Compare and book 3 Star hotels in Pontypool, Cardiff

Pontypool has a good selection of accommodation to cater for all travellers including elegant country hotels, business hotels, cosy Welsh B&Bs and historic inns. Budget hotel chains in the town centre are great for last-minute bookings and offer late-night restaurants, free WiFi and shuttle transport to the stations. Around Pontypool why not treat yourself to a country hotel or self-catering cottage and enjoy a proper Welsh holiday?

History and Heritage

Pontypool is a town in the county of Torfaen, which borders Monmouthshire in South Wales. It sits on the Afon Lwyd River close to the South Wales coalfields. It’s one of the earliest industrial towns in Wales and has a fascinating heritage of iron and steel production, coal mining and railway development. Its iron links date back to the 15th Century with the establishment of a furnace at Pontymoile. As with Merthyr and its two family dynasties, Pontypool grew thanks to one local family - the Hanburys. Following development of the railways and canals and the discovery of metals in the area, Pontypool continued to develop and attract workers from surrounding areas.

Take a trip to the local library if you’d like to learn more about the area’s heritage and history - old postcards, letters and newspapers give a sense of how life was before and during the Industrial Revolution.

Outdoor Activities for Families

Pontypool has a beautiful park with 150 acres to explore and enjoy. This was created by the Hanbury family, who came to the town in around 1694 and set up things for themselves and friends to enjoy. There’s a deer park and a summerhouse, which was restored in the 1830s. They also took down the old ironworks, planted more trees and created the new American Gardens in 1851.

Pontypool Park came into public ownership in 1920 so you have public tennis courts to enjoy, a bowling green and rugby ground. National festivals have taken place in the park and outdoor music is often played on the bandstand. In 1974 a ski slope and leisure centre were added.

There’s also a house in the park with a fascinating history - it belonged to nuns in the 1920s and became a girls’ boarding school and later a high school.

As is the trend with public parks in Wales, Pontypool Park also has a leisure centre with the only swimming pool in the town. Enjoy the 25-metre pool and fun slides - something for the kids to enjoy on a rainy day.

Foodie Wales

The Welsh love their food and drink and it’s a joy to find farmers’ markets, local independent restaurants and locally distilled cider and ales - proper food in the pubs, no less! Many festivals take place in the county and good food and drink is often the key attraction. Welsh cider is growing in popularity - check out Gwynt Y Ddraig, a cider company set up by two Pontypool friends. A joy to drink and they have perfect festival names like Dog Dancer and Happy Daze.

With fresh seafood, locally made produce and ales, Pontypool pubs and restaurants have plenty to offer visitors keen to experience the real thing.

Pontypool has a good choice of three star hotels and further afield in an area of outstanding natural beauty you’ll find country manor houses, historic houses, self-catering cottages and hotels in the Brecon Beacons National Park.