Going to Cardiff, what to see and do?

[Beadmum]

Dh and I are going to cardiff in 3 weeks time for a few days for our wedding anniversary. Does anyone have any recommendations of places to visit or things to do, only know there is great shops and cafes but would like to do something other than shop and eat Also good places for eating out. Thanks xx

Oh Cali, you poor traumatised thing. I was trying to find you something to cheer you up, like a news story of them laying the foundation stone for the lovely new library but I don't think you'd want a picture of Rodney Bermann.

Us Cardiff girls seem to be hijacking this thread for ourselves!

My fave eatery is a few miles outside Cardiff in Pontypridd. It's called The Bunch of Grapes. It's a spit-and-sawdust locals pub at the front, but it turns into this amazingly chic French restuarnat at the back, kind of like a tardis.

If you like quirky places there's a family-run Caribbean restaurant down the bay, on Bute St. It's tiny, like the menu, and it's like someone's front room, but the food is good, and authentic. Also, for lunch check out Cafe Minuet in the city, it's in one of the arcades. It's run by this Italian opera buff. It's tiny so get there early. Massive rustic portions.

As for days out, agree with everyone else. Just wanted to add Techniquest down the bay for kids, and if you like arty places where you can eat, watch films, and drink Belgian beers, check out Chapter Arts Centre...

Agree that Cardiff looks like a dog at the moment!

wow, lots of replies, thanks very much for all your help. Def want to visit the castle and cardiff bay (sounds lovely). we are staying in the marriott in the centre so hopefully everything will be easy to get to. pity cardiff is being done up at the moment but hasnt put us off
Le monde sounds lovely, would like to go there on our anniversary while there, after looking at their website, looks like its near our hotel. Thanks again for everyones help, cant wait until we go

I lived in Cardiff for 3 yrs while at uni so this may be a bit studenty!

If the weather is nice I wholly suggest a trip to Roath Park for a rowing boat /pedalo on the lake! It is lovely when it it sunny. You can walk in about 15/20 mins from the town centre or I think the 28 bus goes past there (check on cardiff bus website).

If you have the car with you there is Castell Coch outside of Cardiff, which I think is just a perfect romantic looking fairy castle!

Would definitely go to the bay. The Pearl of the Orient is nice. Also there is the Fortune House in Roath which his a good Chinese.

If no car you can get day passes for the buses which are pretty reasonable.

Ummm trying to think... we always headed to the Brewery Quarter for food... Hard Rock, a Thai place plus a couple of other chains. Know of LOADS of pubs outside of Cardiff though.

Can you tell I miss Cardiff? Will have to come back for a visit sometime. Has it changed massively since 2005? Is it the development near the old Primark/library?

El Puerto (over the other side of the barrage in Penarth) is owned by the same people as Le Monde ... you can get the waterbus over from Cardiff Bay - although there are stops right up as far as the castle, thinking about it!

If you go to the bay, go and have a look at the Sennedd building (Welsh Assembly) - the architecture is great! Millennium Centre looks better from the outside than inside (personal opinion!) Also while by the Millennium centre and in the Bay area in general, see if you can location spot from Torchwood - the pizza house is a real takeaway (though I don't think it has the revolving tunnel door )

There's a nice chinese place in the bay - just up Bute Street - it's called InFusion - I spotted Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson in there when they were first courting!

There's also a lovely Indian restaurant - the Cinnamon Tree - in Pontcanna.

Incidentally, I don't know who wrote about the sand park, (on the barrage), but it is accessible to the public from the Penarth end of the barrage - it's a lovely sunny day outing!

Enjoy your stay in Cardiff - the shopping is great if you stick to the arcades - and they are as lovely as they've always been!

Oooh can I join in? I've just booked us in at the Park Plaza for 2 nights in September for our 10th wedding anniversary. Dh doesn't know yet - it's his birthday tomorrow and I'm going to tell him then. It will be:

a) the first time we been away overnight without children since ds1 was born (he's 10)

b) the first time we have been back to Cardiff since we were students there (I graduated in 1991, him in 1992)

I am SO EXCITED!!!

And the rooms have internet access so if we take the lap-top I can give you a running commentary on how the weekend is going. Er...OK...maybe not

Le Monde was fab - just to reiterate for all the JohnnieComeLatelies.

Will they be finished by September?

I just want to spend the weekend walking around going "awww...do you remember when you threw up there?" and "where's the Square Club gone?" and "OMG, what have they done to the student union (and do we look too old to get in now)?" and I want to go to the park behind Park Place because I spent many happy hours there 'revising' and I want to go and see all the houses I lived in (except the one in Adamsdown - that's too far to walk) and I want a pint in the basement bar of the Angel Hotel cos that was our favourite place to drink, and maybe one in The New Ely (if it's still there) and ooh can you tell how excited I am?

Awww, how sad (about The New Ely)...I suppose it's unreasonable to expect Cardiff to have been preserved in aspic for the last 15 years.

I had some mad nights in the Angel - it used to be where all the goths, crusties etc. hung out - and the you'd get some besuited business man on a business trip coming down from the hotel via the internal door and he'd step into this kind of netherworld of really way out looking people and you'd see him trying to figure out how he'd walked down some stairs from one of the poshest hotels in Cardiff and ended up in this grungey bar There was never any trouble in there though - unlike the 'upmarket' pubs with dress codes.

Is Circles cafe still in Howell's?

Marthamoo - the restaurant at the Park Plaza is really good. Also they have a free dalek in every room at the moment .

If anyone wants to splash out a bit then Bully's in Llandaff is a fab restaurant. Really small and intimate, lovely food and the owner talks you through the menu dish by dish so you know exactly what you're getting. Not cheap though.

A free dalek! Oh wait till I tell dh that

Yep! We saw one a couple of weeks ago when we went for lunch there. They're blow-up ones and about 4ft tall!

Oh I hope they still have them when we go - it would make a great present for the kids (I did see one on their website but thought it was something to do with the Dr Who conventions they have there sometimes).

I came down to Cardiff in 1989, met dh just before he graduated in 1990 (he grabbed a fresher - just ), graduated myself in 1993, and have never left!

It's a real shame what happened to the New Ely (was only talking about that the other day with dh!) - I used to drink in the downstairs bar at the Angel too .... I may have known you in a former life!

Califrau - Sand Park is lovely to take small children to on bikes and scooters, as they can ride on the road, and it's really quiet (just the occasional road train passing through) - take a picnic, and buckets and spades, and make a day of it (we do in the holidays!) Pay & Display carpark at the barrage though ... although you do get to see the boats going through the locks as well, always a hit with small children!