you up. Hotel bar is cozy and quiet, as opposed to a pub which may be noisier with music.

Horrible four-star hotel in Cardiff!!!

from complain
A hotel with four stars but only the standard of 2-star B&B. Don't be tempted by the front entrance!!! Poor room and food quality!!!

Loved the hospitality

from margedd
We were visiting Cardiff from Sydney Australia. We received a warm welcome. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble such as a light globe for reading lamp beside the bed needed replacing in our room at about 10.00 pm. A very pleasant attendant came in a flash with new globe. Our room was - recently refurbished, tastefully. The buffet breakfast was very satisfying. The central location of this hotel to all facilities is excellent. Although not generally known, there is a lift to take luggage down to street level. The staff were excellent. We would like to give a special boquet to Christine - helpful and charming.

Excellent location, nice rooms, helpful staff

from A TripAdvisor Member
We had two rooms for one night in early august. One room was easily the largest room we have ever stayed in. Both rooms were very clean and comfortable. Staff was very helpful in suggesting restaurants and activities for our family. The location was great, across the street from Cardiff Castle and the Millenium Stadium. Noise was not a problem, although our room was not on the main street.

The only negatives were: 1) the parking lot - it is behind the building with no direct access to the hotel. We had to carry our luggage down the street and then up the front stairs. 2) Wireless internet access. You can buy expensive time in 2 hour blocks, not worth it for a 15 minute check of e-mail.

Top Local Tips for Cardiff

Nice choice of restuarants - in a place called the Yard. Go early in the evening for a good chance to get a table in most of the restaurants. The Indian was fantastic.

Don't bother staying here or visiting Cardiff As a Welsh man this is difficult to say but I must. Cardiff is the most overated city I have ever been to. Nothing here makes it stand out (except the Millenium Stadium). The dock area is nothing special a few bars and expensive restaurants. Been here twice out of necessity to visit partners sister and now she has left will never go again for the rest of my days. Anyone coming to Wales/UK would be better off going to Manchester/Chester or Liverpool if you want to visit a city and North Wales if you want see beautiful scenary.

Awful place Avoid Fridays and Saturdays. Full of boozed up valleys girls.

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Other names for Barcelo Cardiff Angel Hotel

  • barcelo cardiff
  • angel hotel cardiff
  • Address: Castle Street - Cardiff - Wales - CF10 1SZ - United Kingdom
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