Royal Bay

The location is beautiful, the grounds and rooms were clean, the staff were polite, and we enjoyed the cocktails. But the hotel seems to charge like a 4-star place while spending on a 2-star budget. There were everyday problems with the hot water for showers, and the bathroom flooded. The fridge’s power cable had been extended dangerously because the original one was too short to reach the socket. The balcony chairs were very uncomfortable, and the towels were worn out. Breakfast was well below what other similarly priced hotels on the island offer. The man at reception could barely speak English, which surprised us for a hotel like this.

The sea view rooms are fantastic, and all the rooms are spacious and kept clean. The hotel is only a few metres from the beach. Breakfast has improved since previous years, with something for everyone. There’s also a pool, a bar beside it, and a pool/snooker table and TVs at reception to help pass the time. It’s a quiet hotel with a great view and nice staff who are always smiling.

We stayed at the royal bay recently, and the location was lovely. The room was spotless, and the staff were so friendly and always willing to help. We had no trouble finding sunbeds by the pool, though the beach beds could use an update. Breakfast got a bit repetitive and could have been hotter, but we’d definitely come back. Keep up the good work, Dave and Linda, Pettswood, Kent.

We were so disappointed with Royal Bay that we left early, at our own expense, and relocated to cut the holiday short. It was a frustrating, disheartening stay, and we wouldn’t recommend the hotel. We raised our concerns with TUI, our travel agency, but got no response or support and no resolution. The only real positives were that our room was relatively clean and the hotel is right on the beach. Beyond that, it felt worn down, outdated, and poorly maintained, and didn’t live up to its claimed star rating. Breakfast was close to inedible, with instant coffee, the lowest-quality ingredients, and almost nothing fresh or appetizing. We gave up on it after the first couple of days. The beach towels were dirty, and some had actual holes in them. On top of that, the owners smoked indoors in the lobby every evening, so the smell made it impossible to relax in the common areas.