First time home in ten years - need advice.

Went down a rabbit hole of WOL articles implying that Queen Street has become a zombieland full of drug abusers. Was planning on staying at the Hilton because of easy access to Greggs etc. for breakfast.

Is town really as bad as it seems? Even in the day? There were people in the comments saying they don't bring their kids there and I'm bringing my 3 and 7 year olds.

Would you stay in town or down the Bay? Any advice other than "grow up" from J R Hartley?

I only have a few days and will be meeting family mostly but any places you'd recommend bringing the young ones? Hoping to have them fall in love with the city. I saw Techniquest is still about.

We did techniquest recently with my kids, not sure a three year old will get much from it but the seven year old will I'm sure.
Quite a few of the exhibits have been revamped from when I can remember going as a kid.
We also booked a live talk in their theatre, one about going to space, that's was good too, they lit various gasses and made a rocket 'fly' across the room. I think that was an extra £3 each.
As for town / hotels I can't help.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

Went down a rabbit hole of WOL articles implying that Queen Street has become a zombieland full of drug abusers. Was planning on staying at the Hilton because of easy access to Greggs etc. for breakfast.

Is town really as bad as it seems? Even in the day? There were people in the comments saying they don't bring their kids there and I'm bringing my 3 and 7 year olds.

Would you stay in town or down the Bay? Any advice other than "grow up" from J R Hartley?

I only have a few days and will be meeting family mostly but any places you'd recommend bringing the young ones? Hoping to have them fall in love with the city. I saw Techniquest is still about.

---

Will you see homeless people and a few beauts? Yes.

Does the city centre resemble a scene from 'The Last of Us'? No.

I regularly use Hotel Indigo and never had any problems being attacked by drug ravaged zombies.

As for the kids, how about Ninja Warrior. Plenty of places to explore outside like Caerphilly Castle etc if you got a car?

Saturday night can be a scene mind with piissed up hordes rolling around St. Mary's Street, unless you're participating in it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

Went down a rabbit hole of WOL articles implying that Queen Street has become a zombieland full of drug abusers. Was planning on staying at the Hilton because of easy access to Greggs etc. for breakfast.

Is town really as bad as it seems? Even in the day? There were people in the comments saying they don't bring their kids there and I'm bringing my 3 and 7 year olds.

Would you stay in town or down the Bay? Any advice other than "grow up" from J R Hartley?

I only have a few days and will be meeting family mostly but any places you'd recommend bringing the young ones? Hoping to have them fall in love with the city. I saw Techniquest is still about.

---

One thing youll learn very quickly is that the WOL comments section regulars are utter loonies.(for the mosy part).

There was some bloke on there a couple of days ago blaming the behaviour of todays youngsters on the Senedd banning smacking.

Id rather come across the odd homeless person or druggie than the WOL comments section regular.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hilts

One thing youll learn very quickly is that the WOL comments section regulars are utter loonies.(for the mosy part).

There was some bloke on there blaming the behaviour of todays youngsters on the Senedd banning smacking.

Id rather come across the odd homeless person or druggie than the WOL comments section regular.

---

:hehe:

No offence, but if you're prioritising your hotel on it's convenience for a 'Greggs breakfast', then ,well !
Dozens of excellent, independent cafes and restaurants that would serve you up a wonderful breakfast in far nicer surroundings. Where for lunch, Subway ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish

No offence, but if you're prioritising your hotel on it's convenience for a 'Greggs breakfast', then ,well !
Dozens of excellent, independent cafes and restaurants that would serve you up a wonderful breakfast in far nicer surroundings. Where for lunch, Subway ?

---

No offence taken!

It's more like 12-13 years not ten. Yes I'm travelling 7,000 miles for a steak bake and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm sure I'll get to the independent cafes too. Any you'd recommend? Pontcanna looks great nowadays!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

No offence taken!

It's more like 12-13 years not ten. Yes I'm travelling 7,000 miles for a steak bake and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm sure I'll get to the independent cafes too. Any you'd recommend? Pontcanna looks great nowadays!

---

Pontcanna is OK but you'll need your English/Welsh phrase book. Try walking St Mary Street, the Arcades, some great breakfasts there. Think the old Sasparella bar does breakfasts - had lunch there and was v. Good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish

No offence, but if you're prioritising your hotel on it's convenience for a 'Greggs breakfast', then ,well !
Dozens of excellent, independent cafes and restaurants that would serve you up a wonderful breakfast in far nicer surroundings. Where for lunch, Subway ?

---

And Chippy Lane for dinner?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish

Pontcanna is OK but you'll need your English/Welsh phrase book. Try walking St Mary Street, the Arcades, some great breakfasts there. Think the old Sasparella bar does breakfasts - had lunch there and was v. Good.

---

The best breakfast for both taste and value in town used to be a cafe called "Spud's". It was near to Sam's bar on the Hayes.
Owned by a London guy, very friendly, very clean and quick service on large plates.
Long gone now, no doubt.

Breakfast, I think I read Pillars does breakie :thumbup: you might find Tuerto sat in the corner :thumbup:

Seriously, We were in Cardiff for a gig, yes it was a Friday night, I will admit, town has deteriated massively imho, loads of homeless ( and the unsightly scenes they bring ), but the main issue for us was the pissed / coked up blokes, they all looked like they wanted to fight anyone ( the vibe was very edgy ), then we add the girls, completely wasted, staggering around and falling over, the sad thing was, this was about 10.00 - 10.30, so not massively late
maybe its my age, but it was never that bad imho

There seem to be 3 main places where some of those less fortunate seem to congregate.
Queen St around Greggs and the Nye Bevan statue, St John Church, and about 3/4 of the way down St Mary Street.
Don't let that put you off though as the electric bikes are far more of a danger to anyone of any age. There's also plenty of brilliant places to eat especially in the market and the old arcades.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

Went down a rabbit hole of WOL articles implying that Queen Street has become a zombieland full of drug abusers. Was planning on staying at the Hilton because of easy access to Greggs etc. for breakfast.

Is town really as bad as it seems? Even in the day? There were people in the comments saying they don't bring their kids there and I'm bringing my 3 and 7 year olds.

Would you stay in town or down the Bay? Any advice other than "grow up" from J R Hartley?

I only have a few days and will be meeting family mostly but any places you'd recommend bringing the young ones? Hoping to have them fall in love with the city. I saw Techniquest is still about.

---

If you can stick to the Bay, then do it. It's almost a complete chav-free zone unlike the city centre, which I hate going into during the evening these days. Now that is chav central

I’d skip town and stay down the bay mate
Depending on your budget there’s the travelodge or a more up market Future inns to the Exchange Hotel or the five star St David’s
The Bay is like being on holiday abroad with ample things to do
You could even take a meandering boat ride which moors in Bute Park alongside the castle
The city centre by day is fantastic with retail therapy for the ladies and even a round of golf in st David’s if you felt inclined
Cardiff indoor market is fast becoming a foodie Mecca if you fancy something to eat and if you wanted a cheap excursion day look no further than St Fagans Museum
It would suit all ages and was voted the best free excursion in the UK
Hope this helps
Enjoy your trip home and hopefully you manage to see Rambo’s return ⚽️

Cheers all, appreciate it!

Hopefully doing Preston away, WBA home and I can't bloody wait :ayatollah:

techniquest is fine for younger kids as well, there's plenty they won't understand but they can just play with the water or look at the dinosaur screen etc

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjk

techniquest is fine for younger kids as well, there's plenty they won't understand but they can just play with the water or look at the dinosaur screen etc

---

His favourite, that's that sorted then :thumbup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

Went down a rabbit hole of WOL articles implying that Queen Street has become a zombieland full of drug abusers. Was planning on staying at the Hilton because of easy access to Greggs etc. for breakfast.

Is town really as bad as it seems? Even in the day? There were people in the comments saying they don't bring their kids there and I'm bringing my 3 and 7 year olds.

Would you stay in town or down the Bay? Any advice other than "grow up" from J R Hartley?

I only have a few days and will be meeting family mostly but any places you'd recommend bringing the young ones? Hoping to have them fall in love with the city. I saw Techniquest is still about.

---

Stay somewhere else because Cardiff by night these days is utter shite

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Bloop

There seem to be 3 main places where some of those less fortunate seem to congregate.
Queen St around Greggs and the Nye Bevan statue, St John Church, and about 3/4 of the way down St Mary Street.
Don't let that put you off though as the electric bikes are far more of a danger to anyone of any age. There's also plenty of brilliant places to eat especially in the market and the old arcades.

---

Yes the market has some decent eateries these days, will be even more soon when they revamp it, shame it’s not open into the evening with a bar or two, even Newport market opens late now. Surprised the council haven’t tried to sweep up the homeless like they have in Newport and Bristol where they appear to have disappeared :shrug: or possibly all come here. If you’re out late pm or early eve it’s so busy you tend not to notice them so much like early am….not sure what town is like after 11pm as not had to suffer it for about 8 yrs now I think.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

His favourite, that's that sorted then :thumbup:

---

in that case Dan yr ogof caves also if you have a car.

there was a dinosaur thing in one of the parks recently but I think that's moved on elsewhere now

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HiVis

Stay somewhere else because Cardiff by night these days is utter shite

---

it's fine, there's probably less normal people going out, and the same number of homeless and drugged up people so it seems like there's more.

Stay in nice guest house oe Beverly Cathedral Road . Close to park for kids . Short walk into City via sophia parks . AwY from the crap and it is crap .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjk

it's fine, there's probably less normal people going out, and the same number of homeless and drugged up people so it seems like there's more.

---

That may be true, but my comment is that Cardiff is a shit night out, and you're not going to change my mind. The bars are dross, the music scene is contemptible at best, and there are no decent clubs at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HiVis

That may be true, but my comment is that Cardiff is a shit night out, and you're not going to change my mind. The bars are dross, the music scene is contemptible at best, and there are no decent clubs at all.

---

ah yeah I'm not going to disagree entirely there

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

Went down a rabbit hole of WOL articles implying that Queen Street has become a zombieland full of drug abusers. Was planning on staying at the Hilton because of easy access to Greggs etc. for breakfast.

Is town really as bad as it seems? Even in the day? There were people in the comments saying they don't bring their kids there and I'm bringing my 3 and 7 year olds.

Would you stay in town or down the Bay? Any advice other than "grow up" from J R Hartley?

I only have a few days and will be meeting family mostly but any places you'd recommend bringing the young ones? Hoping to have them fall in love with the city. I saw Techniquest is still about.

---

You'll be disappointed, between Cardiff City Council and Drakefords government town especially is turning into a right sh!thole.

Remember it's 20 mph with Cameras everywhere, one lane in as most lanes are now for either bus which use them once an hour or so or cycle lanes which are used about twice a day unless one of the cyclists is off, then once a day. Western Ave is 30mph and is generating hundreds of tickets an hour so be careful there.

Once you finally crawl into the Bay, it's not too bad and much better than town.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carl Dale's Mole

No offence taken!

It's more like 12-13 years not ten. Yes I'm travelling 7,000 miles for a steak bake and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm sure I'll get to the independent cafes too. Any you'd recommend? Pontcanna looks great nowadays!

---

The posh cafes in Pontcanna, will charge you £25 for breakfast (tea/coffee not included), then you’ll have to go to Greggs afterwards because you’ll still be hungry

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HiVis

That may be true, but my comment is that Cardiff is a shit night out, and you're not going to change my mind. The bars are dross, the music scene is contemptible at best, and there are no decent clubs at all.

---

Many in the Tom Jones concert last night just wanted to get wasted. It was as if Tom was background music to their chat and evening out. Strange.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish

No offence, but if you're prioritising your hotel on it's convenience for a 'Greggs breakfast', then ,well !
Dozens of excellent, independent cafes and restaurants that would serve you up a wonderful breakfast in far nicer surroundings. Where for lunch, Subway ?

---

The best breakfast i've had was at the Millenium Hilton in BKK. why not just eat Hiltons breakfast

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HiVis

Stay somewhere else because Cardiff by night these days is utter shite

---

Stay at the Village hotel Junction 32 and go to the Fino Lounge Whitchurch for Breakfast.

In my humble opinion, the best cafe/cooked breakfast, I’ve experienced in the 60 yrs I’ve lived in Cardiff, was the Busy Bee in Canton. Alas, it closed yonks ago.

Town is fine. What normally changes is us. People who say it's not like it was may be right or they may be looking at it as an older person and comparing it to when they were younger.

I love a night out in town. It could be better. It does lack a really good respected club and there is a lack of diversity in terms of pubs..but it's a good laugh.

The issue is more some daytime's. The council and WG's policies on home working, coupled with changes to the roads make getting into Cardiff harder and some day times are pretty quiet and it is sad to see.

But I would only encourage people to come into the city centre and enjoy it. I very rarely see any trouble at all.

There is an issue with drugs, beggars and the homeless, that cannot be denied, but I think there always has been and it's the case in loads of places. It's certainly nothing like I saw in Paris last year and people still go there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by North Cardiff Blue

You'll be disappointed, between Cardiff City Council and Drakefords government town especially is turning into a right sh!thole.

Remember it's 20 mph with Cameras everywhere, one lane in as most lanes are now for either bus which use them once an hour or so or cycle lanes which are used about twice a day unless one of the cyclists is off, then once a day. Western Ave is 30mph and is generating hundreds of tickets an hour so be careful there.

Once you finally crawl into the Bay, it's not too bad and much better than town.

---

One in three towns,cities in the UK have this limit.
So it is not just Drakefords folly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesWales

Town is fine. What normally changes is us. People who say it's not like it was may be right or they may be looking at it as an older person and comparing it to when they were younger.

I love a night out in town. It could be better. It does lack a really good respected club and there is a lack of diversity in terms of pubs..but it's a good laugh.

The issue is more some daytime's. The council and WG's policies on home working, coupled with changes to the roads make getting into Cardiff harder and some day times are pretty quiet and it is sad to see.

But I would only encourage people to come into the city centre and enjoy it. I very rarely see any trouble at all.

There is an issue with drugs, beggars and the homeless, that cannot be denied, but I think there always has been and it's the case in loads of places. It's certainly nothing like I saw in Paris last year and people still go there.

---

I’ve wondered over the last few years if it’s an age thing, like you say, and some of the sad states you see some of the homeless in, is because you notice it more as you get older

I’m not 100% convinced, it does seem to be worse in recent years.

In answer to the op, I still think Cardiff is one of the nicest cities you can go to and certainly somewhere I’d feel safe, just not without it’s problems like any city

This thread is useful for me as I'm visiting for the first time in ages early in the new year and was wondering where to stay with young kids.

I too am looking forward to Greggs. Specifically the sausage rolls. Although I believe pies are superior in Australia, sausage rolls are not. Over here the default meat is beef and if you do find a pork one, it's always something too fancy. Pork & fennel etc and the pastry is too dry. If my memory serves me correctly, Greggs was always the perfect balance of grease and crispness.

Also a couple of football related questions. Does anyone know if Ligue 1 in France has a winter break? I'm also going to be in France and might go to a game, if it doesn't. And do we automatically start the FA cup in round three? One of the weekends I'm in the UK is the third round 'proper'.