Reviews of The Royal Hotel. (Hotel) in Featherston (Wellington).
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Information of The Royal Hotel, Hotel in Featherston (Wellington)
Here you can see the location, open hours, popular times, contact, photos and real reviews done by the users.
This place has good reviews, this means that they treat their customers well and you’ll feel great with their services, recommended 100%!
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Reviews of The Royal Hotel
M.This is such a awesome place to stay, staff are very accommodating and friendly. Rooms are beautiful and the food at the restaurant is delicious. Even got to met the dogs Brac and Bow 😃
Would definitely recommend this place. Can not say a bad thing about it.
F. D.Very good and love the room decor. One thing I found really annoying was that they had tiny squares of soap in the bathroom for washing hands and for the shower. Totally impractical, especially in these COVID times! Just a small thing but it can be fixed very easily with some liquid soap. Would normally expect useable soap and shampoo (there is no shampoo) in a room. Thanks.
A. N.A fun place to stay. You are rewarded in choosing this Hotel by the effort the owners have spent in creating a unique experience - we have stayed before and each room is uniquely detailed. Comfortable beds. Gurgles from plumbing reminded me of hotel stays many years ago. Unavoidable heavy traffic noise can be intrusive. We appreciated the service from the knowledgeable young man in the restaurant.
T. A. R. t.My partner and I enjoyed our stay here, staff were really nice and the food was great!! We will be coming back again 😌
S.This place is utterly amazing. The attention to the décor and fittings is staggering, the owners have done a fantastic job retaining the old-world charm and adding in some Victorian sci-fi with the steampunk elements.
It must be remembered that this is a historic building, so it doesn't have wide corridors, and the rooms are not large, and it's alive with the sound of rattling windows and creaking timbers in the frequent windy conditions for the area. But it's precisely that aged character that I personally love.
Each room has it's own decorating theme and you can choose from rooms with an ensuite, or a shared bathroom. Personally I'd go for the ensuite because the massive clawfoot bath was a luxury with some epsom salts and bubbles.
Unfortunately we stayed mid-week so the restaurant and bar weren't open so we didn't have a chance to experience that, but I'm 100% certain I'll be back to stay again so will try them next time.
The owner was a fabulous host, and treated us like special guests. We really appreciated and it was in stark contrast to every other hotel we stayed at during this particular road-trip.
B. S.Called in on way home for a quick meal had the steak and Lamb meals couldn't fault them wanted to lick the plates clean many thanks 👍
R. F.Dropped into the Royal Hotel for lunch and we all were very happy with the food. Service was good but a little slow as it wasn’t too busy. Lovely pub and worth a visit.
B. T.Awesome place to stay, need to have a look inside. The restaurant is top class
R. T.Gastro Pub on the Main Road. Very tastefully done. A standout in Featherstone. Food was delicious. Service excellent. Highly recommended.
A. D.Went there on a busy weekend. Hotel was teeming with people. Found a table outside after ordering food. Thought it'd be ages before it arrived. Not so. Arrived quickly and was absolutely delicious. Very pleasantly surprised. The new owners deserve to do well!
E. G.The best hotel ever, I did an emergency check in at the middle of the night, the host was super friendly and gave me brownies and milk. Later on, I forgot the keys of my room inside the room, I had to call the host from a phone and he had no problems on getting up from bed and opening the door for me. Thanks so much! I’d definitely come back a 1000 times. Very recommended, it has a wonderful ambiance and a nice comfortable bed. If I could rate, 1000000/5
P. V.Comfortable atmosphere. The food was beautiful but one staff didn't pay attention when we placed our order ended up making wrong food but they took the food back and replaced with the correct order. The bbq pork ribs were beautiful and the lamb was beautifully cooked and pink inside.
D.What a beautiful meal!! Staff friendly and professional. Excellent food in a fantastic setting.
R.Nice historic restaurant, but the snack food selection is very limited. Service was really good.
D. D.Wow. Beautiful food. Great service. Lovely surroundings
L.A beautiful old hotel remodeled in a retro, subtle steam punk style, with gorgeous attention to details and colour. It was such a treat to walk around and take it all in; a great place for a beer with friends on a Sunday afternoon.
T.The room was stunning and the bathroom so funky. Was a little frustrating that our check in was delayed by 20 minutes, due to no front desk, which made us late for the wedding we were attending. This was despite me ringing the day before to confirm we could definitely check in at 2pm (was assured this wouldn't be an issue). It is an old hotel so is quite noisy between rooms with no sound proofing and the road noise was significant. Just something to be aware of if you stay here.
R. B.Nice historic restaurant, but the snack food selection is very limited. Service was really good.
D.What a beautiful meal!! Staff friendly and professional. Excellent food in a fantastic setting.
D. A.Brilliant food, great size meals and good price. You can see the care and skill the chef has. Will definitely recommend.
S. W.Came here for dinner with family and although we couldn't get a table in the restaurant, we did get a place in the bar... The food was full of flavour and the service was great... Thanks for a lovely evening... I think it was called brac and bow though...
L.Loved this place. It will become our regular stop off in Featherston. That cheesecake with sorbet is the best I've ever tasted.
M.We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed a good wine.
J.Awesome 👌 highly recommend the hotel, bar and the restaurant... service was 1st class friendly inviting and accommodating... rooms are lovely, beds are comfortable.. worth visiting if passing through the wairarapa...
C.Great fun cool staff
B.A fine establishment nestled in a quaint little township.
r.Great food, we had the tapas which was good value and high quality. The building was refurbished last year and is nice.
L. C.Loved this place. It will become our regular stop off in Featherston. That cheesecake with sorbet is the best I've ever tasted.
N. M.The Royal is a great venue for Brac and Bow. Really impressed with the atmosphere, service and our meals were excellent. Local beers and wines. Highly recommended.
r. b.Great food, we had the tapas which was good value and high quality. The building was refurbished last year and is nice.
A. H.(Quick edit - went on a return visit and this time the staff were lovely and we had an excellent meal and really enjoyed the place, so I've bumped the stars up to 5). Great building , interesting decor , good beer , menu looks fine, nice outdoor seating... but staff don't quite seem to have grasped what the hospitality bit in hospitality industry means. I'll definitely give it another go in case someone's dog had died or it was national grumpy day, but it'll have to start with just the 3 stars.
J.Awesome 👌 highly recommend the hotel, bar and the restaurant... service was 1st class friendly inviting and accommodating... rooms are lovely, beds are comfortable.. worth visiting if passing through the wairarapa...
I. G.Stopped in for lunch shortly after they reopened. Excellent service, great food, would definitely be back. Accommodation upstairs looks stunning.
K. S.The Royal Hotel is a historic hotel that has been fabulously renovated. The whole building is a treat to be in, with a fun steampunk theme. The rooms, bathrooms, bar & restaurant are all furnished very beautifully which was a joy to experience.
Our room was No. 2 and was with a shared bathroom. The bed was very comfortable with gorgeous sheets and the shared bathroom was really lovely.
One thing to note is that the room we booked was VERY SMALL. As in absolutely tiny- room for the bed, one bedside table and a fan. We were riding the Remutaka Rail Trail and has a bit of gear with us & it was quite a squeeze.
The other thing to note is as a historic hotel, they don’t have air conditioning and it was very hot. A fan was provided for this.
On our our way out the next day, we had a peek into the other rooms and it looks like the rooms with their own bathrooms were much larger and included kitchen facilities. I would recommend paying that bit extra for the extra room.
The staff here are absolutely lovely and we had a wonderful stay. I would love to go back and stay in the larger room because it’s a very unique and special place!
V. M.Perfect place to stay for a memorable visit to Featherston. Royal Hotel is such a beautifully styled steampunk themed hotel. The service was excellent and staff were very friendly and accommodating. Will definitely stay here again.
M. C.The staff went so above and beyond to accommodate us even though it was a last minute booking. I never write reviews but couldn’t let this place go unappreciated! We would love to stay again. Classic small town kiwi hospitality, nothin‘ like it!
R. C.Large group, prebooked. Sadly, understaffed. Good parking. Nice open fire and pleasant updated surroundings not loosing old world charm. Food - not a bad menu but my meal far too many chips, bacon inedible ( cooked far too long) and hamburger soso. Very small serving of dessert, not good value for money.
P.Comfortable bed, nice bath after a week of showers, movable room heater to warm bathroom, access to kettle and fridge in room. Very good location with easy access to Martinborough and on route from Napier to Wellington. Loved the …
N. G.Lovely restoration of this historic building back into a hotel and restaurant.
The food is wonderful, and the menu updated very regularly as their in house Argentinian chef comes up with a variety of culinary delights.
Along with the standard beverages, there is a good selection of craft beers and ciders on offer.
A significant amount of time and effort had gone into the careful restoration of this building and business, and it’s well worth a visit.
Y. N.This restaurant needs to find its sweet spot (gourmet restaurant, sports bar or country pub?) the current mix doesn't quite work with high end fantastic food at the higher end of the pricing scale, an eclectic mix of bare old tables and chairs with some quite uncomfortable, and big screen TVs on the wall. Raise the comfort level and ambience of the place whilst keeping it 'quirky' and it would be A+, five stars with the fantastic current chef (from Argentina?).
S. E.Fantastic friendly service from the gentleman bartender there. Really enjoyed the meal, with lovely atmosphere & ambience. Think we will be cycling over & staying over as the hotel rooms look incredible. Thanks guys.
B.Staff were great, loved our stay. The pub and dinning down stairs was also fantastic, this is a wee pearl of NZ accommodation.
B. G.I went there with my family for lunch for Mother's Day. They had wheelchair access into the restaurant which was fantastic. The food looked outstanding - best presented meals I've seen in a long time, and the servings were huge. I was the only one to have the beer battered fish and chips as it was the only food that didn't have red meat or bacon in it (the one chicken meal on offer had bacon) and sadly it had been cooked in beef-fat (or the mixture of fat & oil) which killed the meal for me. The fish was very fresh but also very wet which made the batter soggy (beer batter is supposed to be crispy). It really was a meatlovers dream which I'm told was divine. The setting was just gorgeous with fairy lighting and the Edison bulbs. Come off the chairs we're a pretty frilled plastic that looked like glass which was cool looking. Lot of famiies and kids there which was a surprise as told it was a high-end restaurant rather than your average Cobb & Co. So for me, being a bit of a picky eater due to not eating red meat/pig, it was not as good as it was for the rest of the family who eat meat and did with enthusiasm due to how well prepared it was. Still, I give it a good 4/5 for the families food & being warm with beautiful ambiance.
K.The refurbishment of the building is great spoilt by the amount of paint has been dropped on the nice wooden floor. The menu was a bit disappointing. Looks like they've tried to be a bit creative but it lacks choice of good pub grub. Probably won't go back there.
E.This is not just a hotel, this is a living museum. Intertwined with decadent art, lavish antiques and a serious eye for detail- this hotel was beyond any hotel. A historical site from the late 1800's, this hotel underwent a deep rennovation in 2017 to manifest the most elegant steam punk-esque, victorian inspired venue; while simultaneously bringing out the rich history of the area and culture. From the outside it appears to be "an old hotel", but once you walk in you will be engulfed in the magnificence of fine art, collectibles, antiques and charming customer service.
I booked a reservation with my partner here assuming the photos were too good to be true. To our surprise, the photos did not do this place any justice. This encouraged me to do some digging on the history of the hotel. (it's worth a google!)
From check in to check out, every single thing went as smoothly as can be imagined. My partner and I dined in the restaurant downstairs and satisfied our hunger on a marvelous cheeseboard with local bread, fish and chips, a hearty steak, and local wines. (compliments to the lady chef who obviously took a great deal of pride in her culinary arts. )
Our room was G. Dower's room (the rooms are named and decorated after people in history of significance to the area or the hotel) which had a stunning claw foot bath tub, tasteful toiletries, every amenity we could have wanted in a meticulously clean and well cared for room. Small touches like a makeup remover towel, a neatly hung blow dryer, mini fridge with accompanying kettle with teas and coffees, unique books, and wifi were just a few of things The Royal Hotel had to offer.
Upon a very reluctant checkout , we met the owner of the business. What an absolute pleasure to tap into the mind of one of the co-owners that helped create a stunning establishment. We had the honour of also visiting the the Jules Verne room as well as King Tawhiao's room which we will definitely be staying in next time! Overall, 5 stars is simply not enough for this hotel. If you want to see a piece of history restored to is grandiouse beauty, with wonderful customer service, in a place of divine literature, art, and elegance, this is absolutely worth the (beautiful) drive from Wellington.
m.Brilliant ribeye steak and my partner loved the Arancini balls. Nice atmosphere and excellent staff.
P. C.A unique setting and friendly staff. Food was excellent for 'pub grub'. Wine choice by the glass is limited. But no different to most pubs. I'd rate The Royal@Featherston higher than The Martinborough Hotel.
B. M.Great food, friendly service, really warm on a cold day!
Y.Came here for dinner. Got 2 of my orders wrong which was a bit annoying, food was great otherwise. Overall would recommend :)
B. A.Beautifully renovated, great service. The people were real, not pretentious. Some of the food was perfect i.e in our case the steaks and crisp potatoes were cooked to perfection but there was something charcoaled on my plate that wasn't good at all. Also the salad provided had no dressing so was dry.
The steak was a 400g sirloin at a cost of $45. We couldn't manage dessert but at $45, I expected not to.
There was a 1kg steak on the menu for $75. Personally I don't ever want to pay that much for one meal, no matter how well cooked.
One of our party had the wild boar neck and couldn't fault it. Price was mid $30ish, haven't got the receipt to give exact but they said it was beautiful. Id like to see them add to their menu but a promising start.
R.Fabulous steam punk decor to a very high standard. We went for lunch and the food was exceptionally good and the staff friendly and helpful. Will definitely be going back.
F.The team at Brac and Bow have done a marvelous job of moving across the road to "The Royal". Grat food great ambiance.
R.It’s a weird one.
Loved the rooms, but had a bad experience arriving, they put me in a non clean room, but after they did changes rooms and did me an upgrade.
So was quite nice.
The bed was comfortable.
A. S.What a fantastic stay. Quirky, homely, great room, great food. Service and facilities are low key so if you're desperate for 24 hr room service and a gym, then go elsewhere. But for a delightful stay in a steampunk-esque room you can't go wrong.
K. M.The food and drinks were great and the hospitality and service was fantastic.
M. C.Very nice new finish to the place. Used to be a regular stop before heading back over the hill after a ride in the yrapa. Could do with some outside seating with possible a shade sail for those wishing to sit outside in this hot weather.
A. M.This place is surprisingly beautiful 😍 rooms cozy, bathroom is just wow.
Staff are lovely
M. N.Wonderful restoration of an historic building in Featherston. Very pleasant staff made for a real trip down memory lane. We want to do it again sometime. Thanks to all the lovely staff.
P. F.An adventurous and well executed starter menu made for tasting eating. Craft beers on tap were great, but the 15% surcharge making them aver $12 a pop not so much
A. M. d. C.Love the steampunk theme. Nice range of options for our lunch meal on Sunday. Given the opportunity to provide feedback on our meals which was appreciated.
L. C.Large tasty meals - service excellent, atmosphere pleasant, good vibe, good energy - people happy
J. T.Marvelous place. A unique treasure in the heart of Featherston. Beautiful decorated. Very classy. Would love to come back and stay a night. Breakfast we had was excellent.
B. P.A fine establishment nestled in a quaint little township.
N. G.The Royal Hotel is a dream come true. Take a step back in time and enjoy the grandeur of times past - stunning period features and furnishings and such amazing attention to detail.
Hoping to stay in Martinborough for the night, we were disappointed to be told there was no accommodation available and that we might like to try the newly restored Royal Hotel in nearby Featherston. Not feeling overly confident, but with little choice we decided to head to Featherston.
The moment we walked through the door we knew we had found our dream location. The reception area and bar/restaurant were stunning. We were welcomed by the very hospitable owner Rob Allen, who whisked us upstairs to show us the accommodation available. We were shocked with the sheer beauty and size of the rooms. The gorgeous ensuites, antiques, quality fixtures and fittings - nothing can compare to the standard. But what made it even better were the twirky little twists - aaah perfection!!
We had dinner at the hotel and the meal was outstanding - cooked to perfection by an extremely capable and passionate Peruvian chef.
We live in Nelson, but we are already planning our return - we will be telling all our friends about the Royal Hotel, because we want to share this experience with everyone!! Featherston is a short drive to everything the Wairarapa has to offer - Vineyards, antiques, shopping, cycling.
Well done to Rob and Janelle - INCREDIBLE!!
Friday , 2 March and Saturday, 3 March, 2018
True to my word - we came back for another visit to this beautiful destination!!
We brought 2 other couples with us and they were besotted with their rooms!! We had a fantastic weekend visiting Martinborough and Greytown - both just several minutes drive away. We had dinner at the Royal both nights and the chef certainly lived up to our expectations - he not only cooked us a stunning meal each night, but he came and spoke to us, talked us through all his methods and totally impressed us!!
I miss the Royal Hotel already - we will be back again ...
R. F.Awesome atmosphere, impeccable service, such a beautiful place , excellent food
B.Comfortable environment. Nice range on menu. Good service
D.Very disappointed on our second visit.
R.Excellent Chicken Ceaser, and quick service. Terrific venue, lovely staff.
A. S.Great restaurant meal. Luxurious, well appointed rooms, beautifully restored period building. Great and friendly staff and owners.
D. K.Strange steampunk theme, but food is solid and service is friendly. Recommend the Sunday special: 2 courses for 25 NZD pp, ends 7pm.
R. S.The rooms here are amazing and the food excellent. Thoroughly recommended. Very comfortable and relaxing stay. Hope to return.
A. M.The service was great and the food was perfect highly recommend place to stop and the staff are awesome and very friendly.
C. K.Great for a beer and a bite. Rooms look awesome but we were just passing through. Recently fully renovated
S. E.We had a L2 meeting here, was spacious and worked well
J. D.Some nice change made, great beer, food and service
J. H.Super. Highly recommend.
Great ambience great food great service.
C.Great fun cool staff
F. W.What an amazingly well restored hotel.
Well worth the visit to stay the night or just have a beer at the bar.
L. F.Great food and service with the feeling and warmth of a velvet cloak
T.I love the salmon pizza
L. C.Yummy Dinner . Friendly staff. Great service.
K. P.Great atmosphere, friendly service and scrumptious menu
J. R.Great venue for a wedding or a 21st. Staff friendly and place is gorgeous
P. S.This hotel has remarkable fit out. I really like it. Looking forward spending more time there.
S.A very pleasant experience for me and my family, good clean rooms, good decor, good bar and very cozy rooms.
R. W. (. W.So much better now.
Acknowledgement from the staff on entry, attentive.
Simply put, it now works.
C. H.Food and accommodation Brilliant
S. G.A wonderful new renovation! With a selection of craft beers it's a great place to stop and eat.
A. S.dropped in for lunch, would have been nice to have a few more bar snacks but the atmosphere and the decor, and the wee "Stray" kitten more than made up for it.
R. W.Great stop on our way. The friendly staff helped us out to get some much needed wifi and a even more needed cup of coffee.
G.Brilliant place, good food, good service.
G. M.An awesome spot. The hotel is lovely , the food delicious and the staff are super helpful and friendly.
h. c.Great dinner, friendly service. Good value
j. m.Very nice meal, friendly staff
N. W.Lovely staff only had a beer will have to go back for a meal
G. M.Absolutely stunning, the owner Rob showed us a few of the rooms and took us back to the early 1900's.
K. C.Very pleasant. Quiet place to have lunch. Decor and food very good
W. A.Thank you for helping make our family event such a success. Perfectly located at the base of the Rimatakas and close to Martinborough and Greytown
L.Lovely daycor and super friendly staff worth a stop in for a drink or a meal
R. J.Great meal and service but no beer
A real shame.
D. R.Awesome place. Has been done up very well. Plenty to look at. Enjoyed it.
S.Beautiful rooms
D.Enjoyed the ornate ceiling and staying in a colonial hotel.
K. B.Went there to sing with our choir groups. Looked like a really nice place.
L. L.Nice old hotel. Reasently refurbished. Odd location but beautiful rooms.
Z. O.Nice country pub but boy its dark in there.
K. S.Great food good service
A. W.Xgood venue for yr xmas party or birthdays etc. Goid service and people friendly.
W. B.Fantastic decor. Sat for an hour and didn't notice all that there was there. Hi class.
B. S.Food reasonable service great depending on staff
T. B.We ended up here by chance and we absolutely loved it!
D. T. B.The rooms are beautiful and nice stay and food was great
B. L.Beautiful rooms very pleasant stay would recommend to all
H.The food and service was excellent!
M. P.Good service a bit expensive for a Wairarapa area
A. T.Really interesting place. Love the slightly steampunk decor.
F.Best meal and fantastic staff
B. M.Stunning restoration, warm fun hospitality. Can't wait to go back.
B.Great lunch, friendly girl serving
M. M.Great steak 😋 loved it
R.To me the Royal Hotel is the heart and soul of Featherston. Great food, great service and great ambience.
M. W.Awesome restoration. Lovely themed rooms.
M.Great little spot, don’t drive past it
P. K.Good rooms but over priced in my opinion for its location and facilities.
J.Great ambience, food ,
M. H.Great rooms. Great decor. Great bar
P.Very nice a must do.
M. L.Rooms are awesome, great for cosplay.
K. F.Fabulous food staff and decor
G. P.Lovely lunch, great atmosphere.
J. &. M. B.Special evening. Convivial staff.
B. S.Awesome steak and lovely service
M.Nice food, slow service
S. M.Nicely restored. Nice range of craft beer
U.Great spot love it
L.Another must go to excellent food and service
A. C.Beautifully restored. Fab food!
P.Top notch
J.Love the theme of this hotel.
A.Nice meal excellent service
M. H.Lovely food. Lovely environment.
D. L.Food was delicious
P.Friendly service , nteresting decor.
J. C.Stunning re-model..a must do in featherston
D.Great group Dogtown. Outstanding
N.Great to see the place done up
P.A step back in time. Get there !
L. J.Devine
V. W.Great Place, great service!
C. S.Stunning Hotel! It's a must see
E.Perfect for intimate dinners in Featherston!
G.Wow guys. Love what you've done with the place
j. r.Great friendly staff thanks
M.Fabulous room for the presentation.
C.Amazing place worth a visit
D. W.Top pup for a Cold Beer
B.Lovely food.
M. R.Great experience!
S. K.Great
C.Great coffee
L. G.A fabulous place to visit
G.Pricey
R. S.Fabulously restored
F. D. M.Fell out the window
G. L.Can't remember
D.Ease of operation
K.Seems alright
v.Lovely place
D. B.Great place
P. C.We stayed at the Royal Hotel for two nights with a family group. The staff were amazing, very accomodating & friendly. The rooms were fantastic, different from your normal hotel room very well done. The food was
exceptional. Higly recommend.
P. F.Hi All, I cannot rave more about this place. My best mate got married here this weekend. I stayed here and ate here. The accommodation was absolutely stunning - I was in room 1 which even had a claw foot bath and furnished in keeping with the historic theme - it was so comfortable and cool. The food was sublime - I had two dinners here and one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time - a good menu - not too over complicated but stunning. Having said all of this the best thing about the place was the staff all of them polite, helpful and went out of their way to help us. One of our guests forgot his asthma inhaler - no problem! Some of our wedding guests needed a lift home at 1am - no problem - the owner should be very proud of his staff - amazing - notable mentions - Samara and Brandon - hold your heads up high and again the owner - you do everything so well (sorry I cant remember your name) - it is so nice to meet people whom are proud of being in Hospitality and what they do - WOW! Well done everyone - I will be back one day with my wife to see you again and if you want a treat, a great experience and world class service - book this today! What a treat thank you! Cheers Pete
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