Travelling through Pattaya we passed the Dusit, Hilton & Marriot and thought what have we come to, its so scruffy. Going out of town, the road suddenly changed to tree lined with flowers and no litter! Turning into the gate, we were greeted with a salute and driving up to the four Hotels we passed well kept gardens. There was a feeling of being in a safe haven.
The check-in was very smooth and we were soon shown to our sea-view mini suite on the ninth floor, newly renovated 9096 had lovely views over the Islands and the lighthouse.
From the small balcony we watched the sailing, the sunsets and a one night a spectacular fireworks display.
We enjoyed Chinese New year, with a variety of entertainment and a fantastic buffet set around the pools, there are three at the Beach Hotel. You can use the other pools in the Grand & the Fitz club and there is never a problem with towels. Simply take your little bag back to the room and it is replaced with a fresh towel every evening. If you want extra towels, just ask the lifeguard, you sign and leave these in the pool area when finished with.
Although there are plenty of beds, the Germans still went down first thing and put out their towels, one couple had three beds and eight, yes eight umberellers every morning. The Russians were even worst taking two beds each, one in shade, one in sun, rather than just moving it. Despite this, we never had a problem getting a bed & shade. Just ask the pool attendant. The Fitz club pool is much quieter and the older British guests tended to go there.
Some of them had been visiting the Royal Cliffe for between 18 and 31 years. But the Europeans are in the minority. Most people were from the Far East, Asia and Russia.
Fitz Club. The tennis courts are supurb, the gym is very well equipt, good squash courts and coaches. There is table tennis, pitch & putt golf and steam & sauna rooms. There is a small library. The childrens play room is also located here with a variety of games, a TV and a childsitter.
During our two weeks we ate in every restaurant. The service was very good from every member of staff, the quality of the food excellent and the prices reasonable for a 5* Hotel. They are some three course set menus in some restraunts, which are very good value for money. We also tried both of the Sheraton restraunts and Brunos in town. These were more expensive than Royal Cliffe. If you are going into Pattaya, its 300 baht for a taxi. Its easier to use the hotels limo service and it's the same price.
The hotel have a free shuttle bus service, but it's impossible to use as the Russians block book on their arrival. The earliest we could get on was 12th February, we were leaving on the 6th... Unfortunately, the Russian guests are the only thing that spoils the hotel. They are rude, arrogant and greedy, taking several plates of food at breakfast and leaving most of it.
Its sad when the chefs have spent time preparing & cooking and then it gets thrown away.
Their dress sense is even worse. In the Italian Rossini one evening, a girl wanted to have a meal in her swimsuit with a see-through blouse, her partener had tiny shorts and an open shirt. The staff refused and they argued for ages, they then sat sulking, making it uncomfortable for other diners. They should be given a dress code card, explaining what clothing is acceptable. We saw men walking through the lobby in thongs, not good.
Trips. Use the travel shop in the hotel to book, you get the best seats and it costs exactly
the same. Also, all the attractions put free transport on, so it saves you the cost of a taxi.
Tiffany show was very different and enjoyable. The Botanical gardens were lovely to walk round and the elephant show was great. Gem factory worth a vist to pass an hour.
Walks from the Hotel. It takes about 20 mins to walk through the harbour into Walking Street.
But get a taxi / Tut back as its uphill. The golden Buddah again is about 20 mins walk away.
Although the Hotel is on a cliffe, they have installed walkways for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
They are currently doing some renovation between the Beach & the Grand Hotels, but the noise is minimal. The Resort is privately owned by a lady. It is run by General Manager Joachim Grill, a very nice kind and caring person, whose main aim is to ensure that his guests are comfortable and happy. He sets the standard high and his staff of 1500 work very hard to achieve this for him. There is a huge conference centre and the hotel is always busy, currrently 99% full. You can book direct with reservations and they have some special offers available. We booked through Longwood travel and were very impressed with their efficiency and price. For 14 nights it was £1201 hotel + transfer £104 and car parking Manchester £40.
We spent 50,000 baht (£1000) on food and drinks. This was much cheaper than we usually pay for an all inclusive package of the same standard. We can recommend that you book the Royal Cliffe Beach Resort, or one of their other hotels if you prefer better accomodation. You will not be disappointed.
Room Tip: The top three floors have been refurbished. The sea view side facing the Terrace has the sun all day...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
