The Gwaelod y Garth Inn
A traditional inn with a games room and live music
About this hotel
The Gwaelod y Garth Inn offers family rooms with private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, work desks and free toiletries, alongside a traditional family-friendly restaurant serving British and local cuisine with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. The on-site bar provides a relaxed atmosphere for evening drinks, and a terrace, outdoor seating area, games room and live music give plenty to do without leaving the property. Bicycle parking and bike hire are available too, plus free on-site private parking for families arriving by car. The property sits ten kilometres from Cardiff University and eleven from Cardiff Castle, with Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Airport both around 27 kilometres out, positioning it as a quieter, more village-feel base outside the busiest part of the city.
- Games room and live music
- Free private parking
- Bicycle hire on site
Our take
This suits families wanting a traditional pub-inn atmosphere with genuine entertainment on site, from live music to a games room for a rainy afternoon. The distance from the centre means a car is essential here, so families without one should look at a more central option elsewhere in this guide instead.
- ✓Use the games room on a wet-weather afternoon rather than forcing an outdoor activity in bad conditions.
- ✓Check the live music schedule in advance if an evening out at the inn's own bar appeals to your family.
- ✓Factor the roughly eleven-kilometre drive to Cardiff Castle into your daily pool-day planning ahead of time.
Why we love it
- Games room and live music
- Free on-site private parking
- Restaurant covers dietary needs
- Bicycle hire available
Why guests love itThe games room saved us on a genuinely rainy afternoon that would otherwise have wrecked the day, and the kids didn't even ask to go back to the pool once they got started on it. Free parking meant the eleven-kilometre drive into Cardiff each day never felt like an added cost, just a bit more driving. The live music one evening was a pleasant surprise for the adults after the kids were finally down.