Front of property – evening/night

Reviews of Royal Esplanade Hotel

3.5 out of 5
Royal Esplanade Hotel
16 The Esplanade, Isle of Wight, Ryde, England

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 284 out of 869 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 359 out of 869 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 140 out of 869 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 62 out of 869 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 24 out of 869 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Colleen

Travelled with partner
Decent English hotel. Wasn't told that parking had to be pre booked so we parked in the seafron car park. We arrived 20 minutes before end of breakfast and we were shown to a table that had crumbs all over it and it wasn't cleaned for us. Had to ask the menu and for teaspoons for coffee. Not much choice for breakfast, very small menu and no pastries. Check in at 4pm is late compared to other hotels. Room was lovely and bed was comfy. Nice big bathroom. Hot water wasn't hot as I didn't need to use any cold water when having a shower. Staff were pleasent.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Carolyn, Eastbourne

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
This is a traditional "old fashioned" English hotel but has a lot of charm. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We booked a superior room with view of the Solent and it was well worth the extra money. Lovely, comfortable room and the view was great. It was fun watching the hovercraft coming in and out. Breakfast was good (although the coffee was pretty awful). We had a very enjoyable 2 night stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Had a 2 night stay recently, booked a standard single room which was dated but clean, warm & had tea / coffee making facilities tv etc. The restaurant was having a refit so no evening meals at this time ( but you were welcome to bring in a takeaway ) also breakfast was continental & not cooked, I presume while work was being carried out in kitchen/ restaurant. The staff I met were friendly & helpful .... would I stay again ? Yes ! Oh & in the summer months Harry's Bar has quite a nice decking area outside.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

4/10 Poor

Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not the best place but it was clean and convenient. Terrible breakfast!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Samaresh

Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

David

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Susan

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Food was okay.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Maci

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

mark

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
It is a fine old hotel with friendly staff. Public areas have a faded grandeur whilst the bedrooms are adequate but need refurbishment.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Carol

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We were staying at the hotel for a RAF Regiment reunion, hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and always happy to help. Breakfast was lovely and hot and had a good varied menu. Our room was clean and well presented, with a good choice of hot drinks available, perhaps a bottle of water would be good too. All in all we had a fantastic stay and will be returning next year.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Simon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I have stayed at this hotel, it is close to all forms of transport & I deal for the hovercraft, etc
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

John

Travelled with group
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Grubby little single room on top floor. Bath panel hanging off. Very old and tatty furniture and a sloping ceiling where the main table is, - I couldn't stand up. TV not working, it was fixed but later on not working again. Sunday morning tables not set for breakfast - no side plates, sugar or tea spoons, combined with a lack of staff to request anything, had to go find it myself. I won't go on any further.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Laurence

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Caleb

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

6/10 Okay

David

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not a bad stay, but hotel feels past its best
Convenient location right opposite the hoverport, train and bus stations. This is an older hotel and could do with a bit of TLC - our room had a damaged ceiling from a leak above and a window that didn't shut properly - hopefully both will be attended to in winter. The shower was also fairly weedy and could do with an update. That said, the room was clean and comfortable, which is the most important thing, and a reasonable size compared with more modern hotels. Check-in at 4pm seems on the late side, and while you normally get a bit of flexibility, when we arrived at 3.30, we were told we'd have to come back - in fact our room wasn't ready until after 4 in the end. The breakfast was reasonable and the waiting staff, who were largely young and inexperienced, were friendly and helpful. Overall, not a bad stay but it feels like this place is at a turning point to either become a cheap and run-down venue, or make a bit of investment to return to a higher standard.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Nicusor

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
When I arrived they gave me a wrong room, I booked a superior double room, but nothing from what the pictures which was on Expedia, so I assume they gave me a standard room, even they said is a superior room, but they were nice and gave me a similar room like in the pictures being a family room. The bed was very comfortable, and the room very spacious, the breakfast was amazing with many options to choose. The hotel is situated very close to the beach, very nice view if you book a room with a sea view. As down side you need to pay for parking, they have limited parking spaces, you can park on the street in front of the hotel which is very close.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

6/10 Okay

jodie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Pictures are very misleading. Rooms are very tired with several issues. Hotel lobby etc was impressive and breakfast good. Wouldnt stat again. Only stayed for one night.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Simon

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Janette

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Shocking
I’m okay with an old property but I couldn’t wait to check out. There is no excuse for poor house keeping. Cobwebs and dust were dotted about and the bed was a roll together. So so old fashion and needs gutting. Sorry I hate giving a bed review normally very positive
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Yeleini

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Claire

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Lisa

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Jas

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Standard B&B hotel in Ryde, needs updating, wasn’t the cleanest but average standard. Very good location (although can be noisy with bar next door) with good transport links and right opposite the hovercraft. Breakfast was good, very attentive staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Quentin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great view and great location to watch all the action with trains, hovercraft and boats. Close to restaurants and shops. Safe swimming beach nearby. Only downside was failure to repair light in shower but we were given alternative shower facility, staff very helpful.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Ruonan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is an honest review, I want to start off by saying the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. But the hotel in itself is extremely run down, the pictures across the website are very old ones and don’t portray the hotel in its current form. The the room we stayed in was horrible, The carpet is absolutely filthy with what looks like human fluids left in there. The rooms also need a new lick of paint as well as the furniture. Oh and don’t even try to get an Internet connection, it’s non existent through either mobile data or their own personal one. The check in and out time is also another huge problem. You can’t check in no earlier than 4pm and check out is at 10am. What are you even doing in those 6 hours of supposed cleaning? The noise is also a problem being next too a pub, you can hear the local drunks well into the early hours of the morning. I suggest for anyone who actually reads this review to not stay in Ryde and look further in land, as while on our travels we saw lots of lovely hotels and privately run establishments. Pay that extra little bit of cash to have a pleasant experience on while on holiday!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Elaine

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jean

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were delightful it was a very relaxed couple of days very good service excellent food comfortable bed
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Vivienne

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Booked a twin room, a decent size situated at the back of the property. Room had a small tv, tea, coffee and biscuits. Beds were not that comfortable and had seen better days as was the furnishings. The en-suite however was up to date large with a great shower bath and plenty of hot water. Breakfast was plentiful with a decent choice. Reception and service staff were helpful and cheery. Location couldn't be better for travelling round the Island by bus or train. For a short break without my own transport I would definitely stay here again due to it's location.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Lynley

Travelled with group
Disliked: Room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Katy

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Alan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were very friendly and helpful, the breakfast was excellent and the view good. Unfortunately, the walls were rather thin and the people in the next room came in at 1 oclock and started playing music and we had to get up to tell them to keep quiet. There was also a lot of street noise from revellers, not helped by single glazed windows.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Graham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Comfortable room with newly renovated bathroom. Wifi did not work in bedroom but good in public areas.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Judith

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming, Friendly, Excellent Location
I went on a “me time mini break” to Isle of Wight. As it was a last minute trip I was limited in my choices of accommodation. But even if I had all the options, I could not have chosen better than the Royal Esplanade in Ryde. The location was gorgeous, the staff friendly and helpful, and the accommodation clean. I had a few minor issues during my stay and the staff were incredibly helpful and helped me sort things out pleasantly and efficiently. The decor is a little bit dated, but it’s clean and comfortable and (unlike some hotels I’ve stayed it) had plenty of sockets. The hotel is charming and has a lovely history. The location is brilliant. Right opposite the beach, and not far from shops. The hovercraft port from Ryde to Portsmouth is literally across the road from the hotel. My room had a sea view and as a person who loves everything boats and water i enjoyed the comings and goings. However the crafts are quite noisy. I’m not a very light sleeper and noise doesn’t really bother me - but it did wake me up a couple of times. There is limited on street pay parking but the hotel has a few parking spaces in a nearby parking area which you can book in advance. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough and if I ever return to IOW I would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Mark

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Needs some TLC
We’ve stayed in this hotel before but we did have an upgrade, but we decided to just go budget this time and we got what we paid for. We were at the far end of the Hotel, number in the 30s, so no access from the lift so lots of stairs. The room was fairly clean and tidy but the bed was very soft, it was liking sleeping on a Marshmallow. It’s ok if you like a very soft bed. The bathroom was fairly big but needs some love, there’s was no shower only one that was attached to the taps but could only reach your waist line, so shower on your knees it was and the water mess this created was crazy, no shower screen or curtain. So using clean towels to mop the floor. The room was exceptionally hot and we could only open the tiny window in the bedroom, the bathroom window was painted shut. The down side to this was we were right next to the Hotels extractor fan which comes on at 6.20am and goes off at 8.40pm so I very long day of humming, no good if you want to spend the day in your room. Stains on the lamp shades, which really is a quick fix and not expensive and looking back at others reviews this was mentioned last year, so a year on and still not sorted. This was just a bed for the night for us as we were out all day which it was probably a good thing as the signal for the telly was crap too as well as no Wi-Fi. On a positive note you couldn’t fault the staff, they’re all lovely and very helpful. The food was good too.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Len

Travelled with group
As per other reviews, didn’t get the room we booked and they didn’t want to know as we hadn’t booked direct.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Julian

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Early wake up call by the hovercraft takes a bit of getting used to in a room at the front. Otherwise very pleasant stay, restaurant particularly good, staff all delightful, lovely sized room and pleasant view over the sea.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

Poornima

Very disappointing. We have booked a Premier double bedroom. We were given something less than a Classic. Very basic room. When questioned and argued showing my reservation from Expedia I was told Expedia has wrongly advertised. Unfortunately we were very badly let down with respect this reservation.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Tarun

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The room is small, untidy. Room service is poor. The bathroom is old. No clarity on parking on Expedia. Just to let you know there are only 4 or 5 parking spaces in the hotel for more than 40 rooms. So consider this as parking not available. The only thing good was breakfast
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Short break
Very nice short stay, good breakfast options and friendly staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Joshua

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Malvern

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice stay! Staff were very helpful
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Janie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great location. Friendly. Clean. Comfy bed. Rather outdated rooms with mismatched furniture, tv cables hanging, old curtains, basic door lock.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

LESLEY

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

4/10 Poor

John

Business traveller
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room needed updating - limited breakfast - only expensive street parking - I would not go back to this hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Cinzanna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Alex

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kevin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Everything
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023