Hotel Royal

A friend recommended this place, so I came with friends. The fish meal was probably the best food we've had in Sardegna so far this year. The appetizers and pastas were delicious and really well prepared, but the standout was the “Spigola” cooked under salt. It had a delicate taste and kept its flavour inside. Worth trying.

We regretted choosing this restaurant even before the argument over the bill. The food was so salty it wasn't enjoyable, and the decor was really tacky, with old-fashioned landscape pictures, plastic flowers, and other bad-taste details. What followed turned this into my worst restaurant experience so far, and the only bad incident during an otherwise wonderful holiday in Sardinia. We ordered one plate of fried calamari to share, spaghetti with clams, and seafood risotto. On the bill, each main dish was €2 more than the listed price, and there were two calamari dishes instead of the one starter we ordered. That added €13.50 to lunch for two. The waiter accepted that the main dish prices were wrong but refused to charge us for just the single starter, since we'd already eaten it. He tried to convince us they'd already discounted one portion because the full calamari price would have been €36. The menu clearly said “calamari fritti 9.50.” The waiter offered to take me to the hall to see “il direttore” if I still objected to the amount. I later understood that this let the director shout at and insult me away from the other diners. I'm sure people still heard him call me “stronza maleducata” and yell, “when I travel in Spain, I pay what they ask me to,” even though I'm Spanish. When I asked for the complaints book, it got worse. The director grabbed one of my arms, raised his other hand, and shouted at me, asking if I was trying to eat for free. The waiter was also extremely disrespectful, asking “who do you think you are to complain” and saying “if you don't have enough money to pay just leave.” The worst part wasn't just the extra charge, but how horribly they treated us when we questioned it.

Room 207 had a good atmosphere and decor, and the beds were comfortable. The bathroom needs renovation, though. The toilet kept running and the showerhead was a disaster.

The food was really tasty, and the service was friendly. Prices aren't cheap, but they're all right.