Having read some of the "negative" reviews about The Old Cross Hotel I felt I should add mine which is based upon a personal experience extending over 20 years.

The exterior of the Hotel gives a sense of character and that is repeated in the ambience inside. But that charm has not stopped the Hotel from offering clean and "more than adequate" facilities in the rooms. I have complimented the Staff on their succes in keeping the Hotel redecorated and fresh for each season.

If anyone is looking for a modern place to stay with a boring layout of identical rooms only differentiated by the number on the door, then the Old Cross will not appeal to them.

I have always found the Staff to be friendly and helpful as they do their best to make every guest feel valued. The food is excellent and the rooms kept spotlessly clean. What more is needed?

Over the last few years I have been able to make the journey from Essex to St Davids twice a year and always stay at the Old Cross. I hope that format will continue for some time yet.

I would heartily recommend the place to anyone.

David Essex

This was the second time we have stayed in the Old Cross - I have an affection for the place, and St Davids is a wonderful little city, but I have to agree with some of the comments about the interior and the price - it really is ridiculous to pay so much.

Good points: brilliant location in the middle of town, generally very friendly and helpful staff, decent sized and equipped rooms, clean, food fairly good.

Bad points: the hardest beds in creation; if you have a room facing the front in summer you will be disturbed by noisy youths revelling around the Old Cross (really annoying to be woken up every night); when we stayed the young man behind the front desk was kind of weird - no smile, no eye contact, no nothing. And why did they build on the pretty garden they used to have at the back?

Not a good experience.

Couldn't wait to get away from here. While the location in the centre of St David's is good and the exterior of the hotel looks OK, the interior is dated and depressing.

The whole place has a tired and dated feel to it - the wallpaper and curtains seem to be from the 1970's. Carpets are worn and the walls are thin (at least in our corridor anyway). The bedside radio was a cheap 1980's portable - likewise the TV. The bathroom was particularly drab although the plumbing worked OK - noisy extractor fan though.

The dining room is not a place to linger. The quality of the food is just about average although quantities are good. Some items on the main and dessert menus not available on the night we stayed. Service was good from the young waiting staff, less so from reception staff.

This is overpriced at £105.00 a night. We note that the AA rate it as 2 star - just about reaches that level in our view. The Welsh Tourist Board rate it as 3 star - against what criteria we wonder? Have they actually stayed there - or even more worrying, is this representative of other 3 star hotels in Wales!

This hotel needs to be completely refurbished to meet current standards. The highlight of our stay was leaving - we won't be back.

The hotel looks great from the outside but inside could do with updating. We stayed in a triple bedded ensuite room as the family room was not available. There was plenty of room for the two of us and our 6 year old daughter. The room and bathroom were very clean and had basic facilities (TV, Tea and Coffee, Hairdryer etc)
On booking in we were told that as guest we could eat in the Al a Carte restaurant for £20 per head (excluding drinks) adults and £5.75 per child. As it was late evening when we arrived and a bank holiday weekend we thought we'd give it a go. There was limited choice on the menu and the prices were too high for the quality of food presented. The meals that were being taken through the to the bar area looked for better quality and value for money.
The bar at the hotel is very small with little atmosphere and limited range. I'd recommend 'The Bench' bar and restaurant at the top of the hill or 'The Farmers Arms' public House further down the hill. You defiantly need to make a reservation for the Bench and arrive early for a table at the Farmers Arms.

The hotel is centrally located and the guest only parking was a god send as the street parking on the one way system was challenging. If you simply need a base from which to explore this beautiful part of Wales then the Old Cross Hotel is for you but as for food and frills I would go else where.