Firstly, it’s worth noting that this hotel can be found twice in Trip Advisor, either as the ‘Royal Hotel’ or the ‘Hotel Royal Village’. It’s actually called ‘Hotel Royal Village’ but in all the booking info and reservation info we received it was referred to as the ‘Royal Hotel’, therefore I guess most travel agents will sell it as ‘Royal Hotel’.

My wife and I have just returned from a one week stay at this hotel. We chose this 4 star hotel because we wanted a reasonable level of comfort and luxury. The easiest way I can describe our experience is to give a break-down of the elements that we felt were most relevant.

Food:
This is all buffet style (breakfast, lunch & dinner). I can only describe this as canteen food that, although varied, is quite basic and generic. Don’t expect any Italian food here; it’s purely a tourist menu. Breakfast was ok, but the sight of feeding frenzies at lunch & dinner was appalling – hoards of anxious people piling food onto their plates as if there were no tomorrow. Being 4 star status, we took smart clothes for evening wear thinking that dining would be a bit special, but the ambience was quite different. This was really disappointing. After a few days we abandoned the hotel canteen at lunch & dinner times and sought sustenance in the restaurants of Limone.

Accommodation:
Possibly the worst aspect of our stay. Our room was very basic, more in line with 2 star accommodation. We had a small room which was very plain, no accessories except for a 14” colour telly, oh but they did extend the courtesy of providing us with one plastic cup for drinking out of. You’ll need to take your own hairdryer, kettle etc. Also we didn’t have air con or even a ceiling fan, so the room did get very hot, particularly in the evening. The bathroom was fine and we also had our own balcony.

Facilities:
They have 3 swimming pools and 2 jacuzzis which are very nice, large TV room, lots of space to wonder around the site and free hot and cold drinks during the day.

Entertainment:
The hotel arranged for various ‘entertainers’ to play in the hotel bar, usually from 9:00pm to 11:00pm, sometimes till 12:00am. It was loud so no one could avoid it in their rooms and the quality resembled a cheesy pub singer playing on a cheap synthesizer with pre-recorded backing drum & bass. It was embarrassing & anyone who disagrees with me has no taste in music.

Location:
The hotel is situated on a hillside approx ½km from the lake. All the shops, bars & restaurants in Limone are down by the lake so you will have to travel this far if you want to see anything of Limone. The road between the hotel & lake is quite steep, so probably not an easy walk for the less able. The hotel does provide a shuttle service to the lake, but we didn’t use this so not sure how it operated. If you are planning any organized coach excursions you will have to walk half way down the hill to the main road for pickup - coaches will not drive up the hill due to a weight limit on a small bridge - I don't think travel agents are making anyone aware of this factor when taking bookings.

Service:
Staff were all helpful and most of them spoke English and German.

I have just returned from staying in the Royal Hotel Village. This is the nicest hotel i have stayed in. The staff are so friendly and helped us in everyway.
We have 2 children, one 2year old and one 3 month old! We were so impressed with the way they treated the children, which made our stay really enjoyable.
There was no lift in our building, so i would advise anyone with children to ask to stay in the building with a lift, but it was worth the climb to see the breathtaking views from our balcony.
The rooms are spotless, ours came with air con, a hairdryer and was really large. others may vary. No kettles, but we brought one to boil water for the baby
The kids club is great, they really made a effort with our children, however there were no other english children as most of the guests are german, it did not bother us, as my daughter still enjoyed their company and the adults spoke good english.
The hotel food is fantastic, there is such a wide range for all and you can eat as much as you like. The drinks are free all day untill 9ish, which is great value for money.
The evening entertainment is good, but quite chilled out, which goes well with the clam and tranquil surroundings.
You must take a boat trip as the area is lovely from the water. limone is so nice, with cobbled back allys and little bars on the waters edge.
All round, this is a great place for young and old alike, we will return asap. i advise you to as well. (dont book with first choice, they are really rude!)

This hotel would be excellent in the summer, but not an awful lot to do if you don't use the pools.

Restaurant staff were excellent, but it seemed that the reception staff were more fluent in german than english.

Rooms very clean, although decor is a bit dated, but the view from ours was outstanding. Food good, but meat choice is limited.

Evening entertainment was entertaining.

Overall, we had a lovely time, and no major complaints. The bus service was practically non-existent though!

Despite going for the last week of the season, we enjoyed our holiday here. It is the cleanest hotel I have ever stayed in. Standard rooms could do with a re-furb, and perhaps the bar area could be improved. However, the dining room and food were excellent. There was a really good choice - and the vegetables on the buffet every evening were superb. Nice to have central heating.
Don't go if you blanch at walking up steep hills - the courtesy bus only runs three times a day. Good to have access to a computer with good broadband - only 2 euros for 30 minutes.