St Davids Hotel & Spa

This has to be the worst hotel I have visited in Cardiff!! For the price I paid I was expecting something special, what I got was a tired hotel that needs a good clean, a lick of paint and some serious staff training. From outside the hotel is a real WOW, however once you get close it is grubby, not well maintained and more like a 3/4 than a 5 star. The staff are uptight, snotty, lazy and I got the feeling they could not wait for you to leave. The restaurant is not much better, 30 mins to have my order taken, another 30 for the starter to appear, 40 mins for the main course, and o metter how good the food was I really could not be bothered to wait for the dessert. The bar is dark and the menu was full of spelling mistakes which summed up the slap - dash attitude I encountered. The view was the only thing that I enjoyed! At least they could not spoil that. Will I return - Hell NO!

When you're paying £300 a night for a hotel room, you really do expect something in return for your money. Overall, compared to a much cheaper Mailmaison for example, this hotel is a dissapointment in most areas OK, so the good points first.... *The entrance is vaguely impressive, although smaller perhaps than you might imagine if you see pictures on the net. Trouble is, most of the space is air, and not really much use to anyone. *The food in the restaurant was pretty sound, although expensive. Good service. *The pool area is not too bad either to be fair, although it's no class leading spar. *Overall, The suites are comfortable and stylish. And the frustrating bits: *The junior suites are not much bigger than the std rooms. It's not worth paying the extra! Either go for the proper suites, or get a std room. *The bathrooms are very basic, no better than a modern Holiday Inn bathroom. You expect more space and style for your money. *Beware, 50% of the rooms are north facing. If you're bothered about sunsets / natural light and some warmth, then make sure you ask for a room on the right hand side (as you enter the hotel). *The bar area is quite small, and yet it's not cosy or warm in feel. Something about it just doesn't feel quite right *Everywhere you go you can't help but get the feeling that they've tried to offer quality, but then failed to deliver by cost savings. Examples? Cheap toiletries, a very small, cheap portable TV in the room (should be widescreen in hotels like this), very cheap stereo in rooms, cheap bathroom fittings, noisy and inefficient air con / heating in room etc etc..... Give it 2-3 years after the initial interest has calmed down, and this hotel will struggle to continue to sell rooms at the current prices. It's a GLORIFIED HOLIDAY INN, and no more!

Having yet to find a relaxing hotel in Bristol the trek over the bridge to St David's in Cardiff is worth it. OK its a little difficult to find - but the views when you get there are spectaular. The rooms are airy and confortable and the staff smiling and helpful. Food doesn't quite match the location - but there are lots of places within strolling distance and its waterside position takes the sting out of having to be in a city.

I found this hotel very dissappointing for a 5 star....the room was very nice but for a 5 star i expect it to be a little less business like, the food was awful....I had a dreadful curry from room service, only to be followed by a breakfast experience which ended in me refusing to pay!....the breakfast was £15 on top of my room rate....the fried egg had shell in it! nice!...and the rest was plain rubbery and over cooked. Maybe this is 5 star by Cardiff standards but certainly not by mine.

We found this to be a really excellent hotel. The building itself is amazing - I loved the reception area. The staff were courteous and extremely helpful at all times. The room was lovely. We were on the third floor and the views from the balcony were gorgeous. The bed was really comfortable and the room was a good size. Everything was spotless and finished to a really high standard. I was highly impressed. The bar was good too - but a little steep - £2.50 for a diet coke is a little OTT! We also thoroughly enjoyed treatments at the spa. We're already looking forward to staying here on our next trip to Cardiff!

Just returned from 1 night in a junior suite and I wont be going back. Although advertised as having views of Cardiff bay, my room and many others are on the side of the building and overlook apartments and urban areas. The room was dirty, the curtains were stained, the bathrobes were stained, part of the chair fell off and it just looked tatty. The bathroom would have been okay, if it hadn’t been for the very small shower with the white plastic shower curtain - when did you last see one of those in a 5 star hotel! I thought the spa might make-up for the room but it didn't and was deeply unimpressive, with just the pool, jacuzzi and a sauna available, unless you book individual treatments. The Tide's restaurant was good but the service lacked polish and our waiter had already left for the next table before we had finished giving him the order. I don't think the choice of 5 star hotels in Cardiff is big, which makes the failings of this hotel even more surprising. Having stayed at the fantastic Celtic Manor and enjoyed its wonderful spas and treatments, the St. David's Hotel and Spa leaves an awful lot to be desired.

My partner treated me to a £95 a head Valentines treat of a day in the Spa at this hotel. Whilst the treatment and relaxation floor was fine the pool, sauna and jacuzzi area were certainly not 5 star standard and pretty tired with corrosion, peeling paint and dirty floor areas. I guess the staff who wore blue plastic bags on their feet in the pool area did it to stop their shoes getting dirty. The sauna seemed to have no thermostatic control and more than 15 seconds inside was impossible. The thermometers inside were both in the red zone: one at 100 C the other 105C -ouch! If this is a normal sauna temperature I am sorry I must be a wimp. But no one else used it in the six hours I watched from my sun bed other than to stick their head in and swiftly depart. The trek to the food area wasn't ideal either and the one member of staff there was overwhelmed by demand. Chicken breast, salad and cous cous and water for £20 each -get real.

I have used this hotel many times for both business and pleasure and was surprised to see some negative comments about the staff and service levels in other reviews. It is these areas in particular that have kept me coming back to the St David's time after time. I have always found the service outstanding and pro active and that includes the receptionsits, concierge, business office and restaurant staff. On one particular occaision when an accident closed the motorway late at night and I subsequently got lost the concierge spent twenty minutes on the phone to me ( hands freee ) and guided me to the hotel and was waiting outside to greet me when I finally arrived - now that's service The rooms may not be as plush as some 5* hotels but they are modern, bright and characterful and have balconies with amazing views over the bay. They certainly have everything you could need and the same goes for the bathrooms. The spa is rigt up there with the best of them and there are very few hotels where you could access this level of spa facilities without an extra charge. My wife and I have also experienced treatments in the spa and again they were first class and the staff very professional and friendly. At first glance the hotel's location is not that convenient but once you get your bearings there are plenty of places within walking distance. As a regular business traveller all over the UK I have to say that this hotel is one on my favourite places to stay

My partner and I have stayed at this hotel 4 times since it opened in 2001, the last time the first weekend in February 2005. While it is without doubt the best hotel in Cardiff inadequate house keeping and maintenance have meant standards have fallen. Many people come to stay here for their top of the range spa but apart from a quick look we have never tried the spa or gym. Location St Davids is located at the regenerated docks/bay area, formerly known as Tiger Bay. about 1 mile from the City Centre. Despite much building work (The Opera House is located nearby) it is still a slightly bleak area with the luxury of the St David's Hotel a bit out of place among the Harry Ramsden type fast food restaurants. The Hotel The hotel is a modern 7 story building triangular in shape. The rooms occupy the two arms of the triangle facing the so each has a view of the bay. The hotel goes for the modern, minimalist but comfortable look. The lobby has a atrium that runs the height of the building making it light and airy. The lobby is dominated by two very long curved orange sofas. Checking in and out was quick and easy with helpful staff. Rooms This stay we were in a double on the 7th floor and friends were in the suite. Rooms are clean, modern lines with one wall a wall of windows opening onto a steel balcony. All rooms have balconies. The room colours are blue and green. Rooms have Ligne Rosset furniture. We particularly liked the leather blue and green recliner chair which goes almost flat - think sleeper beds on the airlines. The rooms are let down by carpets that are showing too much wear and tear as well as bathrooms which are not being maintained properly. Our bathroom had several nasty looking stains on the tiled floor as well as the area surrounding the sinks. We had a peek at the suite which was like a one bedroom opening into a chicly decorated living space. The only drawback was the interconnecting door to the suite next door. We all know how interconnecting doors leak sound both ways! Restaurants/Bar The hotel has one restaurant and one bar. As the lobby is not somewhere you linger unless you are waiting for your car these are the only public spaces in the hotel. When the hotel is full, which it has been for our visits, this is not enough unless you like smoke filled noisy bars, and fightingor walking through said bar to get to the restaurant. Food, drink and service in the restaurant and bar was satisfactory rather than good. Once again you could put this down to the restaurant being full. I'd put it down to this and the fact that the staff seemed inexperienced. All in all definitely the place toto stay compared to the Marriotts and Hiltons in Cardiff but at the prices it wouldn't cut it in London if they don't look after the hotel a bit more.

Stunning hotel, with great views over Cardiff Bay. Original and different rooms, but unfortunately all let down by some very ordinary customer service by staff. when paying 5 star rates you expect 5 star treatment. Any requests for assistance were not met with an overwhelming desire to be of assistance!! (Some training is Asia required, where service generally is second to none). Also bear in mind that this hotel is some distance from the main city centre, so be prepared.