The Royal Hotel

It’s clear that this was once a beautiful hotel and of exceptional quality. Such is evidenced in the quality of the fine woods and marble floors that still remain. However, it requires some maintenance in order to rise to at least a 4-star hotel. The staff were satisfactory in performance, but as is the problem with many contemporary South African establishments, I would like to see greater racial diversity amongst staff members, especially if one is to appeal to an international community. But the main concerns centre around the upkeep of the place. Old furniture and fixtures are fine, in fact I quite like the old, Victorian historical feel of the place, but serious maintenance is required. Deep clean what is there, remove stains, re-paint and re-varnish finishes etc. Also, I noted similar complaints regarding: provision of tea and coffee in rooms with no utensils available as well as a TV with a remote that does not work. Finally, individual climate control in each room is desired.

I checked in yesterday the 28th and checked out this morning. All I can say is that everything was worth it. I really have no regret staying at the Royal Hotel. It was my first time and I definitely will be coming back again. The Aircon being centrally controlled was the only problem as the room was very chilly but I called reception and asked for 2 extra blankets and they were brought up in less then 5 minutes. The breakfast was awesome! Thanks to all the staff at the Royal Hotel. See you soon

Google Review I’ve stayed at the Royal Hotel several times and have generally enjoyed the experience. The rooms are reliably clean, with good-quality sheets and bedding. The beds are a little too firm for me personally, but there’s no arguing with the quality. Room service has a fairly limited choice, but what’s on offer is consistently good, sensibly priced and dependable. Breakfast is a particular highlight. The staff are pleasant, parking is convenient, and the spa is excellent. The hotel has a lovely old-world feel, with marble and wood panelling that have clearly stood the test of time. It’s not quite the hotel it may have been in its glory years, but management seems to be making regular updates and adapting it for 2026 without losing too much of its character. One thing to watch out for: some of the older rooms still have the original windows, and on a windy night you may get rather more ventilation than intended! Overall, a comfortable, characterful and dependable stay.

I am a bit conflicted about this rating so I will break it down. 1. Room I was in room 739. The bathroom was clean but the bath was dirty I could not use it. 2. The water temperature in the shower was lukewarm and on the cold side. I was forced to use the shower since the bath was dirty and the bath had nice hot water. I did not enjoy my bath time. 3. There was a tea station but no tea spoons. I don't know how I was supposed to have tea. 4. There is a TV in the room but no remote which didn't make sense. 5. The windows are so dirty they looked like they haven't been washed in a long time. 6. There were no blankets in the room and it's winter and the rooms are so cold. Luckily because I was alone and the room has 2 single beds I took the bedding from the other side and at least I was warm. Service 1. From reception the service was good. We had a mishap with our room allocation as I was allocated a room that was already allocated but this was sorted very fast. 2. We had breakfast and the service was immaculate. The breakfast was really good and the waiters quick on their food to make sure the tables were clean and service very fast. I was impressed 👌. 3. I wish that room service was done whilst we had breakfast. Instead room service was done during the day while I was sleeping and resting. This disturbed my rest as I was woken up. My linens could not be changed as I was sleeping during room service. I felt like my privacy was being invaded. 👎🏾 Location The hotel is ideally located just close to the Harbour and not too far from the beach. My room had a view of the Harbour which was nice but looking through dirty windows was not nice. Would I recommend or stay at the hotel again. The answer is YES I would. There is an opportunity to fix a little things but I would definitely come back hence I'm conflicted with this review. The management just need to pay a little more attention to details.🙏🏾