The Royal Hotel is close to the river in the town of Bideford in Devon. The building was once a courthouse and prison -- you can see the old cells behind the ballroom -- and parts of it date from the 17th century. It is part of the Brend Hotels group, the AA Hotel Group of the Year 2015.
The hotel is a "short and extremely scenic" (The Daily Telegraph) stroll from the harbour and town centre. The historic Pannier Market trades Tuesdays-Saturdays, and there are antique shops dotted along the alleyways -- known locally as drangs -- that lead up from the bustling quay and river; boat trips to Lundy Island, a haven for rare wildlife in the Bristol Channel, run from March-October (see timetable).
The Tarka Trail, a network of paths and cycle tracks inspired by Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson, runs through the town. Deal Expert Michelle Brister recommends walking the Hartland Heritage Coast path from Instow towards Clovelly to see an array of hanging valleys, tumbling waterfalls and ancient woodland.
Hartland Abbey, a former monastery with stunning interiors where the BBC's adaption of "The Night Manager" by John le Carré was filmed, is 30 minutes' drive away.
The opulent Regency Restaurant serves traditional and contemporary dishes made from West Country produce. The Regency Suite serves light bites and cream teas.
Guests get free use of the leisure facilities at the hotel's sister property, The Barnstaple, which is around 15 minutes' drive away. It has heated indoor and outdoor pools (outdoor pool open April-October), two saunas, hot stone beds and a fitness suite.
Press:
"A quiet and relaxing hotel, the Royal is set near the river within a five-minute walk of the busy town centre and the quay" -- The AA Hotel Guide 2017
Amenities
General
Infant cots / cribs
Bar
Extra beds / roll away beds
Restaurant
No pets allowed
100% smoke-free
Services
24-hour front desk
24-hour room service
Room amenities
Coffee / tea-making facilities
Iron and ironing board
Flatscreen TV
Internet
Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout
Bathroom
Hair-dryer
Luxury toiletries
Bathtub or shower
Parking
Complimentary parking
Accessibility
Accessible parking
Accessible path of travel
Accessible restaurant
Please note: Some amenities and services may not be available in all rooms or may incur an additional charge. Please check with the hotel.
Policies
Check-in: Standard Time is 2pm.
Minimum age required to check in: 18.
Checkout: Standard Time is 11am.
Children and additional guests: Extra guests are permitted in the Deluxe room only. Extra guest charges apply as follows: £12.50 per person, per night for children aged 2-16 inclusive. This includes breakfast. Children aged 1 and under stay free of charge, on request, when staying in an infant's cot/crib. This does not include breakfast. There are no extra beds for older children or for adults. Please use the Special Requests field to request an extra bed/cot. Supplements are not included automatically in the total price and will be charged directly by the hotel. See room descriptions and rate policies for information about room occupancy levels.
Pets: No pets allowed.
Cancellation: Cancellation policy & booking conditions vary by 'rate plan'. These will be displayed on the payment page after you have searched for your dates and selected a rate.
Rates may vary by date, are subject to availability and are not guaranteed until your purchase is complete.
The room rates listed are for double occupancy per room unless otherwise stated and exclude tax recovery charges and service fees.
It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Travelzoo is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos.
*Unless otherwise stated, Travelzoo-exclusive extras are valid once per stay (based on two adults sharing). Value is an estimate based on double occupancy. Extras are only included with Member Rates and may not be available on all dates. Extras are non-transferable and have no cash value. Total value may vary depending on time of booking and availability. When included, breakfast may be limited to 2 guests per stay subject to hotel’s discretion. Other restrictions may apply; see our T&Cs for details.
Enjoyed This
(35 Member Ratings)
Ratings & reviews reflect verified member feedback for Percy R. Brend & Sons (Hoteliers) Limited (t/a The Royal Hotel Bideford) over the past 15 months.
Ratings & reviews reflect verified member feedback for Percy R. Brend & Sons (Hoteliers) Limited (t/a The Royal Hotel Bideford) over the past 15 months.
The room was fabulous, windows on three sides with a view of the river and the old bridge.
Other Comments
Friendly staff good food and drink
tony11. Aug 2017Langport, UK
Enjoyed Most
Excellent food and courteous staff
David05. Aug 2017Saint Ives, UK
Enjoyed Most
The friendly welcome, the fine food and the lovely, spacious room.
Dorothy17. Jul 2017Plymouth, UK
Enjoyed Most
We had a lovely room on the 2nd floor with a good view over the river. The reception staff were friendly and helpful. The food was also good, however the restaurant at night was very gloomy. I don't know who thought having lilac lighting was a good idea but all it achieved was eating in an area similar to the "Twilight zone" !! It needs at least some form of lighting on individual tables at least a candle. Better still get rid of the lilac because as the space has no windows it makes for a not very pleasant ambiance. There were only a couple of other diners in and the food was fine so that is not the problem. We decided on our 2nd night to et elsewhere because of it. The staff in the restaurant could try smiling once in a while as well.
Other Comments
Sort out the restaurant atmosphere!
Sandra24. Jul 2017Looe, UK
Enjoyed Most
It's position in Bideford.
The lovely room
The polite and helpful staff
Other Comments
The very slight negative was the quality of the evening meal. We were a group of four adults and we all agreed that the food was very average. However it did not spoile our enjoyment.
David10. Jul 2017Weston super mare, UK
Enjoyed Most
General ambiance was relaxed and the service was excellent
Ann22. Jun 2017Dorchester, UK
Enjoyed Most
Meeting up with family in a lovely setting
Other Comments
The dining room was lovely
Janet25. Jun 2017Cornwall, UK
Enjoyed Most
friendly staff
Sarah27. Jun 2017Saint Cleer, UK
Enjoyed Most
Location was good and the meal we had was excellent although they mistakenly tried to charge us for two meals not realising we did not take the included meal offer on the first day.
Other Comments
The room (220) was as far as you could get from the lift even though the hotel was not fully booked when we arrived (reserved for Travelzoo offer customers perhaps?). The room and the entrance corridor was in the upper part of the hotel with sloping walls under the roof where it was easy to hit your head. The room and bathroom facilities were otherwise fine. If we return we will avoid this room or others like it.
David03. Jul 2017Chelmsford, UK
Enjoyed Most
Food
Jennifer23. Jun 2017Greens Norton, UK
Enjoyed Most
The staff were friendly and courteous and the food was good. Parking very handy.
Other Comments
Room size was good but the bathroom needed an update - we haven't seen a pampas suite since the 70's! Also there was an overflowing gutter outside our window which poured very noisily all night!
Avril01. Jul 2017Dorchester, UK
Enjoyed Most
Excellent room
Other Comments
We had an cheerful welcome at reception the room was superb very comfortable bed excellent evening meal dinning room staff very attentive
David05. Jul 2017Martock, UK
Enjoyed Most
Excellent staff & customer service
Julia25. Jun 2017Bristol, UK
Enjoyed Most
The character of the hotel and food
Other Comments
The hotel, staff and food were very good but the travel zoo deal made no mention that the £30 food voucher for dinner only applied to table d'ote menu. Before booking I checked the menu on the hotel website and this nfluenced my decision to book. At dinner we were presented with menus but no mention was made that the deal only applied to the limited menus. Upon checking out we were presented with a bill for the dinner which we understood was part of the deal. The receptionist said that other guests had been supriesed by this additional charge. This short break was tarnished by this issue. Travelzoo should have made clear what was included and the hotel staff in the restaurant should also inform guests of the restrictions or was this a conscious decision to mislead customers and increase sales of the vouchers or revenue for the hotel?
Christopher10. Jun 2017Saint AustellSt.Austell, UK
Enjoyed Most
location and room
Other Comments
There appeared to be some confusion over the agreed booking rate/inclusions ... but it was amicably resolved with help from the manger and TZ
Paul09. Jun 2017Newport, UK
Enjoyed Most
Food good, room a bit dated but very comfortable.
Other Comments
Our booking stated £30 per person towards dinner. When we came to pay we were charged quite a lot extra as apparently it only applied to the table d'hote menu but nobody had told us that. We checked our booking details before dinner - there was no mention of that and nobody had told us anything different. A rather disappointing, and expensive end to what had been a very enjoyable stay.
Helen09. Jun 2017Truro, UK
Enjoyed Most
The breakfast was excellent, and the chefs serving were excellent too,
Other Comments
We found the staff in the restaurant and bar very miserable, there was no atmospere at all.
Our booking was not correct when we arrived. I was told on the telephone that each room would be given a bottle of house wine -"compliments of Travel Zoo" .this did not happen.