Since having kids, we definitely believe in the “have kids, will travel” motto. We love travelling to new places and sharing these experiences with them. However, now we’re a family of six, it’s not always as easy or affordable to find places to stay.
Sometimes we find hotels with family rooms that will accommodate us all, which is great but can be quite costly. One solution that works for us, especially during family city breaks, is to book two rooms in a budget hotel. We recently stayed at the Ibis Budget Newport Hotel. With rooms from only £29 (not to mention free parking and free WIFI) I would highly recommend these as an option for large families where there are two adults travelling.
The Ibis Budget Newport is conveniently located just off J26 of the M4. We come to Newport fairly frequently as my sister lives here. We love to see the Three Pandas on the Malpas Roundabout. Newport in Bloom presented them to the city after the popularity of the temporary floral pandas in the past.
The view from the car park shows just how close the hotel is to the M4. Don’t worry-you can’t hear it once inside the hotel. We arrived, easily found a parking space and went to check in. The staff on reception were so friendly and helpful. It was a warm welcome after a long journey.
We then took the lift up to our rooms. Our two rooms were located on the same floor and only a few rooms apart. We tend to spend all our time in one room and just part ways at bedtime. The rooms are modern but basic, which suited us fine. The triple rooms feature a double bed with a clever bunk bed overhead which is a great space saver. They also have a work desk, light, air cooling and flat screen TV.
For clothes storage there is a shelf and a clothes rail. We put our folded clothes on the shelf, hung our dresses on the rail and put shoes on the floor. Again, I love the basic, space saving design.
There is a separate shower room and toilet room with the sink unit located in between the two. This is a great way to save room. I also found this handy as I could easily oversee the usual bedtime toothbrushing without having to go into the bathroom with the kids (great as I was in lazy holiday mode!).
The only thing I always notice when I stay in an Ibis Budget, is that there is no kettle to make a hot drink in the morning. However, in the lobby there are vending machines supplying hot and cold drinks and I had a hot drink as soon as I went down to breakfast anyway so we didn’t really miss it.
Soap and towels are provided. I love the smell of these soaps!
We were all tired after a day at The Space Centre and a car journey. We found the beds really comfortable to rest on.
When we’ve arrived late at an Ibis Hotel in the past, we have managed to feed the kids with a picnic meal out of the vending machines which has been handy.
On this occasion, we arrived early enough to go to the Harvester Borderer, half a mile up the road, and met up with Ceri and Lexy for a meal before settling into our hotel. It was really nice and worth a visit if you stay here. If you prefer to eat at the hotel, fresh pizza is available 24/7 too.
In “my room”, Rebecca took the top bunk (for over 6 year olds).
Izzy shared the double with me.
In Dave’s room, Danny and Caitlyn top and tailed the bunk bed, while Dave had the double all to himself.
The free WIFI, work desk and lamp, make Ibis budget a great choice for business as well as family trips. Once the kids were settled, I could sit at the desk and do some work. The wine was reasonable to buy in the lobby. Wine glasses are available too.
A continental buffet is available each morning in a fresh modern dining room.
I treated myself to delicious pastries to start and then fruit.
After breakfast, it was time to check out. There was an easy Smart Depart Check Out Box, so we popped our card in there and thanked the staff on reception.
Our main reason for staying at Ibis Budget Newport was for Dave and Danny to have a go at Go Ape at Margam Park (39 minutes away). Unfortunately, as Danny has a heart condition and we had a very busy few days, he didn’t have the energy or concentration to take part in the high ropes. So we went to a film and meal out at Bridgend Designer Outlet (32 minutes away). We watched Inside Out and ate at Pizza Hut, then travelled home.
Other places to visit while staying at Ibus Budget Newport are the National Trust’s Tredegar House (10 minutes away), St Fagans (20 minutes away) or a visit to Newport City Centre is only 5 minutes away.
There are 500 Ibis Budget Hotels in 18 countries so you can explore further afield too as we hope to do soon.
Book Ibus Budget Newport from £29 per room, £5.50 for Breakfast.
We were guests of Accor, all opinions are our own.
We stayed in the Ibis Bristol for my hen do, it was really fab!
Lovely! We stayed at that one recently for a gig- great location! x
That is such a bargain price for a room! Although Mr C is addicted to tea so he might struggle without a kettle! 😉 x
Haha! He'll have to pack a travel kettle! 😉 x
We drive past this hotel so much but I've never actually seen inside it!It is a shame there are no kettles in the room, if I was staying there for a girls weekend this wouldn't bother me, but Spencer and I like to have a cuppa and chill in the room before bed. It is also close to Cwmbran shopping which is so much better than Newport shopping, saying that Newport is being re-done so may be worth a visit when it is finally finished!
Yeah, I'm a cuppa first thing in the morning girl too. Having to go down for my hot drink definitely helps me get down to breakfast quicker in the morning though lol. I've always heard good things about Cwmbran shopping. This would definitely be a good base for a girl's night out x
I have driven past this hotel a few times and have always wondered what it looks like inside – perfect for a pit stop of visiting some of the beautiful places in the area and looks great for families as wellLaura x
Hi, yeah we always pass it when on our travels too. Such a great location x
for a budget hotel it looks pretty decent! and a good place if you want to explore an area and just need a place to drop off your bags/sleep.
Yes, perfect for this x
Brilliant – must be a headache finding accommodation for six!