Celtic Royal Hotel

Please avoid this place. We’re here with family, hoping for a cosy celebration, and it’s been the opposite. When we booked a month ago, we specifically asked whether there would be somewhere to dine apart from the hotel’s gala dinner. If there wasn’t, we wouldn’t have booked. We only found out on arrival that there wasn’t, after paying the non-refundable rate. The staff member on the phone didn’t know, and the person checking us in didn’t mention that we also needed a reservation for tonight, 01/01. So now we’re looking for a restaurant again. The spa hours are different from what we were told by phone, and the pool was really cold. There was no hot water in the room shower on New Year’s Eve either. Thanks so much. It somehow came back after we complained today. I could say more, but our holiday is already ruined, so I’d rather not. Don’t put yourself through this. Avoid it.

The whole family loved the pool, sauna, and steam room, and it was great to have those facilities. The pool area was clean and well looked after. The hotel is large enough to offer plenty of choice and good service, yet small and personal enough to care about guests’ needs. It’s handy for the town centre, castle, and marina, with very friendly staff, especially at reception and by the pool. Our room was a little dated but clean and comfortable, with a small TV, tea and coffee, and local information. There’s a lift, and parking is available for a charge. Reception, bar, and restaurant areas are smart and modern. The bar meals seemed a bit pricey for us, so we ate in town at Tan, a very good pizza place, but enjoyed a drink and some family games after swimming. It was nice to have the option of eating in. We’d stay again, thank you.

The people here make the Royal Celtic Hotel especially welcoming. The hospitality felt genuinely warm and old-fashioned, like coming home after a long journey, and our dog was treated as a welcome guest, not just allowed to stay. We chose it because it was listed as dog-friendly, and it’s among the most welcoming places I’ve stayed. The rooms are genuinely spacious, and it was easy to settle in and feel at home. The food was hearty, full of flavour, and clearly made with care. The Royal Celtic has comfort, warmth, and character, just what you’d hope for in a small Welsh town stay. If you’re visiting Caernarfon and want a comfortable, welcoming place, it should be high on your list.

The room was dated and unbearably hot, with windows that wouldn’t open even a crack. The curtain rail fell down while I was opening the curtains, and no one came to serve coffee at breakfast despite us trying several times to get their attention. I don’t usually mind things like that, but it was the last straw. We wouldn’t stay again. It wasn’t worth the money, especially with a £10 parking charge. We booked for New Year’s Eve, then were told we couldn’t use the spa after checkout on New Year’s Day because of “insurance.” I’ve stayed at lots of spa hotels and never heard that before. The spa hours were listed incorrectly too. We expected Sunday hours from 7 am, but because it was New Year’s Day it didn’t open until 10 am, and that hadn’t been made clear, leaving us only an hour to “enjoy” it. We arrived at 10:15 and there were already no towels. We were told to go upstairs to fetch our room towels, which were wet from our morning showers. Inside, the sauna was off, the pool and jacuzzi were cold, and the place was packed with around 15 children, from babies to 13-year-olds. They were bombing in, splashing, and shouting while their parents stood chatting in the pool or used one of the six loungers. The hotel manager came by, chatted to the receptionist, glanced in, then went back to chatting, so it seemed normal there. There was nowhere to get away from the noise. We tried the steam room, but six parents were chatting and laughing so loudly that after five minutes my partner asked them to quiet down. The echoing screams from the children and the parents’ noise made it the only place we could escape to. It didn’t feel like a spa, more like a children’s leisure centre. Why was the pool cold and the sauna off? And why only six chairs? Madness.