Royal Hotel

Having read some of the other reviews about this hotel, I was shocked at the negative experiances relayed by some people. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the royal hotel, the staff were very pleasant, the food was very good, and our room was to an extremely high standard. Oban is a wonderful place to spend a long weekend and the hotel complimented this beautifuly. We have every intention of returning to the hotel in the future and would recomend it to anyone without hesitation.

This Victorian town centre hotel appears not to have been refurbished since the 1960s. My room was small, dingy, smelt musty and felt unclean. Everything about the Royal Hotel screams "uncared for". Shame, as with a full refit and caring owners it could be lovely. As it is, I recommend you stay elsewhere unless you get a very cheap deal or everywhere else is full.

Stayed at the Royal for 2 night break and must say, excellent value for money. Hotel nice, food superb and staff just fab. So welcoming. Oban really nice too and we were lucky with the weather. Will definitely be back sooner rather than later

Oban was a real gem. What a pleasant little town! The views of the town on the hillside and the beautiful bay are simply stunning - especially towards sunset on a clear day. Breathtaking and yet with a wonderful homely charm that you only find maybe in this part of the world, with a small friendly seaside community and a unique Scottish flavor. I don't know how many photos I took, trying to capture some of that quaintness and rustic charm in vain. We had dinner at a seafood restuarant at the quay - forgot the name (something weird like "UU.ESK" or something like that), but the food was fantastic. We had a platter for two that included all varieties of local seafood, fished literally from local waters. Mmm ! Just recalling the meal leaves me smacking my lips. Sweetest tasting mussels and langoustines I've ever had. And with absolutely luscious views of the sunset through the meal too ! The Oban Distillery is a must-visit. Being such a small, humble distillery, it fits right in with the quaintness of the town - but it also maintains a pride and character that are also so 'Oban'. The tour is very interesting, and being small and catering to small groups of tourists, the guide really has the time (and enthusiasm) to share his obvious pride and love for the product. The whisky produced here is a fine dram indeed - maybe flavored with the magic of the wee distillery tour in my case. So, all in all, Oban was an unforgettable experience for my wife and I. I am almost afraid to come back again, because I wonder if it will be as wonderful the second time round. But what about the hotel? Hmm ... in comparison, quite forgettable. The Royal Hotel is situated smack in the centre of town. But it's really a small town centre, and I suppose it doesn't matter too much what location you stay at: everything's within walking distance. The Royal Hotel is a typical British small-town hotel again: squeaky, old, fading, squeaky, dodgy lifts, small dark rooms, squeaky, bit of mildew, saggy bed, squeaky, iffy cleanliness ... and did I mention squeaky floorboards? It's old and it shows - but some folks would say that's a kind of charm in itself. I'm not sure, but I didn't mind too much either. The service was so-so: not too eager, not too warm, but nothing specifically to complain about either. The breakfast was OK: the haggis tasted better than it looked, the kippers were slightly too salty, but I was disappointed there was no Scottish oatmeal porridge. My other disappointment was the car parking. Part of the reason I chose to stay here was because of the promise of onsite free parking. There is a hotel carpark somewhere behind the hotel, but to reach it, you have to negotiate a dark, dodgy alleyway. And because it's sort of around a couple of corners and behind some other buildings (and hence not in direct visual contact with the hotel), it didn't really feel that secure - about the same as parking on the street really. Plus, there are only a limited number of spaces, so you'd better hurry to grab your space. I got a decent price for this hotel on the internet, so overall I think I got OK value. I would stay here again - but maybe only if the price was right. But ultimately, Oban is so beautiful, you won't really mind too much exactly which hotel you stayed in.

We will not return to the Royal Hotel. Bad Points: No knowledge of our booking. We made it 2 weeks before. Abrupt lady at reception made us feel unwelcome. Rooms average but could do with redecoration. Food - don't try it very dissapointing. Breakfast - organised chaos. Staff desperately need training. Dog excrement all over car park - nice welcome. Good points: Bar staff friendlier than most and drinks reasonable priced. Most staff young but pleasant just need guidance. Coach party hotel not for young at heart We were celebrating an anniversary and were dismayed with the hotel, but Oban is a lovely sea side town and we will visit again but will not be staying at the Royal Hotel.

The Royal Hotel may not be modern in its decor but the attitude of its staff more than makes up for this. I have stayed there on many occasions. The quality of attention we were given and the fare offered was above expectations and made our stay in Oban all the more pleasent . I look forward to my next visit to the Highlands.

Stayed recently with friends for the weekend, we were given 2 nicely decorated bedrooms. Found the staff all very friendly and the food was really good with a great choice at the breakfast buffet. Location is good for wandering to the shops & harbour. Will definately go back in the summer when the weather is better (hopefully!!).

Have read with complete horror the reports submitted. I am a frequent visitor to the Royal Hotel, Oban as well as other hotels in the Strathmore Group. I have never heard such rubbish about a Hotel before. In fact, I always look forward to staying at the Royal as it is always clean, food is fantastic and staff are always pleasant and helpful. Honestly, never a bad visit!

Arrived at this basic hotel, not very impressed, no warm Scottish welcome here. Booked in for 3 nights left after 1 as we awoke during the night to find we were being eaten alive by bed bugs. Night staff informed us that this was an on going problem. Breakfast an absolute sham, had to set our own table with paper table cloths in fitting with a canteen, staff more interested in eating their own, we were an obvious inconvenience. Breakfast an absolute disgrace not fit for human consumption. Rude, unhelpful staff desperately in need of training, does Scottish tourism no favours at all. We do not recommend this hotel to anyone.

The moment we entered the hotel and saw the stairs with the peeling wallpaper the dirty paintwork we knew we had made a mistake.Our room (217) was smelly the sink in the bathroom was loose the floor in the corners hadnt been been cleaned in a while. You can hear every step of other guests passing the rooms from the creaking of the floor boards. The bar area is very smoky staff open the fire exit to let the smoke out, again around the edges of the carpet have not seen a hoover in a while the dado rail was thick with dust. The food i wont waste my time mentioning we had booked evening meals but went out after tasting what was on offer after 2 nights. i vote the Royal the worst hotel i have ever stayed in.