The Royal Hotel  

This is an old Victorian hotel and it shows.In it's heyday it must have been very grand.Nowadays it has rather gone to seed but it's a change from the large chains run by accountants. The staff were professional,friendly with it too. There was a reasonable dinner menu and an excellent breakfast selection although I wouldn't say any of it was really 3 star.The dining room was very busy due to three visiting coach tours but there was little delay in the service. Our room was very clean and quiet,we both had a relaxed sleep. Check out the staircase! If you like a bit of Victoriana then stay here before it disappears forever.

The Royal needs a complete refurbishment,everything from the furniture to the decor needs to be seen to.I Didn't think the hotel was dirty just very tired. My room price was about 15% too high bearing in mind the condition and facilities available. Dinner was, imho ,about a fiver too much but I got a discount for booking table d'hote in advance.(2x £10).

A rip off!! It purports to be a luxury hotel, having paid around £70 per night I was given a tiny single room in a very well worn hotel which resembled an understairs cuboard, the ensuite bathroom was the size of a double wardrobe and the shower was full of mould. I attempted to sit on the loo but it was fitted so close to the sink that anyone over about 5ft 9in tall couldnt actually get their legs in to sit on it properly!! I tried to have a shower and the shower leaked so badly it cascaded water over the screen and soaked the toilet and everything else in the bathroom, I showed the manager and asked for a room change, they didnt seem interested but I was not going to accept this and eventually after harrassing them for 24hrs I was changed to a better room, if you are a single traveller do not accept room 450, ive seen better in £25 per night contractor B&B's and I dont know how they have the cheek to put paying guests in there!!.

The Hotel evening meal was excellent, although the service left a lot to be desired.

We have stayed at this hotel many times over the previous couple of years and have noticed a deterioration in the overall standard. The spa area was very poor, the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna were all out of action yet we were charged £10 for the priviledge of using a very small pool. This was added to our bill on checkout and not explained when we requested an access key. Talking to a member who uses the spa regularly, things have been out of order for some months. No towels were in our room and it took 2 telephone calls and a wait of over 1 hour to get some.

It's a historic hotel - old fashioned but quite well kept, and in a convenient location. The shower was great

The bedrooms are a bit faded/neglected. The old doors don't lock very securely, for example.

The family room on the 5th floor where our young family members were rooming was up to date and very good value. However, it was not the norm for our room.

No parking and a 3 night stay cost £36 parking at ncp. Swimming pool not easily available as the door was locked and a member of staff had to be called. The premises were in need of some serious tlc. Our bedroom was very small and difficult to get round between the bed and the furniture. At breakfast a great number of the plates were poorly washed and dirty. Sorting through them was essential. Generally dissapointing.

We ordered a newspaper, which like several others we were told, was not delivered; "a glitch in the system. We could get our own nearby they said, but although there were 3 people around reception, nobody went "just around the corner" to collect them for the other guests.

Convenience for shops and beach

Close to town centre

A very tired and run down building, poor leisure facilities which were nowhere near as good as they looked on the website photos and videos. Peeling wallpaper in the bedrooms, very dated decor and damp patches in the bathroom. Very disappointing.

The staff were good

The rooms were very tired

attention to detai a feelgood experiencel

I enjoyed it , good location , nice and comfortable with friendly, helpful staff and good reasonably priced bar!

We have stayed at the Royal on several occasions and always found it to be of a high standard, professional but friendly. Would recommend this hotel without hesitation.

Historic public areas