Hilton,  Hotels

Our 2024 Stay At The Hilton Snowdonia (Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia)

For my mother-in-law’s birthday (as one of her presents), we decided to visit North Wales, staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia within the Adventure Parc Snowdonia complex. Having first visited in 2021 just after its opening (you can read my review here), we were interested to see how it had changed (if at all!) We paid a little over £1500 for a four-night weekend getaway with 3 rooms for 6 people and a little dog. Thanks to our Diamond status with Hilton, we enjoyed complimentary breakfast throughout our stay which was gratefully extended to all of our rooms.

Location

We drove to the hotel for this trip as with 6 people and an elderly dog we thought it would be a lot easier both for the journey and whilst in Wales. The drive from just outside London took roughly 5h 30. If you are getting the train (our preferred transport method) the hotel is about a 20 min taxi ride from Llandudno Junction station which in turn is a 3-hour direct train from London Euston. A taxi down to the hotel costs roughly £25 (we recommend pre-booking for your arrival time.) We used local company Castle Cabs on our last trip (no Ubers here!) You can use public transport but as you might know, if you’ve been to the area before, they aren’t frequent or reliable (every 1 – 2 hours.) If you do decide to get the bus it will drop you by the Post Office pretty much opposite the Hilton Snowdonia. There is also the train from Llandudno Junction to Dolgarogg but this is a much longer walk than with the bus.

Regrettably, since our last visit, the Adventure Parc Snowdonia complex has encountered numerous problems with the wave machine in the surf lagoon. Despite several repair attempts, these issues ultimately led to the park’s closure in September 2023. In early 2024 Zipworld reopened in the facilities with indoor adventures, cafe and camping pods. Despite this the complex feels dead and a whole lot less interesting without the surfing.

The hotel also has a spa attached to it called the Wave Garden Spa (more on that later in our review) you can take a look at the website for it here – https://wavegardenspa.com/

Outside of the complex, you are limited to things to do or see unless you are driving willing to spend money on taxis (as mentioned earlier the public transport options aren’t great.) Opposite the hotel is a small takeaway called FussPot food that does a variety of food (including Gluten-Free & Vegan,) a 20-minute walk away there is a Pub called Y Bedol which again has a huge selection of food (including Gluten-Free & Vegan) an extra 10 minutes from Y Bedol (turning left up the lane) is a pub called Ye Olde Bull Inn which has good views over the countryside. Outside of this Betws-y-coed & Conwy are about a 20 min drive in either direction. If you are planning on doing Velocity 2 at Zip World or Climbing Snowdon these are both about a 40-minute drive each way.

Travelling around Snowdonia

We travelled around via car (it is the easiest way to get around in Snowdonia.). Last time we travelled via train we used taxis to transport us around to Zip World, Snowdonia & Betws-y-coed. If you are going around via taxi we recommend pre-planning and book as taxi firms can get very busy, especially at peak times. On our last visit we arranged an email schedule with PR Taxis and had a great experience from start to finish. Friendly service, fair price and ran like clockwork. You can get around using public transport but you must pre-plan if using this option as the transport is nowhere near as regular as you might expect nor does it run late.

Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia

Despite booking the trip a long time in advance a few weeks before we were due to arrive we were left a voicemail stating that unfortunately they were unable to accommodate one of the room types we booked (a twin for my Partner’s brothers) and had changed it to a double with a sofa bed. We unfortunately had to kick up a little bit of a fuss to actually get it sorted (we later found out it was because a large group booking wanted the twin room we’d booked…)

Upon arrival the hotel looked exactly as I remembered it from our last trip. As you enter the check-in area is directly in front of you. To the left, you have a bar/event space as you move past this you’ll find a small shop and lifts. On the right, you have the restaurant, Zephyr’s Bar & Grill where breakfast is also served. If you pass all the way through the restaurant on the far end there is also access to the Wave Garden Spa.

Dog friendly rooms are on a specific floor so make sure you email or ring the hotel in advance to let them know. We (wrongly) assumed as it said dog friendly you could just rock up with your dog. To be fair this requirement wasn’t mentioned anywhere and they accommodated us.

A small change which seemed to be cheaping out is essentials e.g. toothbrush, razor etc that you might have forgot no longer are complimentary, you now have to purchase them from the shop. If you need something you are better off popping across the road to the small shop and getting non-travel versions.

The Room

Before arrival, all our rooms were upgraded to King rooms with a lagoon view & sofa bed from a basic Queen. Unfortunately with the closure of Surf Snowdonia you can no longer watch people surfing out the window though it’s very relaxing watching the lagoon!

If you haven’t seen our previous review or visited yourself before the layout is a little different from what you might normally expect. The bathroom/room are in a weird sort of hybrid with each other! Directly in front of you is a wardrobe, to the left is a sink/mirror on the same wall as the door and then two separate doors. Behind the first door is a toilet and behind the second door is a rainforest and normal shower combo. There is a sliding door that separates the bed/desk/chair and the ”bathroom’ side of the room. This however only goes to the wardrobe which is open/accessible from both sides, fine for partners but a little strange otherwise.

On the other half of the room, you have the king bed on the left and TV opposite at the end of the room you have a sofa bed on the left side and a chair/desk with Smeg fridge & kettle on the right. You also have lovely large windows with a view over the lagoon.

Despite the room being a dog friendly room there were no signs and the condition of everything was still very good.

The Bathroom

As mentioned above the bathroom is a sort of hybrid mixed with the room. Despite being a little odd to start having a separate toilet and mirror area it is useful when two people are getting ready. The mirror & lighting is very good & there were also Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries provided (in refillable containers as opposed to individual travel size containers on our last visit.) The shower was still great with a rainforest/regular combo shower, whilst I like it as a mini wet room its a shame there isn’t somewhere to hang a towel inside.

Room issues

I won’t go into too much details but but unfortunately one of the rooms had issues with the toilet which led to an unsatisfactory response when dealing with the front desk. This is where I feel the hotel is lacking (and has indeed gone backwards) from our first stay with some staff either unhelpful or unsure. Thankfully when escalating further with management (including the change of room issue) we received a more than satisfactory outcome.

Breakfast

As a diamond member, we was offered complimentary breakfast in the Restaurant which operates a buffet service. This was also gratefully extended to all rooms in our booking. In the restaurant, you’ll find a mixture of juices, pastries, bread, continental meats, fruit, yogurts, cereal and cooked options such as bacon, sausages and eggs etc. Whilst not as expansive as higher-end Hiltons there is still a good selection. You can also request items a la carte options (no specific menu) from the chef. One welcome change from last year was the addition of a gluten free corner with a gluten free toast machine, bread and cereals. Weather permitting you can also take breakfast outside (unfortunately it was too windy on our visit!) If you have a dog with you, you need to take a table in the bar area (which the staff will then set for you.)

Dinner At The Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia

We were comped dinner for one night of our stay (and actually ate in the hotel the next night too as we enjoyed it so much.) Dinner is in the Zephyr’s Bar & Grill (same location as breakfast), you can grab the current menu from the reception area of the hotel. There are plenty of options to accommodate allergies with items clearly marked on the menu and were willing to make adaptions to make food gluten free for me. I had a beautiful piece of gluten free battered cod and an apple and cinnamon crumble for dessert. Everyone in our party commented on how good the food was with the service excellent also.

Other Facilities

The hotel also has a small gym and a coin-operated washer/dryer room if needed.

The Wave Garden Spa At The Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia

Whilst my partner and mother-in-law visited the Wave Garden Spa this time round I didn’t. So the photos are from our last visit in 2021 but I have been told everything still looks the same!

They both booked a massage (which was rated very highly) and also gives you access to the facilities for a set amount of time which includes indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pools, steam room, Himalayan salt sauna and barrel sauna.

You are given a robe and a towel and shown to the changing rooms where you can get changed. These are quite small and if there are multiple people in them they could get very crowded! There are also shower facilities here for you to use. Once you are ready you exit the changing rooms and turn left into the actual spa…

Indoors the first thing you see is the indoor hydrotherapy pool, around here are various beds/chairs, tables and drinking water. To the left further into the spa is a foot spa, to the right, there is a small corridor with a couple of showers a steam room and a sauna with views over the lagoon.

Towards the back past the foot spas is the door to the garden of the spa. Here you will find a barrel sauna, a relaxation/yoga area, an outdoor shower, more beds and the all-important hot tub with views over the lagoon!

The cost for spa access has increased significantly since our last visit with a 2 hour visit for hotel guests now costing £35 (up from £25 peak, £20 off-peak.) If you aren’t a hotel guest a 2 hour visit is £5 more at £40. That being said it’s still probably worth it as it is a lovely little space if not too busy! Spa access is included when booking a treatment.

Find out more about the spa and the treatments on offer here – https://wavegardenspa.com/

Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia Conclusion

Whilst overall a lot of things have changed and not always for the better we still enjoyed our stay here and would come back in the future, the hard product is still good, the location is good for exploring North Wales and the food was exceptional. It’s a just a shame the soft product isn’t as seamless which is disappointing considering it was better when the hotel first opened. We originally paid a little over £1,500 for our 4-night stay and 3 rooms. Redemptions are currently priced at 40,000 points a night & cash rates start from as little as £119 a night. For more details and booking click here. – https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/vlymsgi-hilton-garden-inn-snowdonia/

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