The Royal Clarence Hotel

I very much wanted to love this place. I had such high hopes as the service we received when making reservations and asking for directions was very prompt and courteous. However, things did not begin well. Parking is limited and arranged through the hotel. There is a car park “reserved” for guests but it is a multi-storey car park in the centre of town. Granted, the hotel does provide detailed directions and a map to get there but it was difficult to find a parking space once we entered the car park (we had to park at the very top in the uncovered part). It made us wonder what would have happened if we didn’t find a space… would we have had to drive back to the hotel? We didn’t see any reserved spaces for hotel guests. It is a 5-10 minute walk back to the hotel and you can only park for 24 hours at a time so if you are staying longer, you have to remember to ask reception for a new ticket and go back to the car park at the designated time. Not very convenient. We arrived at noon and were pleased to learn that our room was ready. The lift is inconvenient to use (you have to open the door and slide the metal gate… very awkward when you have a lot of luggage). We booked the lowest priced room (the Comfortable room… oh, the irony). It was smaller than expected, very stark and the decor was not very welcoming. It’s supposed to look like a stylish boutique hotel with minimalist decor but they missed the mark. We also noticed that our room was the only one in that section of the hotel that had a very sloped floor (look at the photo of the bottom of the door, it will give you a good idea how slanted the room was). The bathtub was minuscule (too short and narrow) and very uncomfortable. (I’m only 5’3” and found the bath too short!). The fixed glass shower screen made it difficult to operate the taps and adjust the water temperature from outside the bathtub. The shower head had good pressure but perhaps it was too good… the floor would always get flooded. Or the bathtub was leaking from underneath… I couldn’t figure out why the floor got so wet. It is frustrating (and unsafe) to step out of the shower into a big puddle of water! The tub did not drain properly. There were nice toiletries (shower gel/shampoo, body lotion, hand/nail cream, hand soap and a shower cap) but these were not replenished the next day. The fan in the bathroom was full of dust (see photo). The toilet did not flush properly. The bath mat needed to be replaced. The toilet roll holder was missing an end piece which made the roll fall off every time it was used. The box of tissues only had 3 tissues stuffed at the top (I hate when hotels do that). The bed was very uncomfortable: the mattress was much too soft. The hotel offers free broadband but the cable was nowhere to be found. We had to ask for one and it was brought up in a short space of time. Reception also rang to make sure we got what we wanted. There is a wardrobe with good space but it showed very poor design to position the full length mirror on the side of the door that opened into the light fixture adjacent to it. This prevents the door from swinging open completely and the resulting angle makes it difficult to get a good look. The mirror could have easily been put on the other door. There are also no instructions on how to access the voice mail feature on the telephone. We had to call reception and ask. Now the good points: the room has a great view of the cathedral, secondary glazing to minimise outside noise (although it doesn’t eliminate it), shaving mirror in the bathroom, good-sized sink, the flat-screen TV and DVD/CD player are high quality, there is ample work space (desk and chair), a mirror above the desk with suitably located power points, free broadband, lovely hardwood floors (although wonky!), good lighting and very nice light fixtures, a personal safe, coffee/tea-making facilities, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, air conditioning (although it gets cold fast but it is easily switched off when the room cools), and the overall cleanliness of the room was very good. Room service was prompt and efficient and the food was delicious. The hotel is a beautiful historic building and has the ideal location, right across the cathedral, next to many restaurants and near High Street. The staff are courteous and professional. From what I’ve read, there are much nicer rooms at this hotel so if we do stay here again, we would try the Desirable room. However, if we were to visit Exeter again, we would probably try a different hotel (for comparison). It’s not that the Royal Clarence (ABode) is terrible. It has a lot of promise but there were just too many things amiss to make this a comfortable stay... and the terrible mattress and flooding from the shower are just unacceptable. We still recommend it but make sure you are not given room 309! Had we stayed longer than 2 days we definitely would have asked for another room. The fact that we paid £110 instead of £125 per night was of little consolation. And lastly, the Michael Caines restaurant is a truly wonderful dining experience. Even if we do not stay at this hotel, we will definitely eat at their restaurant again!

I normally stay at the Barcelona when I visit Exeter but we tried the Royal Clarence. It is more expensive and really not worth it. They do not have sufficient parking (you have to pay £6.50 to park your car a 20 minute walk away)and you cannot book a park. My room was nice however it only had a bath, no shower! The rooms are freezing and you have no way of heating the room when you are not in it as the heating requires the key to work. The food in the restaurant is delicious, however service is very slow. We will be staying at the Barcelona from now on!

Booked a room at the Abode hotel (previously royal clarence) for our anniversary in December. I had arranged the whole thing through email with the Guest relations officer, and was quite looking forward to the whole thing. I was quite looking forward to the promised "desirable" bedroom, overlooking the cathedral. We were greeted on check in by very polite and welcoming staff. Upon entry into the room, we found ourselves at the very back of the hotel, with the window facing what looked like an airwell and a blank wall. The room itself was tiny, something that even an estate agent would not describe as 'deceptively roomy'. I made a quick phone call to the desk and reminded them that we had negotiated a cathedral facing room. We were then asked to go back down to reception, get our key changed and then had to come back upstairs with our luggage to a different room. I suspect there were 2 scenarios: 1, the desirable room was super tiny and they upgraded us to the enviable room. or 2, they had made a slip-up and put us in the back where the sun don't shine. Either way, the room was a lot bigger, seemed to fit the description of the enviable room. All in all, a good rescue of what could have been a disastrous situation. Overall, the room was great, facilities were very good and we felt quite at home in the hotel. It almost rang to the tune of the longueville manor in jersey! We would go back again were it not for 2 things. 1, we live quite close to exeter 2, the fear of being put in a horrible room again. Perhaps this is something that the staff need to learn as they all seem a little bit young and almost amateurish, almost as if they're trying really hard to be a designer hotel.

We stayed at the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter as a treat, of couple of days away from the kids. When we arrived the two girls on reception were brilliant, an efficient and friendly check in, they welcomed us, told us about the hotel and its services and every question asked about the local area was answered. We were in a desirable room, (by the way they’re quirky room types) from the moment we walked into the room, all I can say is WOW, there was the biggest bed I’ve ever seen, along with a free standing roll top bath, it was amazing, I absolutely adored the décor, unfortunately my husband is a little less pleased as I’ve got him running around trying to find similar furniture for our house. From the moment we arrived we had so many questions for the girls on reception as we were really interested in this new hotel chain, I believe its called abode, (sorry if I’m incorrect) and the girls told us everything we needed to know, they then booked us a table in the well known Michael Caines restaurant which is on the ground floor of the hotel, all I can say is it was the best meal and service we both have ever had, and my mums a chef. We had a few drinks in the bar afterwards, and again all the staff were very friendly, but not stuffy in any manner. After the meal we decided to choose a DVD from the selection held on reception, again the two girls were very polite as we approached the desk, if I were them I would of run a mile, ‘oh know not them again’. We asked about which DVD they would recommend, and they laughed and joked with us and each other, which is lovely to see staff enjoying their jobs and each others company. Any way to cut a long story short we went to watch the DVD, unfortunately I fell asleep as the beds were unbelievably comfortable, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. In the morning we went to breakfast which met our expectations from the night before’s meal, again the staff were incredibly cheery considering some were serving us the night before and probably didn’t have much sleep. Sadly it was time to check out, we approached the reception desk again one of the girls was there from the night before, amazingly fresh faced and a gentleman who again was extremely helpful and courteous at all times. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone, I apologise for not knowing any names of the staff but everyone was wonderful, from housekeeping to reception to the waiters they all made us feel so welcome, and thank you to everyone who made Our break away from the kids unforgettable. Michael Caines has obviously worked hard to create this amazing hotel along with his business partner and I would like to make them aware that they have a remarkable group of staff that make the hotel what it is today. Thank you all once again.

I booked this a few months ago for our anniversary and I must be honest I was getting slightly concerned by some of the recent comments. There was nothing to fear. Admitedly I booked the Champagne Package, which entitled us to a fabulous room and FABULOUS it was. We got parking near to the hotel in their designated area, but it is at a premium. The room was a suite (Room 108) and I would recommend it to anyone. It was out of this world and everything we wanted, there was a real WOW factor when we entered. The staff were fantastic and couldn't have done more for us and the reception staff remembered our names which was an added touch. The added touches we got, champagne, chocolates and flowers in the room, made it all the better. We had a glass of champagne in the bar before dinner, as part of the package and even managed to squeeze a cocktail in before dinner. The meal was superb and our waiter was one of the best I have ever had! Michael Caines has worked hard to get tot hese standards and will go from strength to strength. We could not fault the meal. Our only disappointment at the end of it, was that we had only booked for the one night. We would recommend this to anyone for a special occasion or just a night away. It is really handy to make a day of it all as well by being right in the centre of Exeter and the view of the cathedral was breath taking.

We saw the website and booked a double room for a weekend treat. The hotel is in a superb position, opposite the cathedral, and on arrival we were greeted warmly. However,the room we were allocated was very average, the decor dull and very traditional, it was extremely small and had a view of the tiles on the opposite roof. The bathroom was the only saving grace,with a very trendy shower, but no bath, and still very small. Had we paid the full rate we would not have accepted the room we were given, and even at £79, felt it was not worth the money.We found the website to be very misleading, and did not live up to expectations.

Got a reasonable rate, arrived but poorly directed by reception staff. First room above kitchens smelt heavily of fish, complained. no offer of help to move luggage, had to drop key back down myself. replacement room small but no smell. Bathroom very small and floods when you use the shower. Sink the size of an A4 piece of paper. Room would have been too small for two getting ready to go out for a function for instance. Bar closing as i arrived back at 1.30am, served a drink in an empty function room by a bored eastern european night porter. Asked for another, told they had run out of jack daniels! gave up and went to bed, ordered club sandwich from room service, not the best by any means. Antique lift is a death trap in the wrong hands. Air conditioning in my room was noisy. Bed however was first class and the decor is lovely but its the age-old problem of style over substance. Didnt have breakfast so couldnt comment. I probably would stay again though, maybe its just teething problems??

The Royal Clarence is in a historic building on the quiet close opposite the cathedral and just off the High Street, but has been refurbished to feature attractive modern boutique style rooms. The basic room was a little small but very comfortable, although only reached by a warren of stairs and passages, and service and other facilities were good.

The Royal Clarence hotel has been recently refurbished and is radically different to how it was before Sept 05. (well 1995 when I last visited anyway!) They staff did all they could to help us in a great non-stuffy manner. Breakfast is pricey - but has a huge choice (although better ask for ketchup and mustard early on when ordering) Lovely residents bar with no hint of trying to throw you out. Huge comfy beds, beautifully designed rooms. Deep baths, big showers, nice products. The lift is the original very old fashioned lift - which is stylish and beautiful but not quick and wouldn't be good for old or disabled visitors as the stairs are original and therefore a little uneven. Exeter is a busy old city with limited parking. We didn't get a cathedral parking space. But we checked in first then they showed us how to get to the parking spaces. We parked in the open part not the multi storey.

Were given an absolutely stunning room for just above the entry room price. Did actually see two room as initially wanted a shower, but then decided on a bath only room which was much more special. The shower room only was perfectly well designed but perhaps lacked the wow factor we had expected from the website. The room we stayed in overlooked the Cathedral and though it was a bit visible to the world in daylight, did not detract. With modern and quirky design, the hotel exceeded my expectations. The staff were also very friendly and helpful adding to the enjoyment of the one night stay. We dined in the Michael Caine restaurant in the evening and found both the service and food excellent and reasonably priced. Would definitely stay here again if in the region as the room we had was fantastic given the pricetag.