Where to stay in Cardiff for the Nations Championship, November 2026 — and why a home beats a hotel
Three Saturdays, three internationals. The inaugural Nations Championship brings Wales v Japan on 7 November (kick-off 16:40), Wales v New Zealand on 14 November (14:10) and Wales v Australia on 21 November (20:10), all at the Principality Stadium. If you are coming with friends or family, the question is not whether to book — it is what to book.
I have hosted rugby weekends in Cardiff since 2017, and before that I spent eight years in hotel management, including as general manager of the Manor Hotel in Crickhowell. So let me be direct about the trade-offs.
Hotel or home?
A hotel is the easy answer, and for a couple it is often the right one: a bed, a breakfast and a front desk. For a group it works less well. Four or five people end up in separate rooms, there is nowhere to sit together before the game, and Sunday breakfast is a queue.
A home changes that. Separate bedrooms, a kitchen for the Sunday breakfast, a living room where the post-match analysis can run as long as it needs to, and one booking the whole group shares. What matters most on a match weekend is location: being able to walk to the stadium and back means you are not relying on a taxi when the rest of the crowd wants one too.
Why Pontcanna
Pontcanna is the leafy, residential side of Cardiff, on the west bank of the River Taff, with Sophia Gardens and Pontcanna Fields between its Victorian streets and the river. From our homes you walk down to the Taff, cross at Cardiff Bridge beside the castle, and the stadium is right there on the riverbank. You get Pontcanna's quiet streets and independent cafés and restaurants for the rest of the weekend, and you walk to the match.
Three Pontcanna homes for the November weekends
The Pontcanna Emerald
An apartment in a Victorian building in the Cathedral Road area, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, sleeping four. It also has free parking, which is rare in Pontcanna: the car stays put all weekend while you walk to the game. Two bathrooms make it a good fit for two couples or four friends.
The Pontcanna Pearl
The biggest of the three: three bedrooms, set up with a super king and two doubles, and one bathroom, sleeping up to five. One bathroom between five is worth knowing before you book; the space and the three proper bedrooms are what make it work for a group.
The Pontcanna Sapphire
A two-bedroom apartment in the same building as the Pearl, sleeping four. For a bigger party, the Pearl and the Sapphire together sleep nine: two apartments, one building, one meeting point before kick-off.
Parking at the Pearl and the Sapphire is on the street rather than on site, and nearby street parking is limited at weekends, so for a match weekend I would come by train or use a paid car park nearby.
Practical notes for the three weekends
Kick-off times shape the weekend. Japan is 16:40 and Australia 20:10, so for both you can check in on the Saturday afternoon and still make the game. New Zealand kicks off at 14:10, before our standard 3pm check-in, so for that one come on the Friday.
The Australia game finishes late. Plan to stay the Saturday night rather than travel home after the final whistle.
Book direct where you can. Our direct rate is usually below the platforms', and you deal with our team from the first message.
The short version
For two people, a hotel near the stadium is hard to beat. For four or five, take a home you can walk from, with room to sit together before and after the game. Among our Pontcanna homes, that means the Emerald, the Pearl or the Sapphire — and, for a larger group, the Pearl and the Sapphire together.
Pedro Reis
Guesture — The Hosting Experts
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