Grand Hotel Royal Viareggio — Hotel in Unione dei comuni della Versilia

Would highly recommend

We stayed for a week commencing Sat 4th May and we really enjoyed this hotel. We had Room 214 - we’d booked a side sea view but were given a free upgrade to a front sea-view with balcony on arrival. Looking at the floor plan of the hotel our room was smaller than some however, it was still an ample size. I was disappointed with the bathroom though as this was very compact with a very small shower cubicle. Plus side though - the shower was superb and the extractor fan was so efficient the mirror didn’t even steam up. The hotel was very elegant and characterful which I prefer to contemporary styles. We stayed half board and glad we did as the food was superb. It was mostly Italian with a good choice of fish. Although not compulsory, we were shown the four course evening menu at breakfast to preorder. Breakfast was mostly continental buffet style but they did have scrambled eggs bacon and little pieces of frankfurter style sausage on offer each day which you could have with toast or pancakes etc. You could request poached eggs though and there was a small selection of breakfast cereals too. All in all lots of choice and it was lovely to try the continental options for a change from what we’re used to. The hotel had a lovely pool and gardens with poolside bar but there was some traffic noise which is to be expected as the hotel is in a good location for the beach. Most of the beaches were private with a high cost for parasol and chairs, however, the private beach opposite with lovely beach bar was all included - a big saving potential if you are an avid beach user. Of course because it was included you could just spend an hour or two each day. The hotel has bikes to rent which we took advantage of and so easy to cycle all along the promenade for miles without having to use the road and best of all the terrain was completely flat. Last but not least I must mention the very helpful staff. We went to Pisa and Lucca on the local buses which stop outside the hotel. The staff on reception gave us printed timetables and maps and advice on what to try and see and also tips such as buying bus tickets from the tobacconist opposite to save money. You can also take the train to Florence - the station is about a mile from the hotel. Our room was kept very clean - thanks to our maid and the waiters were fantastic. We had Diego and Alessandro in the dining room. They were so efficient, helpful, warm and friendly with a good sense of humour. Also loved Mario in the bar. So lovely to talk to. The bar was fine while we were there as the season hadn’t really started but if the hotel was full I think the bar would struggle. They did have another lounge so maybe they would serve drinks there as well in high season. Loved Viareggio Beach. So clean and surrounded by beautiful scenery. Plenty of lovely Italian Restaurants. A noticeable absence of British style Burger Bars and Irish Pub bars advertising Roast Dinners, Shepherd’s Pie and Fish and Chips -such a welcome change. Well done Italy 🇮🇹.Well done BW Premier Collection Grand Hotel Royal and thank-you very much. Best regards Carole & Steve.

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We checked into the Grand Royal Hotel on the 12th August having flown from Bristol to Pisa. We have a very easy transfer from the Airport to the Hotel - all in the space of about 30 minutes - we were checked in by 11.30am on our first day. We were told that we could not check into our room until 2pm which gave us ample time to start looking around the Town (if you've not been before, you need to set aside some time to wander around Viareggio - it's amazing!).

Like all holiday makers, we read reviews before we travel and accept that there are good / bad & indifferent tastes. However, having read some negative reviews about this Hotel, we simply do not understand their point of view - our experience from start to finish was exceptional.

We had a lovely room upgrade upon checking in; the room was clean & tidy with a great shower and bathroom facilities. Maid service was brilliant and we had clean towels provided everyday - whether we asked for them or not.

We had booked half-board so we took full advantage of the buffet style breakfast on offer (which was a great offering of full continental + English + other options if you needed it) & the evening meal which was Buffet style on the Saturday night followed by A' La Carte on subsequent days. We found the food exceptional - in the style of "Fine Dining". The portion sizes were not huge (this is not a complaint) but the quality was superb. There was a great deal of choice on offer for the fussier tastes also. We must mention Manuel who is the "Maitre De" and his wonderful team (Clara, Luca and Barbara to name just a few) for their service which we always found polite & humorous.

Dinner was made all the more special via tasteful Jazz music by a very talented young man with a great voice and brilliant piano skills - sometimes accompanied by a guitarist and saxophonist.

Elsewhere, the Pool and its facilities are brilliant; accompanied by a poolside bar service. For the warmer afternoons, you can retreat to the Garden and make use of the provided chairs and hanging Egg Chairs which are cooler in the shade offered by the trees.

Viareggio is a fantastic place to eat and drink in the evening and is supplemented by a 2 mile stretch of the best clothes shops Italy can offer. We made great use of the Bus service and Train Service; offering great links to Pisa and Florence - which are "must sees!".

If you're looking for a Club 18-30s style Hotel with Karaoke, Loud music and generally a noisy experience - look elsewhere. However, if you want a relaxing stay and feel the lap of luxury - look no further. We fully understand why people return year after year - Its an...

We arrived at the hotel on an early flight from the UK and the room was not ready until 2pm so bear that in mind if you have an early flight. We had lunch by the pool while we waited but only did this once as 30 euros for two toasties and two soft drinks was quite expensive. We booked a sea view room and had a room on the third floor. The room was lovely, spacious and spotlessly clean. Please note that these rooms do not have a balcony, I believe they can only be booked directly with the hotel but to be fair they are small Juliet type ones and we never saw anyone sat on one! The sea view was lovely but the window was quite small for a large room. It was very high but not very wide so it’s not exactly a panoramic view. You are provided with a complimentary bottle of water on the first evening but have to buy them after that which I think is a bit much considering what you are paying to stay there. All the meals were good. To be critical I would say that I have never stayed anywhere where you have to pay for fried or poached eggs. You only get scrambled with breakfast. The evening meal was a set choice of 6 starters and mains every evening except Saturday when it’s a buffet. Really high standards of service and presentation. Although the menu changed daily the format was the same so slightly repetitive after 3 or 4 nights. Always Parma ham and melon and a soup to start as well as a vegetarian and a couple of pastas, usually fish. Mains always had at least 2 or 3 fish dishes so if you are not a fish fan you might struggle as the appetisers served nightly were mostly fish based too. We enjoyed the food but I think a week was enough of it. Another buffet would have been nice although I didn’t think the food was overly hot that night . The desserts were excellent. The garden was a lovely place to enjoy an after meal drink. Prices very similar to home. As well as the beach front location the best thing about Viareggio is the accessibility by train to be able to venture all over Tuscany. Pisa and Lucca are within half an hour and only cost us about £12 return for two people . Both are well worth a visit. Florence was about an hour and 40 minutes and was about £40 for two return. Highly recommend. The station is about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. Overall we had a fabulous week, the weather was perfect and the hotel makes for the perfect base. It certainly is grand, a little dated in a way but definitely in the...