Help Deciding on Three Days Staying Put in Wales

Will you have a car?

Yes we will have a car. I knew I had forgotten something in my post!

Do you wnt coastal or inland?

I am not sure, both look so nice. I think I am leaning towards coastal, the beaches on the Gower Peninsula look incredible and we'll be spending lots of time inland on the Cotswolds (albeit not at all the same as inland Wales).

Which town in the Cotswolds will you be leaving from - it affects your route options into Wales.

3 spare days for Wales - it can take most of a day to get from the Cotswolds to north Wales.

What type of accommodation - high end / middle or cheapo?

The Gower beaches are very nice but Swansea is not particularly worth visiting. If three days at the beach is your ideal to relax and you're willing to take a punt on the weather then it's as good as anywhere. Further along but more variety and interest would be Pembrokeshire - lots of beaches to chose form plus other points of interest, but you're adding a good 90 minutes to your journey.

There's also the option to base yourself at a nice relaxing hotel in the countryside - nice options in Powys where you can explore local countryside and generally have a nice pamper at the end of your stay.

I'd also recommend a stay in the Vale of Glamorgan - plenty of nice walking routes and quaint villages with pubs, plus proximity to seeing some of Cardiff's Highlights such as the folk museum at St Fagans and a couple of castle options. Cowbridge is a nice market town or you have nice hotels at Llanerch Vineyard and The Vale hotel.

Narberth is a lovely small town in Pembrokeshire. Not on the coast but a good base for day trips.

Newport in North Pembrokeshire is another lovely even smaller town, this time on the coast.

Thanks all! To answer James' questions, we'll be driving from Cheltenham. As for accommodations, we tend towards Airbnbs, choosing comfort over fancy/high end but would like something with a small kitchen and walking distance to a small town with a pub. Bonus points for a nice view.

Help, Ryan & Gill have given sound advice. Much depends upon whether you have 3 full clear days in Wales or if those days include travelling from Cheltenham.

To give some rough time estimates; driving from Cheltenham to the Severn Bridges / Chepstow would take around 45 minutes; from the Severn Bridges/ Chepstow to Cardiff takes around 40 minutes - but can be prone to jams on M4 N of Newport.
Cardiff to Swansea takes about 55 minutes and driving the length of the Gower peninsula to Rhosilli (from Swansea) about 40 minutes. Cardiff to Tenby takes almost 2 hours. N Wales - not advised as too far in time available.

So, you need consider how long it will take to your chosen area and back east again,

You make like to consider somewhere in the Brecon area. In the event of bad weather, you could easily reach the National Showcaves of Wales or Big Pit - where you go down a disused coal mine. Good for hiking the Brecon Beacons. Gower or Tenby can be done as LONG day trips from Brecon area.

Cowbridge (west of Cardiff) is a nice little country town and the coast is about a 15 minute drive S - although not as good as the Gower or Pembrokeshire - Gower can be done as a day trip as can Tenby from Cowbridge. St.Fagans Castle & Museum of Welsh Life is not far away as is Dyffryn Gardens (NT).

In SE Wales, consider the little town of Usk - which is handy for the lower Wye Valley (N of Chepstow - which includes the ruins of Tintern Abbey). You can do a day trip to the Brecon Beacons National Park with Big Pit at Blaenavon as a good wet weather option.
From Usk, it is also possible to drive into Cardiff but best to use train from free car park at nearby Pontypool & New Inn station - unless wishing to also see St.Fagans Castle, Castell Coch & maybe Caerphilly Castle.

Swansea is not attractive and neither is the former coalfield mining area - roughly N of the M4 & S of A465 & W of A4042.

Google the places mentioned and look at them on Google Maps/streetview to see if you think they are right for you.

Thank you everyone! Lots here to think about. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. We have a full three days in Wales. Driving in one day, three full days, and driving back to Cheltenham on the fifth day.

Check out the self catering units at Glyndwr Vineyard near Cowbridge if you want self catering accommodation.

Wherever you pick will probably be more interesting the Cheltenham. To me, it’s good for part of a day unless you’re there in business and have to be there. There are some nice towns nearby. In eastern Wales we stayed in Tintern for a few days and took trips from it to explore the area.