THB Royal

We arrived late , receptionist very helpful she notice that I’ve only booked for Myself I forgot to put my husband name My fault ! But. Thought they only charge per room not person ! But anyway , she let me off .far from walking to main centre taxi is 5 € only .

Positives: -Gardens & pools are fab. -Maintenance & cleaning team work very hard. -Pools great but very cold (end Oct & thought pools should be heated) -Snack bar good value -Playa Blanca is very pretty and the Marina is beautiful - Free shuttle bus at 10am & 3pm to Dorada Beach where all the main shops & restaurants are. Negatives: -Hotel is too far from main resort area, it’s at least a 20 minute walk just to the front before walking to bars/restaurants and at least a 30 min walk to the mariner if you have small children or elderly it’s not pleasant in the heat. This is going from the back gate which is supposed to be quicker! -Hotel reception do not tell you about the free shuttle bus or the key for back gate and are quite miserable. -Stayed sc but struggled with kitchen facilities. - Only one socket in kitchen area - Eve entertainment awful and ruined what could’ve been a good holiday. The Resort: -Very pretty and the Mariner is beautiful -Lanis, The Bikers, The Harp & O’Connors had the friendliest staff & the best service. -We ate in a lot of places but found the staff unfriendly & very slow. -Maybe they don’t like the English - that was the impression we got. -The resort is perfect for older couples but not families. - We would return but we would stay nearer the front and would go as a couple.

The resort itself is extremely pleasant although about 20 minutes from the beach. Not a real issue for me as I enjoy roaming around and finding my own way around town. Rooms are clean and spacious with maids coming round every day, beds were comfortable and rooms have a small fridge for those extras if you need it. My only grumbles are that the hotel is mainly a french resort with reps going round daily from around 11am which can be some what noisy if you want a relaxing holiday. Also the all inclusive breakfast was mediocre to say the least. Hot food was only luke warm, sausages were cocktail size and not very pleasant, bacon average and the scrambled egg was rotten/rancid two days on the trot. Had to put it on a separate plate to one side as even just the smell was awful......on a plus note the dinner menu made up for it. Overall I enjoyed my stay but would probably just do a self catering trip if I was to visit again as there are some lovely restaurants around town and the views of/from the beach were lovely.

This is a really lovely hotel, positioned on the eastern side of Playa Blanca and very convenient for the beautiful beaches at Papa***o and for main roads to other parts of the island. It's around 15 minutes walk to the town centre by the main road or (best route) along the prom from Playa Dorada and there are supermarkets nearby. The site is well laid out and planted with mature ficus and palm trees (at dusk every day tiny birds came to sing in the tree overhanging my balcony). The rooms are large, unfussy and spotlessly clean and have private terraces or balconies. The are staff mostly very friendly, particularly the younger receptionists who are excellent - and trilingual in French, Spanish and English. Other reviews mentioned the noise from the entertainment, so I sent a message to the hotel asking for a quiet room. I was placed in the 'Zen Zone', on the first floor away from the busy areas overlooking the quieter of the two pools and was very happy. The entertainment ends by 23:00 in any case. One review mentions holiday reps 'coming round' but I was left entirely alone and nobody came to the door during my stay except the lovely housekeeping team. The hotel is very popular with French families (no Brits at all) and the atmosphere is very friendly and civilised. No loud room parties or drunken staggering about late at night. friendly. There is a smart cafeteria serving meals on site but I booked room-only through Zen Hotels and got a very good rate. There's a kettle and fridge in the room and lots of great places to eat catering for all tastes in and around Playa Blanca. I hired a car from Payless and they delivered and collected the car to/from the hotel. The weather wasn't entirely brilliant during my stay but I was happy to be at the hotel or driving around the island sight-seeing. Will definitely return to the Royal.