A very enjoyable experience from check in to check out. I was delighted to be upgraded from my single room to a lovely bigger room. A very nice surprise after a long plane and journey train journey. The room was beautifully furnished in a charming country feel. The bed was comfortable as with the pillows. I was thrilled that there was a bath as well as I love to have a shower in the morning and a bath at night. It’s as if this room was just made for me. All of the staff from reception to bar to restaurant were helpful and well trained, offering friendly service. A beautiful hotel with a very interesting history and a perfectly located. I will most certainly be returning to stay at this hotel when I visit my brother again .

The lift was a wee bit funny.

We stayed in Room 207 in the centre of the building - a ‘cosy double.’ It was comfortably furnished with upholstered chairs, plenty of storage, a large TV and a wide desk. The shower room was compact, though. The hotel car park was just across the road, and the Tarka Trail could be accessed immediately behind the hotel. Breakfast was good with plenty of choice - it’s better to book a B&B room, rather than to pay for breakfast on the day. The receptionist who welcomed us at just gone 9pm was on duty at 8am the following morning when I went down for breakfast - she was courteous, efficient and helpful. Dog friendly, although the £20 charge is a little high.

Lovely hotel, large comfortable rooms, always assured of a happy smiley reception. Ill always stay here when I visit Bideford.

Breakfast changed from a buffet to a waitress service - great if you are on your own, but tricky if there are 15 people all wanting service. I'm not used to having to ask for Marmalade. I have stayed here multiple times, so I'm sure it was a glitch but please can we go back to buffet service in the refined restaurant and not in the noisy crowded and clacky bar. That said I loved the Kingsley references.

A lovely location in a nice area. Pleasant staff and good service.

Not much to complain about, however, our room had massive windows covering most of the wall and these did not open, so ventilation was limited and we felt a bit like goldfish in a glass bowl . As the room faced onto some houses & a public footpath I'm not quite sure who was watching who ( a little uncomfortable, don't you think ? ) ! The only other point was that the TV had very few channels ( not even all of the Freeview ones ! ) and the hotel seemed unable or unwilling to change this !

The Royal is a well kept typical lovely old hotel which harks back to the Victorian era, as you enter the reception area the stairs sweep majestically up and you get a feeling of something special. A friendly welcome from our receptionist and a simple booking form and you are ready to enjoy your evening. There is a lift if needed, but the stairs are wide enough and not too steep to make climbing them easy for those who are able. Our room didn’t have a view, but it was spacious, warm and clean with storage for clothes and a wardrobe, there is a kettle with tea, coffee and biscuits. The hotel is located on the quayside and is only a few minutes lovely walk over the bridge from Bideford town, there are also two pubs on the same side of the river within a couple of minutes from the Royal.

Our bathroom was fitted with a Saniflow toilet which was terribly noisy, if used during the night it would wake anyone in the next or above/below rooms! Also the water pressure in the shower was poor, it wouldn’t put us off staying again but it is worthy of a mention. We decided not to have breakfast as it was a staggering £16.50 per person, also some reviews were rather scathing of it.

The location is great, close to great walks and the town. The hotel has character and history and the staff are very welcoming.

The mattresses are very soft. Parking near the hotel is very limited although there is additional parking further up the hill, it would be more appropriate and considerate if the staff parked in the other car park leaving the nearer car park for customers with luggage to carry to use the closer parking. They have moved the lounge area upstairs to the 1st floor, it’s got not atmosphere, empty and I had to chase twice for us to get service for drinks and sandwiches! You feel forgotten. Two mornings the breakfast was extremely salty . The omelette on the2nd day was inedible.

The entire ground floor had been magically converted to look like the inside of a Scottish Highlands Castle. Tartan and tweed everywhere and a piper playing all the classics added to the ambience. The haggis, neaps and tatties were superb and the options available for Single Malts to wash it all down were plentiful. I've heard that there are ongoing plans for next year where the guests can witness the release of some juvenile haggis onto the Tarka Trail, to see how they might adapt to the local environment.

Nothing. It's always magical here.

Staff were very friendly and helpful. I am disabled and travelled with my dog and the staff were so helpful.

I had a cooked breakfast each morning which cost £16.50 per day. First day I ordered poached eggs and it came with bacon but both eggs and bacon were very overcooked and the egg tasted strongly of vinegar. I ordered a different breakfast each day and it was overcooked each day. I did not have any other meals at the hotel but I would say that generally the food was not great value for money.

We stayed twice at the start and end of our trip to Lundy. We had an excellent upgrade on the return visit - thank you! We really enjoyed being so close to the ferry and had a great breakfast with excellent service on the second visit.

Service at the bar was not good enough. on three occasions there was no one there to serve us even though other staff were in reception. We think more could be done for Lundy travellers. A breakfast pack on the outgoing day and a food option if there is a late return? Rooms were warm but noisy with traffic if windows are open. However, rooms did have fans.

The ease of checking in was great. Great location, view is fantastic

This is the second time I have stayed, I was a bit disappointed this time. The bathroom smelt like mildew and absolutely needs renovation. The very ruff molding around the tub was a bit gross and is most likely where the mildew is hiding. The bathroom door is heavy and automatically shuts, so you can't keep it open. I have a touch of claustrophobia, so that was awful. Coupled with the smell, it was a bit stressful. Other than that, everything else was lovely. The food was so much better this time, and I saw smiles all around. I had an adorable server for dinner breakfast, and she also brought my room service she even gave me suggestions for local shopping.