Wales

A proud and beautiful country, Wales boasts some of the UK’s highest mountains and much of its most spectacular scenery. Most of the Welsh population live in the south of the country, with the Snowdonia National Park taking up much of the northern half of the country. The Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast in the south also offer up some unique landscapes that drive the tourism industry. The Welsh capital Cardiff and industrial city of Swansea are also in the south, while other main cities include Bangor, Wrexham and St Davids – the UK’s smallest city.

4.55
Average Location Score

Excellent

65%

Very Good

28%

Average

6%

Disappointing

0%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in Wales

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

cardiff bay in wales

Where is Wales?

Wales is a small country in the west of the United Kingdom. The English border to the east is formed by the counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

What is the population of Wales?

The population of Wales is estimated at 3.1 million for 2019. English and Welsh are both official languages, with over half a million Welsh-speakers in the country.

What are the six cities in Wales?

The six cities in Wales are Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor, St Davids, St Asaph and Newport.

Cardiff

The largest city in Wales is its capital, Cardiff. It is the eleventh largest city in the UK and houses the Senedd – the Welsh Parliament – along with the Principality Stadium and Cardiff Castle. A major tourist attraction and site of historical interest, parts of the castle date back to the 12th century, although it was constructed on the site of a 3rd century Roman fort.

The Gower in Swansea, Wales

Swansea

To the west of Cardiff lies Swansea – Wales’s second city. Famed as the birthplace of poet Dylan Thomas, the county of Swansea also takes in the Gower Peninsula and Swansea Bay. The city is home to around 250,000 people, many of whom find employment in the service sectors and at companies such as HSBC, Virgin Media and BT.

Newport

Known as ‘Casnewydd’ in Welsh, Newport is located in the south east of Wales. A key industrial centre for the country, the city has its roots in the export of coal but now major employers cover government departments, aerospace and manufacturing. The city is also home to the National Velodrome.

Bangor

The oldest city in Wales, Bangor can trace its roots back to the 6th century, when a monastic community made a home there around the site of Bangor Cathedral. The cathedral is what secures the settlement its city status, despite the population in 2019 being only around 16,000 in 2011.

St Davids

The smallest city in the UK by population (just over 1,600 people in 2011), St Davids Cathedral is what gives this small conurbation its grand title. The Cathedral is the resting place of the patron saint of Wales – St David – and is built on the site of a monastic community founded by him in the 6th century.

Snowdonia National Park in North Wales

St Asaph

Another tiny city, St Asaph has a population of around 3,350. The current cathedral was built in the 13th century after the previous stone building was burned down during the Second Welsh War. St Asaph is known as the ‘City of Music’ and hosts the annual North Wales Festival of Music at the cathedral and other venues around the area.

Things to do in North Wales

The National Park of Snowdonia is the key visitor attraction in North Wales, offering stunning landscapes and many of the highest peaks in England and Wales. Hikers, mountain bikers, paragliders and other outdoor enthusiasts will find the perfect playground here in North Wales.

Other great things to do in North Wales include visits to Caernarfon or Conwy castles. Great Orme and Llandudno also offer a great day out, with a family-friendly beach and a tramway or cable car to take you to the top of this historic coastal peak.

Things to do in South Wales

A visit to Cardiff has to come top of the list for visitors to South Wales, while the mountains and waterfalls of the Brecon Beacons National Park are also a must-visit. The Gower Peninsula offers scenic walks and wild beaches, while St Fagans National Museum of History provides a fascinating overview of the Welsh culture, lifestyle and architecture.

Reviews in Wales

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Lovely accommodation!

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

It’s a very convenient location to live in with lots of shops, restaurants, entertainment within walking distance. It’s also well connected in terms of transport particularly with Cardiff central station being opposite the building. There is noise from the nearby bars (music, bins), it is in the heart of the city centre. It’s convenient when you move that there’s a loading bay in front of the building.

Please review your development:

The building is new and the design is lovely – very modernistic. Would have liked the bathroom sealant to be more finely done. It’s also nice to see that it’s decorated when there’s holidays like Christmas. In the building there’s a lovely communal space which includes study spaces and a gym with a variety of modern equipment.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

There’s going to be a bus station built – this hasn’t caused any disruption to me at present but useful to know. The referencing process in summer was lengthily, hopefully it is more streamlined now. There’s socials every month to meet neighbours which has been nice.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes, it’s very helpful to have an on site team 24 hours. Mo in the reception team in particular has been great, he goes above and beyond to help out and helped me settle into the building really well. There’s also portal where you can log maintenance requests too.

5
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
4
Value
5
Management
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overall, the building is brilliant!

Review Date Feb 2024

living in one of the lower floors, it might be quite hard to sleep during weekend’s, due to the pubs blasting music which atrocious.

Please review your development:

The building is very clean, and managements services are excellent, any enquiries were answered in quite a short period of time which is great. Along with the lobby’s very nice staff it’s pretty easy to get what you want done.
I really like the gym, has everything you need.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The noise levels at night from blasting music from the pub, i really wish i got a higher floor as i sometimes cant even sleep some nights and wake up exhausted.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Any issues addressed were solved within a matter of 1/2 days. Brilliant service.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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Perfect for anyone.

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

I’ve been living at wood street house for a couple of months and it has been perfect. The sky lounge is a great place to study or chill with friends. Using the train to get to university on lazy days has helped with my attendance a lot. Noise from the street is expected since I’m living on the city side and I’m most thankful that the bin area is closed off properly so no smell comes.

Please review your development:

The design and layout of the apartments are very well put with space to change around if you want to since it is made for renters you can still change a lot around the apartment. The management are TOP they are always so lovely and help with whatever at anytime given. The facilities are always kept clean and are very cozy for whatever you may desire. Another huge shoutout to the repair team they are available most of the day and are very well organise and do a fantastic job on the little and big things

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known how much better living in a building with amazing management would be and how living here has unknowingly helped with going to university in the morning

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Building management always responded quickly with any issues I have had and are always lovely to deal with.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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Brilliant!

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

This is our first flat together as a couple and it has been absolutely brilliant so far. Staff are so friendly and helpful, noise is minimal and the facilities available are awesome!

Please review your development:

Absolutely brilliant. Really enjoying so far! Would love to add a water fountain to the gym as that can be inconvenient at times. The reception area is beautiful and so are the private dining areas which we were lucky enough to use this month with family.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The council tax band is quite high and we were a little unaware. There are also some weird water marks in the hall but we’ve not had any problems ourselves.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Very quickly and efficiently, we haven’t had many problems so far.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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