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 centre's
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 to name a few 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 and Penderyn Whisky, the only
whisky produced in Wales. Then of course there are our
wonderful Welsh cakes.
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 papering 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, Vale of Glamorgan 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 Duu lodge which
nestles nicely at the foot of the Breacon Bracons.