Royal Albion Hotel

The restaurant and bar were great. The food and drinks we had were lovely, and the staff were all friendly and helpful. From the balcony we could watch a phenomenal sunrise in the morning, which was the best part of the room. We stayed one night, and the room looked fine at first: clean, nicely decorated, with a great sea-facing balcony and a small but very nice bathroom. But it was strangely damp. The jute-style carpet seemed to have been washed recently and was wet underfoot, as was the shower room. We thought the heating would dry it out and didn’t expect to spend much time there, though in hindsight we should have complained. When we got back late, the room smelled damp, moisture was streaming down the windows and balcony doors, the curtains felt damp and the carpet still wasn’t dry. The windows were all sealed shut, so the only way to get air was to open the balcony doors, which would have left the room unsecured from the shared balcony. There was also a huge gap under the room door that couldn’t possibly meet fire safety rules. The room itself wasn’t good.

The sea views while eating are great, probably the best in Broadstairs. I had lunch at the Albany Hotel today, and the restaurant was lovely. Every course was good: trout pate to start, then rib eye steak, followed by sticky pudding with custard. The whole team was great. Thanks especially to Ryan and Hermes for their service, and to shyanne for the incredible attention she put into setting the table. I’ve never seen anyone be so particular about it, and I hope she goes far in the company. I highly recommend the restaurant.

We had roast dinner with my family at table 28 today, and the food was fantastic. I was impressed by the man who explained how things worked, took my order and brought drinks over, as well as the two men who served the food. You have wonderful staff, so polite and helpful. Thanks for making our day great!

The ocean view is lovely, but the Christmas dinner was poor quality for the price. Some staff didn’t even want to pour the wine so we could try it, and said they’d run out of wine glasses even though service had only just begun. I’m guessing Dickens ate here before writing Bleak House.