A Luxury Family Break At The Hilton Hotel Cardiff

As a family we like to travel a lot so we have stayed in a fair few hotels over the years. More recently we have struggled to find good places to stay - because there are now five of us. More often than not we end up having to book two rooms which significantly increases the price. A couple of weekends ago we were kindly invited to stay at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff to review their family friendly facilities and I must say that we were really impressed. It has definitely made us think that we will consider booking a more expensive hotel that will accommodate all five of us in a suite and enjoy the little luxuries that come with it!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon on the last weekend of the holidays. Cardiff is our local city and we absolutely love it there, there is so much to do for adults and children so a little mini break in our favourite city seemed like the perfect way to finish off the holidays.

Check in at the hotel was quick and painless. The hotel lobby was bustling which was lovely to see and there was a really friendly concierge who chatted happily to the children whilst I checked us in.

We had a family suite booked which was absolutely perfect for us and it came with a fantastic view of city hall.

It was perfectly soundproofed so we heard nothing of the hustle and bustle of Cardiff whilst we were safely ensconced in our suite. It had a lovely double bed, a double sofa bed made up and an extra fold up single bed so all the children could be in the same room as us. The room was lovely and spacious and there was a large screen TV, a large desk and a comfy chair and coffee table. The ensuite bathroom was a nice size and very clean and modern.

There were so many little touches that made our visit lovely for the children. They were given welcome packs at check in which had treats and activities for them.

Also, in our room the hotel had kindly set out some sweets and welsh cakes for them and some cheese and crackers for us too.

There was plenty of bottled water and even a fridge in the room (a god-send for families with young children when you need to keep their milk chilled). Of course there were tea and coffee making facilities too and I love the large desk which meant that we could catch up on work if we wanted to.

The children absolutely loved that our towels were arranged in animal shapes, a pair of swans on the main bed and elephants on the children's beds and boat shapes on the flannels and toilet paper in the bathroom. The honestly squealed with delight when they saw them and I was impressed that we were provided with plentiful soft white towels to use throughout our stay.

One of the perks of booking a suite at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff is that it gives you access to the Executive Lounge. The lounge is open three times during the day, in the morning, afternoon and early evening and you can go up there and enjoy complimentary hot drinks, soft drinks and snacks. At breakfast time there is a mini breakfast buffet, in the afternoon some small cakes and in the evening there is wine and nibbles. It is a wonderfully calm room and nice and quiet as only a few guests have access to it. The room also has some amazing views over Cardiff Castle which meant it was the perfect place to relax with a coffee after a swim in the pool.

The pool was the highlight of our stay at the hotel. The hubby and I have often frequented the Hilton Hotel's leisure club and spa facilities on a day basis but the children had never been. They loved the pool and we used it twice during our stay. Towels and lockers are provided and they even sell goggles so you don't need to take much with you. There are a few floats and swimming noodles in the pool and the children had so much fun in there that they didn't want to get out! Obviously as it is a smallish hotel pool there are no lifeguards so you do have to watch your children at all times but the hubby and I took turns so that we could also enjoy the steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.

Breakfast the next day was wonderful. I was a little worried that the dining area wouldn't be as family friendly but I was wrong. They had a special area set out with plastic plates and cutlery for the children and a selection of children's cereals and pancakes, along with colouring activities. Of course the children could also have anything from the extensive breakfast selection and the pancake maker was their absolute favourite thing - and mine too if I'm honest! You pressed a button and watched as the pancake mixture was slowly cooked along a little conveyor belt and landed on your plate at the end. Definitely watch my video below so you can see it in action!

After breakfast we enjoyed one more dip in the pool and visit to the executive lounge before we headed back feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after our little luxury city break. Our stay in the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff definitely altered our way of thinking about family hotels and we would definitely visit again. It was especially nice that the children were made to feel so welcome and just lovely that all the added touches and the health suite made the hubby and I feel like we had a lovely break too.

Of course I made a video of our weekend away, if you want to see a room tour and that pancake maker in action give it a watch!