Royal Whitby

The location is fantastic, close to everything, and we'd definitely stay again even without a Wowcher deal. We had lunch in the bar and at first thought the price looked high, but the food was beautifully presented and worth it. The dressed salad was fresh and tasty. We booked through Wowcher for two couples. Scaffolding outside wasn't the best first impression, but the warm, friendly receptionist soon put us at ease and explained everything. Our rooms weren't ready, so we waited in the bar, which had lovely decor and friendly staff. One room was a bit tired but very clean; the other was lovely. The ground floor rooms had spectacular views of the Abbey. Parking is £6 per night, paid at checkout. The car park isn't large and sits on a slope, as so much does in Whitby. The Prosecco Wowcher promised was waiting in an ice bucket with two wine flutes, a lovely touch. Breakfast was substantial, with everything we needed, and they could make different eggs on request.

The hotel has a strange atmosphere, a bit of a 'Twilight Zone' place. The food itself is tasty and served hot, and having oat milk is great. Breakfast juice, though, is nasty sugary diluted stuff. The rooms have been repainted and are reasonably comfortable, but they don't stay warm. My bathroom was uncomfortably cold because both radiators were full of air and heated only at the bottom. The corridors were warmer than the rooms. The windows let in a lot of draughts, something that should be cheap to fix. I also had too few power sockets: just two double sockets, and one was behind the bed, so unusable. Watch out for the car park. It's separate from the hotel, and they don't make it clear that you have to pay separately. The signs are terrible.

There was scaffolding up while outside work was being done, but that was fine. Since the renovations, this was a better stay than last time. Breakfast was tasty and good quality, though some people didn't seem to get enough, perhaps because the place was short staffed. We'd stay again, and it's dog friendly. We'd booked a sea room and were upgraded to a four poster room, which had been done up very nicely and still gave us a nice sea view.

The staff were warm, friendly, and always helpful. Our room was clean, tidy, well equipped, spacious, and had a great view across to the Abbey. The hotel sits just outside the main town, up a fairly steep hill, so the walk won't suit everyone, but that's a small drawback. We booked a VIP stay in December when Terrorvision were playing there. I'd definitely visit again. 😀👍