Shops, Food & Entertainment
Shop 'til you drop, then visit the spa...
As Wales capital city Cardiff is an ideal city for
shopping. Easily accessible and compact the city centre is
pedestrianised and boasts a number of modern shopping centres as well as traditional
arcades and markets. Hosting world renowned retailers
such as Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Guess, John Lewis and Abercrombie and
Finch to name a select few, Cardiff will certainly meet the needs
of the most discerning fashionista!
For those hoping to pick a bargain a visit to the
Bridgend Designer Outlet or Ebbw
Vale's Festival Park Designer Outlet will be
the perfect place to start. With outlet shops including Next,
M&S, Lacoste, Nike, Gap and many more, there is sure to be
something for the bargain hunter!
As well as the large cosmopolitan cities of Cardiff and Newport
Southern Wales also has an array of quaint villages where locals
are always on hand to offer a warm welcome. Abergavenny, Cowbridge,
and Blaenavon all offer the perfect setting for a spot of shopping
in the unique craft inspired boutiques.
As a region renowned for it's hospitality, food is certainly a
passion in Southern Wales. Across the region visitors will
find a wide variety of award winning restaurants, national chains,
good old fashion pubs and fabulous little eateries, there is
definitely something here to cater for all tastes. The Wye
Valley alone boasts two Michelin starred Restaurants, The Walnut
Tree near Abergavenny and The Crown at Whitebrook near
Monmouth.
At the forefront of becoming more green and reducing our carbon
footprint Wales offers fantastic locally produced
foods. With plenty of opportunities for visitors to sample,
ranging from Blaenavon Cheese, flavoured with all sorts of
wonderful ingredients and left to mature at the bottom of a coal
mine to the St Fagans pork sausages. Then of course there are
our wonderful Welsh cakes.
Whisky connoisseurs (or even those with just a passing interest)
should pay a visit to the Penderyn Distillery, just north of
Cardiff. This is Wales' only distillery and produces its
products using the water sourced from the natural spring on which
it sits in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
If you're looking to be entertained then there are plenty of
options with theatres across the region. As you'd expect,
Cardiff has plenty of choice with the landmark Wales Millennium
Centre hosting a wide variety of opera, ballet, musicals and comedy
while the big rock and pop bands regularly perform at the Cardiff
International Arena. Look out too for the truly big concerts
at the Millennium Stadium, where global superstars such as Madonna
and U2 have previously performed.
For those looking for some pampering particularly after climbing
one of our many mountains or pounding the streets of Cardiff
sampling the many designer stores there are many tranquil spa
havens. Hotels such as St. Davids, Celtic Manor, Park Plaza,
Holland House, the Vale and the Hilton all offer spa packages for
both him and her. More intimate settings can be found
scattered across the region such as the Nant Ddu lodge which
nestles at the foot of the Breacon Beacons.