Royal Station Newcastle

The best part of my three-night stay was breakfast. It was small but made with fresh, good-quality ingredients, and the staff were welcoming. My usual choice was plain yoghurt with honey, melon, grapes, banana, almonds, hazelnuts and granola, followed by a croissant. Over three days I also tried the hot food: thick bacon, black pudding, hash browns, scrambled and fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages and baked beans. There were cereals, fresh juice, cold meats, cheese and fresh fruit too. On days two and three Micheal was on breakfast duty, and he and the rest of the team were cheerful and welcoming. Reception staff were lovely and helpful throughout. Dinner was a different story. I was told to sit at a set table and wait for someone, but there were no menus, so I fetched two that turned out to be obsolete. I waited while the young female server attended to couples who arrived later, and couldn’t even catch her eye. I felt completely unwelcome and was about to leave and cancel my next two nights when the lovely woman who’d been there at check-in noticed and asked if I was okay. She took my order, brought my food and gave me an extra glass of wine at no charge. The lunch and dinner food wasn’t worth the price: the beef tasted as though it had been stored near lamb, and the French onion soup still had crunchy onions and smelled like it came from a shop. I ended up ordering takeaway for half the price and better quality. My room had a comfortable bed, a spotless, massive bathroom with a long bath, a small fridge, TV and tea and coffee facilities. It felt slightly sloped, but I was tired enough to sleep straight away. The room was very hot, so I switched off the radiators and asked for a fan, which was there when I got back from dinner. At dinner, the heat coming through the walls was stifling, so I changed tables. I can imagine it might feel lovely if you’d come in from the freezing cold.

The bedroom was good and the bed comfortable, but the towels were small and poor quality. Housekeeping was very poor too: no biscuits for the first two days, my coffee cup wasn’t washed during the stay, and used toilet rolls weren’t replaced. Breakfast was very good, with lots of fruit, pastries and hot food. The scrambled eggs stood out, though the sausages weren’t great. The entrance is stunning, the reception staff were welcoming, and the breakfast team were charming. It’s especially convenient if you arrive by train. The leisure club could use a refurb, and the pool was small and rather cold.

The historic building has lovely old features, and the staff were friendly and welcoming and willing to sort out problems. The rooms are quite compact, though, and the room descriptions need some adjustment: a cosy double is really only comfortable for one person, not a couple. The £100 payment was the letdown. They say it will show in the bank as a charge, not money taken, but it was taken as a payment. That was misleading and left us financially out of pocket. Zoe said she’d sort it out but never did, leaving our family short of money.

Lovely overnight stay, with a comfortable, spacious room and good heating. I liked the grand entrance and staircase and the old-fashioned feel, meant as a compliment. Breakfast was good too. It’d be nice if hot chocolate were an option alongside coffee, since not everyone can drink coffee. I’d happily recommend the place! 👌 ☺️