Chef's strudle was a doddle
Caroline Foulkes visits Cardiff - but doesn't leave her hotel...
The thing with hotels, generally speaking, is that no matter how luxurious they are, sooner or later you get a yearning for your own bed and all the comforts of home.
You can be pampered to within an inch of your life, dine on the finest food and wine known to man, enjoy breathtaking views, yet still be eager to get back to your back garden and a nice cup of tea.
Certainly it's always that way with me. Until I went to Cardiff. Actually, I barely saw Cardiff. What I actually saw was the interior of the St David's Hotel and Spa. And that was more than enough for me.
The back garden and the tea went out the window.
This, I could live with.
Perched out on Cardiff Bay, the hotel, which opened in 1999, is in staggering distance of Charlotte Church's favourite stomping ground, an area that also served as a backdrop to the recent Dr Who series.
It has, unsurprisingly, therefore become the Welsh outpost of celeb-dom.
Rhys Ifans was spotted in the bar while we were there, and Miss Church and her beau, Gavin Henson (or Gav 'n' Chav as they are known in certain quarters), have also been known to frequent the place, as well as Nancy Dell'Olio and one Mr Robbie Williams, who apparently threw a TV off the balcony of his suite - the same one we were staying in. Suffice to say, we didn't follow in his footsteps.
Given all this, you'd think St David's would be the Welsh answer to New York's Chelsea Hotel, but far from it. It's serene, sleek and wonderfully quiet.
Arriving in reception, we were stunned to find it quiet, a novelty for most hotels.
Soaring above us in the glass atrium were seven storeys of rooms, but once installed in our suite, we found we could happily wander up and down the corridors in our robes and slippers without meeting a soul.
Our suite, on the top floor, was in one of the coveted corner locations, and sported not one but two balconies, giving wonderful views across the bay.
Given the recent cold weather, it was surprisingly warm while we were there - Cardiff, being located on an inlet, avoids much of the bad weather the rest of Wales cops for on a regular basis - so soaking up the atmosphere with a cool drink was very much on the agenda.
I would have happily spent the whole weekend in a robe and slip-pers, on the balcony, reading magazines and sipping wine, but there was work to be done. I was off to the kitchens to meet up with executive chef Georg Fuchs and help prepare the dinner.
Him Indoors, meanwhile, was off to the spa for some pampering in the form of a marine hydrotherapy bath. I told him, sarcastically, that they were going to throw him in the Bay with a loofah.
"Jealous?" he replied, with a smirk.
Pah. Boys.
Down in the kitchen I donned an apron and rolled up my sleeves to help Georg whip up an apple strudel for dinner. Now for, Georg, being Austrian, this was a doddle. For me, it was another story.
While I'm good at making something out of nothing, as Him Indoors will testify, stretching a piece of
pastry "so thin you can read a newspaper through it" without making holes was something of a challenge. Suffice to say, I let Georg finish mine off and repaired to the comforts of the spa to meet my freshly marine-bathed other half.
Yet the proof of the pudding is, as they say, most definitely in the eating. And once again, we weren't disappointed. After drinks served by incredibly polite and attentive staff in the Tides bar, we ambled into the restaurant, which, like the rest of the hotel, is positioned to make the most of the views across the bay.
Georg and his staff then produced a meal that showed me I had no chance of ever working in a kitchen professionally.
Starting with Black Mountain cured salmon, we progressed to Brecon Beacons red deer loin with a traditional Carmarthen potato cake before the arrival of the much-trumpeted apple strudel. And despite my clumsy attempts, Georg had made everything wonderful.
Full and happy in the kind of way only good food and wine can make you, we retired to the bar - Cardiff, I'm assured, is a great place for a night out, but frankly, a night in at St David's was far more appealing to me.
The following day bought home the full impact of the waterfront view - a spooky mist had descended overnight, adding to the hotel's aura of tranquillity and serene other-worldliness.
With only a few hours left of our stay, we decided to head to the spa again - me for a facial, Him Indoors to enjoy the sauna, swimming pool and final opportunity to wander around in a dressing gown.
Back in our suite, after packing our bags, I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the balcony. Our cosy back garden and a cup of tea couldn't have been further from my mind.
* Central Trains run a regular hourly fast service from Birmingham New street to Cardiff Central.
* The St David's Hotel & Spa has 132 guest rooms, all of which have private balconies and views across the bay, including 20 suites, also with sea views and private balconies.
* Rooms cost from £230, for two people. Special rates are also available for spa packages.
Share
