The Royal Hotel

Our first stay at this lovely old hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff are so warm and welcoming. The garden room was gorgeous with beautiful views. We had all our meals at the hotel during our 3 nights stay and the food was super…they obviously have a very good chef. Sitting on the veranda in the evenings was magical watching the sunset. We shall certainly return next year.

The hotel is a beautiful, colonial style building and the location in the centre of town is great. The terrace area at the front of the hotel is a lovely spot for food and drinks, and was the highlight of the stay for us. We ate at the restaurant twice for dinner, and it was great both times. Prices are reasonable for both food and drink. The gin selection is huge, but there's no menu so you have to ask about each gin individually (which is a pain for both the customer and staff). Our room was in the main building and was clean and comfortable enough, but the four poster bed in our room was very hard and made for a pretty uncomfortable nights sleep. Whilst I liked the traditional decor of the room, it was very dark. The shutter doors could be opened for some light, but as the view was onto a wall, it still felt dark. I would stay in a larger room with pond views if I came back. The a la carte breakfast was tasty, and there were plenty of options (the eggs benedict were delicious). The pool deck area was small but perfectly adequate for a dip. Towels are provided, and there are a few comfy sun loungers. The electricity supply was intermittent and cut out frequently (albeit only for a few minutes at a time, but it was inconvenient nonetheless). There was no loadshedding in the area, so I assume the issue is hotel specific. This made the wifi slightly unreliable.

Cannot believe that this hotel is a 5 star hotel. Their service is shocking. No drinks menu for the bar - you are expected to stand at the bar and look at hundreds of gin bottles and choose one. Staff are friendly bit useless. On the Patio I had to look for a waiter to serve us and then never saw them again once drink was delivered never saw any staff again. We had to get up and go and find staff to pay our bill. Seriously 5 star rating needs to include quality of service.

A great place for a gin and tonic, very large selection of imported and local south african gins. Presented as a work of art with complementing fruit garnish. Sit on the stoop and watch the sun go down.

We recently booked all 14 rooms at the Royal Hotel for a staff weekend away. From check in to check out everything was on point. Dinner excellent - all 16 people found all three courses faultless. Likewise the breakfasts. All the staff personable and highly efficient.

Sitting on the long steop and enjoy the day - with a gorgeous gin and tonic, prawn tian was delicious, and the fish and chips was a wow - the service a little on the slow side but we were not in a rush so enjoyed the chill time

We started our visit with scones and coffee at the fire in the historic lounge of the hotel. The pub and dining areas were so inviting that we stayed for lunch. The food was delicious, and reasonably priced for such an opulent setting. Service was friendly and the facilities clean. We will definitely be back to sample the accommodation. A definite must to visit when in Riebeek Kasteel.

Past its best. Very comfy bed and linen. Bathroom well used. Room decor and furnishings quite tired. Nice open/real fires. Staff all very young. Odd that no condiments available at breakfast. Would I go again? Probably not. Now trying to fill this to 200 words….

The check in process was nice and smooth, the staff are friendly and helpful. The rooms are spacious with a beautiful bathroom, unfortunately there was no hot water in the shower. Room service was fast but the wifi was slow. The bar and restaurant open till late which worked in our favour. The breakfast is good only ala carte no buffet. The swimming pool is inviting with great views and the fire place in the restaurant comes in handy on cold nights. All in all, our stay was fantastic, a definite must do again.