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4.0
#1 of 3 hotels in Porthmadog
Location
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
A very comfortable, 'home from home,' independently run, full-service hotel in Porthmadog and has been awarded 4* by the AA and Visit Wales. Children are welcome as well as pets in our courtyard rooms. Our 28 rooms are spread over 3 floors and we do not have a lift but ground floor rooms are available for those with walking difficulties. Private covered parking, cycle/golf clubs lock up and drying room.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to VisitWales.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Business
Languages Spoken
English
Location
131 High Street, Porthmadog LL49 9HB Wales
Royal Sportsman Hotel
1,093 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Royal Sportsman Hotel comes highly recommended for its comfortable and well-appointed rooms, with special accommodations for guests with special needs, despite occasional noise complaints. A standout feature is the hotel's impeccable cleanliness, amplified by commendations for the amiable cleaning staff. Visitors laud the friendly and attentive service, although a few have noted discrepancies with service charges and booking details.
The hotel's atmosphere receives accolades for its stylish and inviting decor. Its location is celebrated for its proximity to shopping, tourist attractions, and transportation. While most guests consider the pricing fair, the amenities, especially the breakfast and accessibility, are particularly praised.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We have stayed at The Royal Sportsman before, but ownership has changed since our last visit so we were interested to see if there had been any improvements. We were not disappointed! We had what is classified as a superior room, which had been recently refurbished. It was a large room, everywhere was pristine, the bed was very comfortable and there was sufficient storage space with modern shelving and a wardrobe. There was a settee and coffee table at the foot of the bed for watching television, although TV reception in this area can be intermittent at times. The en-suite had a bath with shower over and appeared very clean. All equipment worked as it should. The weather was very hot for the length of our stay but we were offered a fan which helped quite a bit. Downstairs both the lounge and dining room have had new furniture and fittings, and we were pleased to see the heavy curtains had been replaced with blinds which made both rooms look a lot brighter. Social distancing was in effect in both rooms with tables and chairs well spaced. Breakfast was served in both rooms to make the most of the space. We had dinner on two occasions and although a little pricey the food was excellent and worth paying a little extra. All meals including breakfast have to be booked due to Welsh Covid requirements, but we had no difficulty in getting the times we wanted. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful, and service was quicker than we remember it being with the previous owners. The new owners have plans to continue the refurbishment, with more rooms to be upgraded and the reception area opened up by merging it with the former Gelert's Bar, which is no longer used. We certainly enjoyed our stay more than some previous occasions, and will be back when we next want to stay in the area. Location wise the hotel is at the north end of the High Street, about 5 minutes from the National Rail station and an easy 10 minute walk from the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. There is limited car parking in the enclosed garage. A good base for anyone wishing to explore this part of Snowdonia.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Choose a ground floor room if you have mobility problems as there is no lift. Rooms on the back,...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Booked the Royal Sportsman for a short break with my partner and grandad. What attracted me to this hotel was thier ground floor rooms, disabled parking and onsite bar and restaurant that would suit my grandad's mobility needs.
The staff were all fantastic and very accommodating throughout our stay. We ate at the restaurant both nights (be aware some of the other local cafes and restaurants are not open on Mondays) and had some lovely meals. The bar was well stocked with some nice beers and good quality spirits and bar staff were great sales people!
The breakfasts were plentiful and great selection and the location of the hotel in the centre of Porthmadog was ideal for a short break with plenty to visit within walking distance (if you are able) or short drive in our case.
The only downside for me and my partner was our room (ground floor) seemed a little basic for what we paid and got uncomfortably warm and noisy (there was some very heavy rain at times and the sound of it hitting the covered walkway outside of our room was distracting when trying to sleep). The room was small and dark but had everything you need (including a fan which came in handy) and was clean and came with some nice toiletries/drinks selection and useful things like hand sanitizer.
Overall it was a good stay and I would recommend it to anyway who wants a convenient location or is travelling with someone with mobility issues or wants to take thier dog with them (ground floor rooms are dog friendly).
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Stayed overnight while visiting family nearby. Booked as the hotel has charging for Tesla - reserved space with name board in and enclosed garage (small but perfectly formed). Staff very friendly and helpful, room comfortable, breakfast arrangements worked extremely well with social distancing in place, Only had breakfast, but the food was very good. Will be coming back.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
£144 for 2 night stay in a room fit for a Wendy house, WiFi intermittent child's bed, (went to Abersoch and slept in car for 2 hours) kettle lead would not reach shelf, sink so small could not fit kettle in to fill, also water leaked out when having shave, was offered different room but at top of 3 STEEP flights of stairs, full breakfast was a joke, half (yes half) a mushroom, 1 sausage 1 very small rasher of bacon, 1 egg, 1 hash, beans 1 slice of toast and coffee. Manager was aware of my complaint but choose to ignore me in reception. 1 of only 2 nightmare places to stay In my life, and I travel a lot 😕
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel room was very cozy and made us feel at ease. Had free hotel parking under a roof. The room came with all the amenities we could want (shampoo, soap, towels, fresh bed linen, a fan, electric water kettle, coffee/tea, clothes cupboard). Hotel staff was friendly and helpful.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Michael O'Reilly, Owner at Royal Sportsman Hotel
Responded 25 Jul 2020
Thank you so much for your five-star review. We are pleased that you felt at ease with us, under these unusual circumstances, and delighted you enjoyed your breakfast. We hope to see you back again when you're next visiting Porthmadog.
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I booked this hotel for 4 nights, following recommendation on the Dogfriendly website. I sent an email to the hotel directly asking for a room for 2 people and a large dog. They said they had availability of a double for £115/night + £10 for the dog. The pictures on the website showed modern and freshly decorated rooms that we were really excited about. However when we got there we were assigned room 9 in the courtyard. This was a very old and small room with no window. I was truly shocked and could not even walk in, so I went back to reception and told the receptionist that wasn’t right. She immediately said that we could have the family room 4, that was bigger and had access to a small patio for £130 + 10£. I walked in and really looked like a very old style hotel room, nothing like the rooms advertised on the website. I probably should have said that we had been missold and walked away, but after a 5 hours drive with a dog in the car and the rain kicking in heavily we could do nothing but stay. In fairness, the place was clean, the staff was nice, the food at dinner and breakfast was excellent. However, although this hotel accepts dogs, it should not be advertised as dog friendly: there isn’t a single bowl of water for dogs in the whole place. Despite the extra charge (and unlike most places advertised on the dogfriendly website) nothing was provided for the dog. There isn’t an inch of grass in/around the property for dogs to play or relieve themselves and to be honest Porthmadog has no dog friendly beach and the only green area is dog free with £1000 fine for trespassers. After our third damp/cold night we decided to leave one night earlier, but they charged us for the whole stay claiming that we should pay the highest tariff because it was our fault that we didn’t tell them we had a large dog. However I always say when I book that I have a golden and I have a confirmatory email from them acknowledging that. They also tried to say that they had pictures of the non refurbished rooms on the website, but I checked million times thinking I made a mistake and they haven’t. In summary, if you have a dog avoid this hotel. You will get an old small room completely overpriced and they won’t tell you. Head to Criccieth where there is a fabulous dog friendly beach or stay in Tremadog. If you don’t have a dog, avoid the rooms in the courtyard and make sure you get a refurbished one.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Car parking is good but only got a space the first night
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Michael O'Reilly, Owner at Royal Sportsman Hotel
Responded 7 Aug 2022
Thank you for your comprehensive review. We are sincerely sorry that you feel you were mis-sold your dog-friendly standard double room. Large dogs regularly stay in these rooms so we didn’t question your booking. However, as the family rooms are larger, they do come with a slightly higher tariff. We don’t feel we mis-sold you this room because you changed your mind so we would of course have expected you to pay the £15/day extra. We are slowly working on refurbishing all our rooms but of course we are unable to continue until the quieter winter months, when we can put areas of the hotel off to avoid disturbance to our guests. Unfortunately, due to our high street location, there is no grass immediately around the hotel. If you had asked at reception, we could have directed you to several grassy areas where your dog could exercise within a 5 minute walk of the hotel. However, thank you for noticing that the hotel was clean, the staff nice and the food at dinner and breakfast excellent.
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Booked at this hotel as a late booking mainly because of its location and the free WiFi .Was accomodated there in a courtyard room not attached to the main hotel.This was not made clear at the time of booking . Also there was no WiFi connection whatsoever in this courtyard room and despite complaining to reception 4 times nothing was done about this and no compensation offered.Having paid £300 for 3 nights here this was very dissapointing and the only conclusion I can come to is that management here will do anything and lie to fill their hotel
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have stayed before but found that the hotel had changed ownership and had refurbished the rooms during lockdown. The dining room and lounge look great as did our room but beware if you stay in room 19 - creaky floorboards in the corridor need sorting. All Covid rules were applied and carried out well. Our room was clean, tidy and the bed was very comfortable. We booked a table for an evening meal and the standard is still as high and menu had plenty to offer. Breakfast was pared down due to COVID so the buffet was not being accessed by guests - a bit of forward thinking needed as everything was ordered at the table. We did think that the cereal choice was limited and would have preferred an option other than variety packs - muesli maybe?
Hotel is in a great position for exploring the local area and parking was free. Car charging points available for those who need them. Portmeirion, Bedgelert, Snowdon, Harlech, Criccieth, Abersoch all nearby and the Ffestiniog railway station is a short walk away.
We will definitely stay again and would recommend the hotel to anyone wanting to explore that part of Wales.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Booked this hotel as a base to explore the many places to visit nearby, nervous driver so left car in the free parking (covered garage) for the whole of our 4 nights stay and took local trains and buses, both within just a few minutes walk and cheap! Lovely big beautifully furnished bay window room with everything you could need, it was a very hot few days but there was a fan supplied too which helped. I was worried about the standard of the hotel at such a reasonable price, but it was absolutely fine and great value for money. Staff were all extremely friendly and helpful, had the food in the restaurant one night, quiet pricey but very nice. Breakfasts were absolutely lovely, plenty of choice and kept us full all day! Would definitely recommend, and thankyou to all the team at the Royal Sportsman.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent two nights in Porthmadog and this hotel was in a great location for shops, baes and Ffestiniog Railway. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Our room was very clean and comfortable . Breakfast was served in the dining room. The menu had great choices. Whilst we were there , unfortunately there was a power failure one morning all over Porthmadog ( it didn’t last long) but there were no hot drinks available, yet the chef cooked us the most delicious eggs royale! Really well done to the chef! The seating areas in the restaurant adhered to social distancing. All the staff there worked really hard and it paid off as it looks and feels so clean and comfortable. Would definitely return.
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Date of stay: August 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Michael O'Reilly, Owner at Royal Sportsman Hotel
Responded 27 Sept 2020
Ah yes, the morning of the power cut in Porthmadog! We can safely say that breakfast service was a challenge and we're delighted you enjoyed your Eggs Royale. Looking forward to welcoming you back.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Porthmadog area.
PRICE RANGE
₹10,252 - ₹15,630 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hotel royal sportsman, royal sportsman porthmadog
LOCATION
United KingdomWalesNorth WalesGwyneddPorthmadog
NUMBER OF ROOMS
28
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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