I stayed here for the Wales v England rugby international and was quite pleased overall.

This family run Apartment building is situated right in the middle of St Mary Street and for that reason it was perfect for our needs. A 5 minute walk from the stadium and a 2minute stumble from some of the best pubs and clubs Cardiff has to offer, and as Cardiff is a 2 university city there are many to choose from.

As you will probably read from other reviews it does have its drawbacks. The stairs are quite steep, but that is expected from a building of its age. The smell from the chicken shop below it may permeate into some of the lower room, but as I was on the 4th floor I didn't notice. Finally, the decor was a bit dated but not unlivable. The noise from the workmen digging the road outside wan a minor inconvenience but that was not the fault of the hotel.

Basically, this is a family run business in a prime location that suffers a bit from the size of the building.The rooms are reasonable size but as it is in the city center, where floor space is a luxury, the halls and stairs are a little cramped.

I recommend this to anyone who would want a weekend in Cardiff for an amazingly low price, with access to the wide variety of night life.Perfect for the many sporting and musical events the city holds throughout the year.

where do i start
well the location is very good (as long as you dont drive) situated as it is in the very centre of Cardiff, BUT (and its a big but) it is also right above a smelly greasy nasty fried chicken place, the smell of which permeates the lower floors (and possibly the higher ones too, but i didnt experience those)

the room was pretty clean, but was noisy with no view and a truly awful smell if i opened the window and an "merely" awful one with it closed from the aforementioned fried chicken venue.
the room had electrical wires on show, and some of the woodwork was unpainted with the chance of giving splinters.
further to this there was some sort of mechanical device (aircon possibly ???) located by my room that made loud noises at all times of the day and night and which on occasion made the door of my room shake and make yet more noise.

i asked for a room on as low a floor as possible due to medical issues, however whilst this request was accomodated the room was right by the top of the 1st flight of (noisy, creaky) stairs, and as such i could hear yet more noise every time someone returned to or left their rooms.

whilst i was warned that the venue had no lift, i feel the need to point out that the stairs are both steep and narrow - should god forbid a fire occur i pity anyone above the 1st floor who has to try to escape.

some of this could be overlooked (well maybe a tiny bit of it) if the prices were reasonable, but no no theyre not cheap at all.

the place it seems has virtually no staff, at night it has none at all
no restaurant, indeed no facilities whatsoever
there isnt even a way of anyone coming to meet you, as if they arrived and you were in your room theres no bell, phone nor concierge etc

how this place (i hesitate to call it an actual hotel) has any stars i dont know, im even more amazed its ever passed any sort of fire or safety certificate.

tbh i wouldnt recommend this place as a kennel for your dog, let alone a place for a human being to actually stay

No parking, no service, no access, poor heating, no ventilation, soiled blankets, uncomfortable old spring beds, noisiest sited lodge in Cardiff, fire hazard, no recommendation, no value for money , definitely pick somewhere else to stay
whoever owns this property should be ashamed of themselves.

Stayed at the ML Lodge for 3 nights.

1. you need to know that the checkin is at the Sandringham Hotel across the road, so head straight for it and not lug all your bags to the ML Lodge.

2. Breakfast is also at the Sandringham - wonderful hot breakfast

3. rooms were basic, a little old but the important thing was that it was clean.

4. location is at the heart of Cardif city centre, within walking distance to the bus and train stations, the shopping, the Castle and Musuems.

5. free wifi internet at the Sandringham only.

6. oh and when i arrived at 4pm thinking i could checkin immediately (the checkin time is 3pm no?) but my room wasn't ready and had to wait 30 minutes. Not a big deal for me but just so you know.