The Big Sleep Hotel, Cardiff

Bute Terrace, Glamorgan, Cardiff, CF10 2FE
4

A designer but affordable hotel, voted "one of the 25 coolest hotels in the world by Conde Nast Traveller. The hotel The Big Sleep is extremely well located i... more

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£ Rooms from £45 (≈ $82) per night
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8/10 Overall rating

Category Average Rating
8/10 Check-in process
8/10 Your room
8/10 Working order of facilities / equipment
8/10 Order and cleanliness of the hotel
7/10 Performance of staff
8/10 Overall experience
8/10 Overall value for money
  • 7/10 J ( Young couple) 

    from Plymouth , GB  on  August 28, 2008

    "let down badly by the bed " (97031213)

    closeness to city centre

    biggest let down was the bed..... very uncomfortable - cheap mattress where you felt every spring and very squeaky

  • 4/10 James ( Mature couple) 

    from Swansea , GB  on  August 28, 2008

    "would not stay again for that price" (97576088)

    good location/clean

    no parking notices up in room advertising rooms at less than half the price we paid no control over room temp and bar closed

  • 6/10 Phil ( Group of work colleagues) 

    from Narberth , GB  on  August 28, 2008

    Shower did not work properly and no hot water

  • 8/10 Matt ( Young couple) 

    from Shrewsbury , GB  on  August 26, 2008

    "Overall we enjoyed our stay especially because the hotel was in such a great location. Although there were some technical faults with the room they did not ruin the stay although it would have been better without these faults. " (107131222)

    Great breakfast, nice room, excellent location, helpful staff.

    The tap in the bathroom only gave hot water, the light above the bed did not work, the website said that there were pay-per-view movies but they have changed the system and these were no longer available. Also, main light flickered.

  • 3/10 Chris ( Mature couple) 

    from Chester , GB  on  August 26, 2008

    "Never again" (107170123)

    Breakfast

    Car clamped, towed away and impounded

  • 9/10 J b ( Young couple) 

    from Bridgend , GB  on  August 25, 2008

    clean and tidy rooms

    lifts are terrible and small and slow and parking is horrendous had to pay to park in a ncp after reading that it was free

  • 8/10 Wendy ( Young couple) 

    from Nottingham , GB  on  August 23, 2008

    "Very conveniently placed, 30mins walk to all places of interest such as The Bay, Castle and the wonderfully individual,oldstyle shopping arcades. Major building works in Cardiff didn't interfere with our leisure break. The Bay is a lovely place to al fresco on a Friday/Saturday evening" (108041208)

    very convenient, less than 30mins walk to the bay, the castle and the wonderful shopping sector

    the towels and bedding were spotlessly clean but worn out. No mini bar.

  • 7/10 Michael ( Mature couple) 

    from Buckley , GB  on  August 18, 2008

    "Very good value and good location." (107244180)

    Very helpful and friendly staff. Made my wife and I feel like valued customers.

    Electric kettle in room was LETHAL. Some previous occupant had wrapped silver foil around the fuse in the plug. This could have caused electric shock, fire or in worst case explosion. Luckily I was an electrician and noticed the loose plug top. Staff replaced the item immediately on being notified.

  • 5/10 Jennifer ( Solo leisure traveller) 

    from Morley , GB  on  August 16, 2008

    "I was disapointed for the price I had to pay" (107195654)

    A hotel maid knocked on the door at 8:30 am and came right in- if I had been asleep, I would have been very frightened. This is completely inappropriate when the check out is 10:30. I was also told when I checked it the total price was 196 but had to explain it was 98 for the 2 night stay, not 98 per night- but it gave me another scare. I also didn't like having to buzz reception to be let into the building- can't there be a key card to let you in? The room was fine, but not plush in any way- very bare bones. I found the walls to be quite thin too and heard other rooms quite clearly. The doors in the hallways also slam shut, waking me numerous times.

  • 8/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  August 14, 2008

    car parking !!!!

  • 4/10 Anonymous ( Young couple) 

    on  August 2, 2008

    "For a Budget Hotel needs to improve overall standards. For the price you pay you fell like you need a little bit more value for money." (107198416)

    Clean and well lit room. Breakfast was resonable

    Parking at the Hotel was very cramped it looked like it shared parking with a local company. Location of the reception when you have to walk up a badly light ramp to the Car Park to be identified before your let in to the hotel is a very bad idea. No access to Cold Water in our room and the Water cooler on our floor was also not providing cold water. Bedding was inadequate

  • 9/10 Jacqueline ( Group of work colleagues) 

    from Haverfordwest , GB  on  July 26, 2008

    "Recommended by friends and was not disappointed. " (108023042)

  • 7/10 Arkadiusz ( Young couple) 

    from Birmingham , GB  on  July 22, 2008

    PARKING!!!

  • 7/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  July 19, 2008

    Price, Location

    Noisy

  • 7/10 Anonymous ( Young couple) 

    on  July 14, 2008

    Bed was very poor with almost every spring being felt. Parking was extremely limited.

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Solo leisure traveller) 

    on  July 14, 2008

    "Really enjoyed it, thank you." (108060402)

    The excellent views and the cool decor. Friendly staff.

    Variable water pressure from bathroom / kitchinette taps could be frustrating. A little extra soundproofing between rooms and corridor would be welcome next time the hotel is revamped - it was not really noisy, just a little below average hotel soundproofing.

  • 5/10 Melanie ( Young couple) 

    from Halesowen , GB  on  July 8, 2008

    "Disappointing " (108010872)

    Breakfast was good and the option to take things away helped those on the move

    Bed extremely hard and uncomfortable so a resless night's sleep. The residents bar smelt like the toilets - not very enticing to stay for a drink

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Young couple) 

    on  July 8, 2008

    "The location was central to Cardiff. Hotel was clean, room was spacious as stated. Included breakfast was good value, and altogether a positive experience." (108052787)

  • 7/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  July 4, 2008

    "Dissapointing" (97446540)

    Close to city centre and train station

    Ugly building. Messy and ugly part of town. Bleak interior decor, nasty colour schemes. Hot water not working efficiently. One iron not working.

  • 9/10 Bonnie ( Mature couple) 

    from Toronto,ontario , CA  on  July 2, 2008

    "overall enjoyed the stay." (97212043)

    Rooms were clean, staff was very helpful and breakfast was very good.

    Missed two wake-up calls. One did not come and the other was late.

  • 8/10 Anonymous ( Group of work colleagues) 

    on  July 2, 2008

    "on the basis of the cost of the stay, the standard of service and accomodation was very good." (108033772)

    clean rooms, everything in working order, clean breakfast room and reasonably good choice of breakfast food.

    a little slow at check-in, room service arrived too late, no cold drinking water in rooms only in dispenser located at central hallway

  • 6/10 Helen ( Group of work colleagues) 

    from Ceredigion , GB  on  June 29, 2008

    cleanliness of the room ws very good,breakfast good,staff polite,

    bar not open till 6pm,no tea makin facility in room,

  • 8/10 Colin ( Solo business traveller) 

    from Oswestry , GB  on  June 27, 2008

    "Always pleasant to stay there." (97065896)

    Friendly staff, clean,pleasant rooms. Good breakfast.Good value.

    As always impossible to get cold water out of taps. Parking difficult. No kettle in room.

  • 7/10 Anonymous ( Family with older children) 

    on  June 24, 2008

    "I'll come again" (97045992)

    Amazing view of Cardiff from the room,comfy bed, big size room nice breakfast,we were allowed to eat take away food in the room

    Staff was a bit rude and not helpful at all

  • 10/10 Ann lesley ( Mature couple) 

    from Nr mold , GB  on  June 3, 2008

    "We had a really enjoyable stay with you well done - when next in Cardiff we will be staying with you.Loved the size of the rooms. Many thanks" (97888138)

    Very clean, excellent staff spot on description on your website. Good location fo City centre.

    Poor car parking at the hotel itself but good arrangement with NCP just around orner.

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Young couple) 

    on  June 2, 2008

    "great, if i ever go to another event in the area il use the hotel again" (97727209)

    great staff, very accomadating

    price seemed a bit high for the basic room it was, but still very good

  • 8/10 Anne ( Mature couple) 

    from Derry , GB  on  May 30, 2008

    handy to the international arena

    the noise of 2 girls fighting in the next room boards in bed gave away with me and i hurt my back tapson bath akward to get at tv to small hard to see where positioned

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Group of adult friends) 

    on  May 29, 2008

    Clean and excellent value for money - we paid £45 for a twin

    Check out was too early - 10am

  • 10/10 Gordon ( Mature couple) 

    from Bury st edmunds , GB  on  May 21, 2008

    "Excellent value would stay here again. Well done active hotels for finding this for me!!!" (97352571)

    Excellent hotel location, nice large corner room, breakfast basic but good and plentiful, staff on reception were very good.

    If you dont like blue - avoid this hotel, lifts could be more plentiful and faster.

  • 4/10 Karen ( Solo leisure traveller) 

    from Derby , GB  on  May 18, 2008

    "I have previously stayed at different hotels and paid a lot less money for them compared with the Big Sleep. Overall I found it particuarly grim. The hotel stated that there were parking facilities avilable, but I had to park in an NCP car park at a 'reduced rate' of £7.00. I think there may have been a total of 10 parking spaces available. Obviously this was an on-cost to the stay. The curtains in the room were dirty and the bathroom was not too clean, marks in the sink. In cardiff there was plenty of choice of hotels and I chose the wrong one. I deliberately opted to pay a bit more, expecting a better class of hotel but this particular experience was not the case." (97863589)

    Nothing

    The accommodation was very basic for the price paid, it was not comfortable, not welcoming, the bed extremely uncomfortable, curtains were grimy, bathroom sink not very clean.

  • 4/10 Anonymous ( Family with older children) 

    on  May 16, 2008

    "I believe that the hotel is hyped up in terms of what it has to offer from a cutting edge design angle. I was expecting it to be more interesting, light, sharper and different." (97888987)

    proximity to town centre

    lack of air conditioning or a window that could open to help with air circulation.

  • 9/10 Robert ( Other) 

    from Maidenhead , GB  on  May 15, 2008

    "Sadly on the Sunday we had to leave the hotel before breakfast at 8. The breakfast on Monday at 7 was more than adequate and we liked the water cooler on every floor. Our one was virtually outside our door. There was no free parking available on the Saturday as we arrived late in the day. It was Ok on the Sunday morning so we were able to moe the car from the 7 pounds a day NCP car park. The hotel does give a discouted rate and I think it is 12 pounds without the discount. Overall a very pleasant experience." (97009761)

    It was clean and relatively quiet. The double glazing worked as did the TV remote and kettle. The shower was good.

    Nothing. It was all good.

  • 8/10 Anonymous ( Same sex couple) 

    on  May 11, 2008

    "It was ok for the money be back soon" (97288095)

    Big room

    No windoors toilet not flushing

  • 5/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  May 6, 2008

    "the hotel was adequate as we were only over to see a cocert in the cia arena and spent most of the time out of the room.would i book again? probably not" (97676464)

    it was clean

    the entrance to the hotel is strange to say the least. the taps where those ones with buttons on them, hence after fiddling for ten 10 mins to get cold water i had to give up and clean my teeth with warm water. the interior decor was also strange, the curtain material was a grey furry affair?? dosent affect the stay but you cant help commenting on them

  • 10/10 Matthew ( Solo business traveller) 

    from Irby , GB  on  May 5, 2008

    "Funky hotel, clean and bright nice location." (97071578)

    Funky digs

    Full parking had to use nearby NCP which was subsidized by hotel but still cost added 7 quid

  • 6/10 Yen ting ( Young couple) 

    from Manchester , GB  on  May 5, 2008

    "Reasonable price but do not expect too much." (97927648)

    Great location.

    Room for staying is not as the pics on the website exactly.Poor breakfast and inconvenient to reach to reception.

  • 6/10 Kathryn ( Same sex couple) 

    from Swansea , GB  on  May 4, 2008

    "I would have liked to have been advised of the non smoking policy, as I requested smoking in my search options and this room was included in that list. The parking facilities were very poor and we had to stay in a local NCP as a result (although discounted price it was still a charge I was not expecting)." (97308752)

    It was proximate to the event I attended in Cardiff, as it was booked for that purpose. The Freeview facilities were excellent. The breakfast option was excellent.

    Constantly travelling between the ground floor and the 9th floor (room location) in order to have a cigarette. There were not tea/ coffee facilities in the room, the wall heater did not work.

  • 7/10 Anonymous ( Solo business traveller) 

    on  May 2, 2008

    "the hotel looks good on the website, but when you see it in 'the fleash' it has retained a look of an office block. There was not mch character or atmosphere. the fact that I had to use the intercom every time i wanted to enter the building added to the office feel. However staff were cuteous throughout my stay and the room was clean and very comfortable." (97791600)

    minimal, clean

    took awhile for the heating system to warm the room. There was no dvd player

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  April 29, 2008

    "Overall the room was very pleasant and excellent value for money. Booking online with travelsupermarket.com saved us £19.00 on booking direct. The main disappointment for us was the breakfast room which was like a canteen in appearance. The tea and coffee was in pre-heated urns which meant it was luke warm and not fresh. I think it would have been better if fresh tea and coffee could be served. excellent location for a visit to Cardiff." (97393409)

    The , reception staff on arrival were lovely and friendly

    The curtainsdlooked as if they needed a wash and the heated towel rail did not work.

  • 8/10 Melanie ( Solo business traveller) 

    from Coventry , GB  on  April 21, 2008

    location

    Lack of parking

  • 8/10 Charlotte ( Same sex couple) 

    from Coventry , GB  on  April 21, 2008

    "More details about the limited parking, some parking available was not informative enough. Staff were very friendly and helpful. The breakfast was excellent, relaxed and good value. My only suggestion would be a working extractor in the bathroom as it got extremely steamy." (97598717)

    Simple but clean and comfortable. Location was good.

    Parking is poor

  • 8/10 Anonymous ( Solo business traveller) 

    on  April 19, 2008

    "Overall pleasant experience" (97671515)

    Very Modern, Nice Size Room. With Good Flatscreen Sony TV and multiple freeview channels

  • 5/10 Sophie ( Solo business traveller) 

    from Canterbury , GB  on  April 15, 2008

    "Booked the hotel due to reviews and value for money, overall not impressed with my stay or service afterwards. As a business traveller my company paid for my room in advance by BACS transfer but there was no record of this when I checked in and the reception staff did not make any effort to find out. This then came to a head when they charged my credit card for the room! The hotel is not the height of luxury but for £69 a night you can get a much more comfortable room in a Premier Inn or Travelodge. The concept of the hotel is good and proximity to city centre was useful but I wont be staying in a Big Sleep again" (97979004)

    Proximity to city centre

    Bathroom light didn't work so had to shower in the dark, uncomfortable bed, walls are paper thin so could hear the couple next door word for word and woke up in the morning bitten (bed bugs?)

  • 8/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  June 23, 2008

    "Unfortunately it was not a very good experience as we were coming to a funeral, and the fact that you could not walk straight into the reception off the street was immediately off-putting. However once we got used to that, the slowness of the lifts, the noisiness throughout the night from other doors banging, it was not too bad." (97516728)

    The reception staff were extremely helpful and the breakfast was excellent. The rooms were very clean.

    The room did not have a very 'friendly' feel, the fan was not working and the doors in the corridors banged when people came to bed all through the night so the name Big Sleep Hotel was not very apt. The lifts were very slow.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Mature couple) 

    on  June 23, 2008

    "very good" (97545695)

    good spacious room

    parking restrictions

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 5/10 Alison ( Young couple) 

    from Barnsley , GB  on  June 16, 2008

    light fitting in bathroom continually flickered, which was very annoying! The curtains were mucky.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 9/10 Anonymous ( Solo leisure traveller) 

    on  June 15, 2008

    "I would say i did have a great time, i was very at ease with the whole set-up even after one night!The staff were great and very helpful with my questions about the local area." (97656867)

    I did find it easily from the train station,and it was not too far a walk to! Also where i was so high up i didn't hear the traffic at night.

    I suspose not having a resturant open for meals in the evening would of been better.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 4/10 Anonymous ( Young couple) 

    on  June 9, 2008

    "Overall the hotel is good i have stayed at this hotel in the past and didnt have any problems." (97175341)

    Good retro/modern feel to the hotel good location.

    Slightly expensive and my girlfriend was in the shower in the morning a member of staff knocked on the door said there was water leaking in to the rooms underneath and asked if he could go in to have a look at the the problem i had to ask my girlfriend if she would get out of the shower, she did so but wasnt happy about it, i then let the member of staff in who then just felt the celing to say it was damp which you wouldnt expect it to be if someone has been in the shower would you!

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 8/10 Janet ( Group of work colleagues) 

    from Paignton devon , GB  on  June 3, 2008

    "other than beds very good" (97292648)

    beds were very lumpy and hard did not get a lot of sleep

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 9/10 Teresa ( Group of work colleagues) 

    from Hungerford , GB  on  June 3, 2008

    "Room lovely, breakfast satisfying, staff very attebntive adn helpful." (97548468)

    room was very clean and comfortable with lovely ensuite.

    Bed in room was faulty but another room was offered within 10 minutes.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful:

The views expressed on this page are the personal opinions of guests and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of Active Hotels, Active Reservations or our distribution partners (About our hotel reviews).

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