Latest reviews in Caernarfon

“ The Boots store in Caernarfon is, although small, bigger than most of the other stores in Caernarfon, which tend to be very small. In comparison to the large Boots stores that are found in shopping centres of big cities, it doesn't stock very much, but for its size, there appears to be a decent range of items stocked. There's only one set of doors at the entrance to the store. Once inside, there's a single checkout in the centre. To the right of the store is the photography items, which feature largely in this store, with the 'health' section beind that, which consists of vitamins and minerals, medicines and other remedies, and a pharmacy. The pharmacy is quite large in relation to the rest of the store; it also offers the 'collect' service with regards to prescriptions. On the left of the store is the make-up and beauty area, with about half of this area dedicated to gifts. There are no make-up counters like with the larger Boots stores, but a good range of make-up ranges to choose from. The store has a Boots points machine and a machine that prints photographs. (Stephanie, 19-11-2008) 3

“ You can spend a good morning here, However we was quite disappointed at the top as currently you cannot go right to the summit, (May 2008). You have to get there early to get the cheaper tickets but made a big difference to the bill! Its quite expensive but the views are spectacular. Beware if you are quite tall there is absolutely no leg room on the train on the way up and your knees will ache by the time you get off. If you have animals with you there is a shaded car park and the ticket man will check on your dogs for you. This car park is exactly across the road from where you get the train. Would go again when they have finished building the new buildings at the top. (Gazmeister123, 18-11-2008) 3

“ I visited Barclays bank in Caernarfon last week to pay a Studio Cards and Gifts bill. The bank is located near the city centre, on the road out towards Bangor, and is built into an old stone terraced street. There's a single cash machine outside, which, being outside the main shopping area, isn't particularly popular so having to wait to use the machine isn't a problem. Upon entering, there's a single blue upholstered chair for customers to wait by, and, at the opposite end, there's a single desk for meetings with a staff member, and a counter towards the front. Despite there being nobody else in the branch, when I entered and stood waiting for a cashier to acknowledge me, she was busy sorting out papers and left me there for around five minutes. There was a hole in the roof, and it looked like they were in the process of some kind of reservation. Overall, I'm neither impressed nor unimpressed with this particular branch of Barclays Bank. (Stephanie, 18-11-2008) 2

“ The petrol station at Morrisons is usually the cheapest place to buy petrol in the area, according to a website that searches the price of petrol within 10 miles of my post code. At the moment petrol is 93.9p a itre at the Morrisons petrol station in Caernarfon, which is 2p a litre under the local Tesco petrol station and a few pence under the price of BP's petrol station a few miles away. As well as being the cheapest place to buy petrol, Morrisons also offer a reward scheme whereby if you purchase 500 litres of petrol they will give you a £5 voucher to be used within Morrisons store. The petro station is the right size, there is rarely a queue to get petrol, or to pay for it. There's gloves and handy wipes available at the pumps. The shop has a good selection of drinks and confectionary. There is also a car wash, and air and water facilities. (Stephanie, 17-11-2008) 5

“ I've never really been a fan of Iceland but as I live in the centre of the city of Caernarfon I've often popped in as it's so close to my home. The Iceland store in Caernarfon is about the usual size, not overly big or very tiny, but they don't stock any electrical goods like some of the bigger ones. There always seems to be a lot of offers on in Iceland but in recen times these have diminished a lot, and the items that aren't on offer are relatively expensive compared with the other local supermarkets such as Morrisons and Tesco - for exampe, they have an offer on the Frijj milkshakes, buy one get one free, but these are £1.45 whereas they only retail for around £1 in any of the other supermarkets anyway. There seems to be a lot of Christmas foodstuffs in the Iceland store already, but much of this is more expensive than in Poundstretchers or Woolworths, both of which are nearby. They do seem to have a good range of bacon, and at reasonable prices too, and also cheeses and some frozen items such as burgers. I would like to see more bread, though, as there isn't a lot of options in Caernarfon city centre to buy bread. (Stephanie, 17-11-2008) 3

“ Unfortunately the New Look store in Caernarfon is too small to b of any real use. They don't have any of the more basic staple clothes ranges in, only a couple of racks of the newer stuff, with maybe 2 examples of jackets and coats, 3 of jeans and 7 or 8 of tops, t-shirts, jumpers and sweatshirts. I don't think there's any nightwear at all and there's avery limited range of shoes and boots. There is a small selection of underwear, as well as a small selection of handbags - which contains around 5 different examples, and a few belts, hats, scarfs an other accessories. Despite the small size, the store is still useful as New Look is so modern and fashionable. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the store always looks clean and brightly lit. (Stephanie, 17-11-2008) 3

“ The majority of libraries are the same - they provide the pubic with an opportunity to borrow books, dvds, cds or to use their resources such as textbooks, magazines and access to the internet. Whilst the lending of books is free to all, there is usually a small charge for borrowing non-book items such as audio books or dvds, and sometimes there's a charge for using the internet. Gwynedd universities don't charge for this. They frequently have offers on whereby in a certain month, a dvd can be borrowed for free with every 5 books borrowed. Dvds usually can be borrowed for a week, which means that in a month there's the option to borrow at least 4 dvds for free. Caernarfon library was renovated last year and looks very fresh and modern. The majority of fiction books are listed alphabeticall by author but for a few stands with books belonging to certain genres, e.g. science fiction, or horror, or crime. There is a wide selection of dvds and cds, as well as a whole rack of audio books and many large print books, and a whole section devoted to books that are written in the Welsh language. There are around 6 computers that can be hired for free for up to an hour. Joining the library in Caernarfon allows the user to borrow/return their books to any library in Gwynedd, which is handy if you do a lot of travelling. Last year they seemed to have every book I was looking for, including the Booker prize nominees, which is unusual. I'd definitely recommend joining/using the library in Caernarfon. (Stephanie, 17-11-2008) 4

“ Caernarfon has a reputation for being rowdy, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, and many people won't come into the city centre at these times at all. There are a few pubs surrounding the market place that gives the city this reputation, but one pub that's the exception is the Albert Inn on Segontium Terrace. I live on the same street and have been into this pub more than any other in the city, and walked past it most nights as well, and my opinion of the pub is that it's an old-fashioned quiet but friendly little pub that's full of character. The pub is old-fashioned in style but nicely decorated - with wooden floors and beams and wooden tables and chairs and bar. There's a pool table that takes up one half of the front of the pub, and a cosy area in front of a real fire in the other half. The bar itself is towards the back, along with some more seating. There's a variety of drinks available and prices are reasonable. There's a smoking area outside the back door which is excellent as it means there isn't anybody stood outside the front door smoking - I think even the nicest of pubs are affected by this image. Despite being English, I've never felt threatened in here and the regulars are all really friendly and chatty towards me. (Stephanie, 17-11-2008) 5

“ This is my absolute favourite place to visit. Parc Padarn is a country park that consists of a massive lake surrounded by mountains, which are on the site of a former slate quarry. The Snowdon railway begins from inside Parc Padarn, and there is a good selection of amenities for its many visitors: 2 cafes are near the railway inside the park, with 2 more located just on the outside (1 is in the Electric Mountain visitor centre), toilets are available in the park also, and there is a scattering of shops such as gift shops, shops selling walking clothes, a shop selling hand-made things from slate such as door plates. There's a lot to do for everyone at Parc Padarn. There are 5 official walkways, which are colour-coded and vary in difficulty from a short flat walk accessible to wheelchair users, to a more advanced 5 mile walk around the lake with some steep climbs. You're advised not to stray from the walkways. On the lake there's opportunities to scuba dive, sail a dinghy or kayak, or to sail a remote control boat. There's a few childrens' play areas which are always fairly busy and look well-equipped, and there's a tree top adenture activitiy. In the main entrence to Parc Padarn there's a museum, which is free to enter, with several shows and displays of the old slate quarry workings, as well as a few old-fashioned houses to peek into. I love going here and probably visit a couple of times a week, even throughout the winter. (Stephanie, 17-11-2008) 5

“ Set at the bottom of the Snowdon Ranger path, overlooking a lake this hostel is in a beautiful setting. I stopped there as part of a group so we had the hostel to ourselves. It was my first time in a traditional hostel so i was unsure of what to expect. The decor is a little alarming on the first floor, but the rooms and communal areas are clean, free from smells, and feel homely. When you look at the price you pay to stop in a YHA anything more than that really is a complete and total bonus. I'd stop there again without hesitation. (geekmoose, 17-11-2008) 4