Here’s my itinerary and honest review of a one-night break in Snowdonia staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia.
If you’re looking for the absolute perfection of a one-night break in Snowdonia then here it is. I’ve lived in North Wales all my life so I know the area really well (although there’s always more to see!)
I recently had a great stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia. It was just one night at the hotel. I often stay in Airbnb’s but it’s rare to find an Airbnb that allows you to stay for one night so if it’s just a quick trip then it needs to be a hotel.
And one night in Snowdonia really did feel like enough. There’s so much to see and do nearby so we felt like we had a really great break without staying away from home for too long.
This one night break in Snowdonia is ideal for couples or families. It’s dog-friendly and suitable for anyone who OK with short walks.
Day 1 in Snowdonia
- Conwy Falls – short walk to waterfall
- Lunch at Conwy Falls Cafe
- Fairy Glen – About a 30 min walk from Conwy Falls
- Swallow Falls
- Betws y Coed for pizza and wine – Take some pizza back to hotel for later + a cake from the Spar bakery!
- Check into hotel (check in available from 3pm)
Day 2 in Snowdonia
- Breakfast at hotel
- Check out by 11am
- Llyn Idwal Short Circular walk on the way home – See Devil’s Kitchen – 4km walk – 1.5 hours
Day 1 in Snowdonia
Conwy Falls
Parking: Park for free at Conwy Falls Cafe where there’s usually plenty of space.
Details: Visitors can use the toilets outside the cafe. You have to pay to enter the footpath to the falls. Payment is contactless via card or phone and was £2.50 in September ‘24. Footpaths are easy to follow but they’re uneven and rocky. There’s a short, circular walk you can easily follow. It’s probably less than 1km.
About Conwy Falls
Conwy Falls is a stunning natural waterfall located near Betws-y-Coed in North Wales. It’s a lovely one to visit because it feels like an adventure with dramatic woodland and rocky footpaths, but it’s actually a very short and relatively easy walk to get there. So I’d label this one as an easy, family-friendly adventure!
The waterfall is set within Conwy Valley and they cascade through a deep gorge. It’s part of the River Conwy and tumbles about 50 feet, making it a popular spot for nature lovers and photographers alike.
Nearby is the Conwy Falls Café, a lovely spot where visitors can relax after their walk. The area is also popular with anglers, kayakers, and those looking to explore further into Snowdonia National Park.
Conwy Falls Cafe
After your walk to the waterfall I highly recommend lunch or a snack at Conwy Falls Cafe.
This lovely cafe has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It’s cosy but spacious inside and has a nice outdoor area for sunny days where you’ll have panoramic views across the meadow.
The cafe was designed by Sir William Clough Ellis, the same architect who designed Portmeirion. They serve breakfast all day, hot and cold food, drinks and lots of cake! Parking is free as is the wifi and the toilets are open to the public.
Fairy Glen
You can leave your car at Conwy Falls Cafe and walk down to Fairy Glen, a magically serene spot. It’s even more beautiful on a sunny day as the sunlight streams through the gorge.
The walk takes about 40 minutes leaving from the corner of the cafe car park.
Fairy Glen (Welsh: Ffos Anoddun) is a magical and secluded gorge located near Betws-y-Coed in North Wales. It’s one of the region’s hidden gems, known for its mystical beauty and tranquil atmosphere. The gorge is carved by the River Conwy, where the water winds through steep, moss-covered cliffs, creating a narrow, twisting canyon with crystal-clear pools and boulders.
Surrounded by lush greenery and ancient woodlands, Fairy Glen has an almost otherworldly charm, and its serene ambiance makes it feel like a place straight out of a fairy tale. The site is particularly popular with nature lovers, hikers, and photographers who come to capture its enchanting scenery.
Fairy Glen can also be accessed by a private car park which is found on a farmer’s land. Take the first left after Conwy Falls Cafe and you’ll see a handmade sign for Fairy Glen. At the time of visiting, you had to pay £1 per adult, £1 per car and 50p per child. Payment is in cash and left in an honesty box.
Swallow Falls
From Conwy Falls Cafe, take a 10 minute drive through Betws-y-Coed to Swallow Falls. You can usually park in the layby next to the waterfall or park across the road at the Swallow Falls Hotel.
Admission into Swallow Falls Waterfall is currently £2 and you can pay via cash or card.
Swallow Falls (Welsh: Rhaeadr Ewynnol) is a spectacular waterfall located near Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, North Wales. The waterfall is formed by the River Llugwy as it cascades dramatically over a series of rocky steps, creating a powerful and mesmerising display of nature. It is one of the most famous and visited waterfalls in Wales, attracting tourists with its scenic beauty and roaring waters.
The falls are surrounded by dense woodlands, making the setting even more picturesque. There are well-maintained viewing platforms that allow visitors to safely admire the waterfall from different angles, capturing its grandeur and natural power. The sound of the rushing water, combined with the tranquil surroundings, creates a peaceful atmosphere, perfect for nature lovers and photographers.
Swallow Falls is easily accessible from the nearby village of Betws-y-Coed, and there’s a small fee for entry. Visitors can enjoy walking paths around the area, which are suitable for short hikes and scenic strolls through the woodland. It’s a popular stop for those exploring Snowdonia National Park and is particularly impressive after heavy rainfall, when the river is at its fullest.
Its natural beauty makes Swallow Falls a must-visit destination for anyone travelling through North Wales.
Betws-y-Coed
After visiting Swallow Falls I recommend driving back into Betws-y-Coed and park up for a walk around.
I usually park in the Pont-y-Pair car park (it’s easier if you have the JustPark parking app already installed on your phone to quickly and easily pay for parking). There are toilets here (50p paid in cash) and from here you can do a lovely riverside boardwalk leading through the forest.
Then walk back into the village and browse the many outdoor shops. If you walk all the way through the village you’ll come to a pretty row of shops near the train station. There are lovely boutiques here so I’d definitely recommend a mooch.
If you’re peckish then pop into Hangin’ Pizzeria.
We had pizza and a glass of wine and saved some pizza to take back to the hotel for later.
On your walk back to the car make sure you pop into the bakery inside the Spar for the best cakes and baked goods!
Betws-y-Coed is a charming village known as the “Gateway to Snowdonia”. It’s popular with hikers and outdoorsy people and is surrounded by gorgeous landscapes with mountains, rivers, forests, and waterfalls. The village itself has a fairytale-like quality, with stone-built cottages, lush greenery, and the River Conwy flowing through its centre.
Founded in the 6th century, Betws-y-Coed has a long history, though it became a key tourist spot in the 19th century when the arrival of the railway connected it to the rest of the UK. Today, it remains a hub for visitors to Snowdonia, offering a wide range of activities such as hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and fishing.
The village is home to several art galleries, outdoor shops, cafés, and traditional Welsh pubs, making it an ideal spot for both adventurers and those looking to relax. Betws-y-Coed’s scenic beauty, combined with its cosy atmosphere, makes it one of my favourite places in North Wales.
Check in to the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia
Following a busy day you’ll probably be ready to check in to your hotel.
For this trip I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia. It was my first time staying here and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I usually stay in cosy cottages when I’m staying nearby but, as this was a one-night trip, it was much easier to stay in a hotel.
The Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia is a massive, modern hotel located in Adventure Parc Snowdonia. It opened in 2021 and has 106 rooms which mostly seem to cater to corporate events for business away days (midweek anyway, the weekends might have a different vibe).
Adventure Parc Snowdonia actually closed in September ’23. Apparently the wave park was too expensive to make it feasible. It’s still there and, honestly, it’s a bit of an eyesore.
Zip World Conwy have taken over one of the buildings and created an epic indoor adventure parc which looks a lot like soft play for adults and looks incredible! I have plans to visit soon!
The hotel has a modern, minimalist feel and is a world away from the cosy quaintness of Betws-y-Coed but I actually really liked it. The staff were all very friendly and chatty. The room was spacious, comfortable and clean and the on-site restaurant, Zephyr’s Bar & Grill, was delicious and had a really nice atmosphere.
There is also the Wave Garden Spa, with a range of treatments, hydrotherapy pools and saunas.
I didn’t use the gym but it was great and really well equipped. There’s a row of weights on the other wall and that’s even a Peloton bike in the middle. Hotel gyms aren’t normally this good so I didn’t bother bringing my gym kit but I wish I had!
Dogs at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia
All the rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia are dog-friendly. I added it to my booking notes that we were bringing a dog but you don’t need to pre-book. When we arrived at our room there was a dog bed waiting for us.
It is a £50 additional fee to bring a dog which seems a little steep and it is much more than the usual £10-£20 I’ve paid.
We did feel very welcome with our dog and Wanda was fussed by all the staff who gave her treats and played with her. There’s a nice walk you can do around the lagoon and there are dog poo bags and plenty of bins available all around the footpath.
Dogs aren’t allowed in the restaurant, which is fair enough and we don’t mind, but it did mean we had to sit on bar stools for breakfast and dinner which was OK but not incredibly comfortable. There were one or two tables in the bar but they were taken up by other families with dogs.
Zephyr’s Bar & Grill at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia
I was really impressed with Zephyr’s Bar & Grill. The food was delicious for both dinner and breakfast and the selection was great. The prices were also really good and it was the kind of menu where I would have had almost everything on it!
For dinner I had a beetroot and goat’s cheese risotto while my boyfriend had a burger. The breakfast was buffet style with fruit, yoghurt, cereals, bread, pastries, little cakes and all the usual English breakfast items like sausages, breakfast, beans, hash browns, mushrooms, tomatoes and fried eggs.
Any complaints?
My only complaint is about the TV.
Each room has this massive TV which displays loads of information like the restaurant menu, details about the spa and treatments, emergency contact numbers and how to access the wifi. But you can’t use any apps like Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+ or YouTube. You can only watch terrestrial TV and half the channels didn’t work.
I don’t know about you but I don’t know anyone under the age of 75 who watches terrestrial TV. I’m sure many of the guests at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia would be like us; We’d had a big day out in Snowdonia, we’d had a nice dinner, bought some chocolate and ice cream from the hotel shop to enjoy in the room while watching our latest Netflix show…and then realised we couldn’t.
This isn’t the kind of destination with great nightlife so I assume most guests are back in their hotel rooms after dinner. So, yeah, that was annoying! We ended up watching it on my phone which seemed a shame when we had an enormous (yet utterly pointless) TV in front of us.
Final thoughts…
If you’re visiting Snowdonia for just two days and need accommodation for one night then I highly recommend the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia. I paid £147.85 for a room midweek in September. This was with a king sized bed and breakfast for two people so I think that’s a great price and you’d struggle to find anything cheaper. It was an additional £50 for bringing our dog which I thought was a bit expensive.
It was comfortable, friendly and the location was great. The hotel is easy to find, easy to park and you can check-in at any time. There’s someone at the reception desk 24 hours and you’ll find all the amenities you’d need like wifi, air-con, heating, a great shower, tea and coffee in the room and a small shop at reception. I do love an Airbnb but the convenience of a hotel is great too!
The only downside for me was not being able to watch on-demand TV. If I were to go again I’d take my laptop or iPad and it wouldn’t be a problem.
