The Royal Hotel - Cardiff, United Kingdom 

We were beginning to regret booking this hotel after some of the recent reviews on TA but we were pleasantly surprised. The concerns we had were regarding the poor service and poor breakfast neither of which we experienced. We had a de-luxe room on floor 4 which was large and well furnished, bathroom was well equipped. The infamous bathrobes appeared after the second call to reception. The breakfast was of a good quality ,well stocked and manned by two members of staff at all times. We found all staff from check in to departure charming (maybe the management have taken on board some of the previous comments). The parking is a bit of a problem but that is hardly the hotels fault - suggest you plan where to park before you go. The noise levels were not too bad being a Wednesday night but due to the location we would imagine these raise somewhat at the weekend. However, the efficient air conditioning means your double glazed windows can remain closed.

As you'll have picked up from the other reviews, the Royal Hotel is in the centre of Cardiff, and suffers most of the problems associated with the convenient location. It is both above and opposite pubs (the one across the road is a Wetherspoons), and although I didn't stay on a Friday or Saturday night, I really wouldn't want to. Even on a Tuesday night the street noise provided a constant background, with occasional yells and catcalls throughout the night. The advertised "triple glazing" (double secondary glazing inside period windows) can only do so much, although the blackout curtains do an excellent job of shutting out the light. On the bright side, you're only seconds away from somewhere to eat or drink. Who on earth thought it would be a good idea to have wooden floors in the rooms? I accept it must be easier for cleaning, and it does look quite stylish, but every footstep (particularly in heels) is amplified ten-fold, and as for dropping something... my apologies to the people below me. The cleaning was OK although half my towels went missing halfway through my stay, and I inherited the "spa products" of the person using the room before me. My hairdryer only blew cold air, and was hardwired into the wall and therefore not easily replaceable. The toilet provided a constant rumble until I worked out the trick of resetting it, and the shower screen leaked water across the floor (perilously close to the electric towel rail!). Internet access was hardwired and expensive, and the television gave terrestrial channels only. A radio of some sort would be useful to screen the street sounds - I ended up sleeping with my headphones in, listening to my MP3 player. The breakfast was OK although I found the staff a bit busy chatting among themselves to deal with the pesky customers. It took me ages to get a cup of coffee each morning. All in all, a very average city centre hotel. Next time I'll probably give Cardiff Bay a try instead.