BEST WESTERN Grand Hotel Royal

This is a fabulous hotel with a lovely atmosphere and excellent staff.- about 20 mins from the main rail station in the town where you can get trains to Pisa (20 mins) Lucca ( 20 mins and Florence (1 1/2 hours). The beach is opposite but the hotel has a great pool with plenty of sunbeds. There is a huge market along the ppromenade every Thuirsday. The food was exellent and dietry isues are not a problem as gluten-free and lactose-free are simply provided as a mattr of course. The ambience is great- no entetainment but cocktails, canapes and drinks seved before dinner and lounges for coffee after dinner- not a hotel for children but wonderful for couples, grown up families and friends

What a wonderful stay we had at this hotel. Everything was perfect! The staff are friendly and helpful and go out of their way to make sure your holiday is relaxing and amazing. The place is spotlessly clean, our room was immaculate and felt very luxurious, spacious and authentic with its beautiful floor and Juliette balcony. The food is excellent, and Gluten free was catered for with plenty of choice. All cooked and presented beautifilly. We loved the pool bar, and although we didn't use the pool, it looked lovely. We chose to use the beach and as part of the hotel package, we had 2 deck chairs, parasol and sunlounger on the beach. The beach is stunning, mountain views and lovely for a swim. Even though we were on the front with a sea view and the road in front, it was peaceful, we had shutters on the window so noise from the road wasn't an issue. Easy access to a huge park, and a 15-20 minute walk to the train station which we used for visits to Pisa and Lucca. Thank you to everyone at the hotel for looking after us.

Stayed here for a week in late June and early July 2026 after wanting to visit Italy for several years, and I thought that this hotel on the Versillia coast in Tuscany would suit me well, and boy it did. Having come at the tail end of Europe's worst ever heatwave, which had even spread to Viareggio I was very relieved to find that the hotel is fully air conditioned, which in our ever warming climate is surely a nessicity. The entire hotel feels like you've stepped in a time machine and arrived in the 1920s. Hercule Poirot was never a real person, but even he would have enjoyed this in the same way that the former Edward VIII & Wallis Simpson did. As you arrive and settle in,you could be fooled into thinking you've accidentally stepped into a seaside hotel in one of England's renowned resorts like Weymouth or Scarborough, and yet you have to remind yourself, you're in the EU, and you're on the Versillia coast, and it's overwhelming to realise that every detail is as it would be in Britain. It definitely has the feel of a stately home all round the hotel, they literally roll out the red carpet for everyone, and it's shown, especially on the first floor. You literally feel a bit like an A-Lister here. The town itself is absolutely beautiful and again you might be fooled slightly that you're in England, and then you see all the nearby mountains. The beach is wonderful too, and has more sand than most UK beaches There are there different options for meals, and they're all served in different settings. Contrary to belief, the dining room is only used for breakfast and dinner is served outside (although I did visit in the height of summer so I expect both main meals are served in the same room during the spring and autumn), lunch is also available at the pool bar, and serves full meals which I was surprised about, and partook it in twice. The kitchen therefore is a largeley 24 hour a day operation, and it's possible that you don't have to leave the confines of the hotel to eat. Therefore for most or the day there is some sort of bar service. If it's not the pool bar open from 12pm til 18:30, it's the main hotel bar open from 19.00 til late. Contary to some belief you actually don't need swimming caps at this hotel(but assuming that you're wanting to visit one of the beach clubs, you do, the GHR pool is a private, not public pool). I also took advantage of the use of the two deckchairs and the sun lounger at the partner Bagno Annita club over the road, and ate at it too. The breakfast choices are out of this world and you have to ask the waiting staff to make hot drinks for you, but they'll honour any request you have. I can confirm what other reviews have said, assuming you're staying Saturday to Saturday, at the first buffet dinner( A la carte only six nights a week) you are assigned a table, and that remains your dinner table for the entire week. I also loved the fact that for half board guests at breakfast a waiter comes to your table and takes your order for your two courses, Desert is ordered after you have completed your second course. It can help you decide what to have for your lunch that day, which in Viareggio is covered for you.All of which is the best hotel food I've ever consumed, and is a culinary reflection of Tuscany. Make sure that you also take advantage of the gelaterias in the city, especially the one as you cross the road in the left direction, if gelato is your thing Meanwhile the rest of the GHR staff are so professional in what they do, from the friendly bartender, to the hotel porters who take in your luggage and deliver it to your room as soon as you've checked in, they put your luggage in a holding room and you're invited to swim in the pool whilst you wait for check in time at 2pm. They're all well proficient in English, but I reckon they must also know a little German or French, many nationalities come to this hotel, and I heard German and Scottish accents during my stay, and it's easy to see why. I didn't use the room service myself, nor did I once feel the need to call reception from my room, but that service is available to you, should you need it. I've never stayed in a more spacious hotel room, and is much bigger than most UK bedrooms, and the marble floor is very detailed, I think this is the same in nearly all the bedrooms. The WiFi is brilliant for a hotel of its size, and it's rather fast, perfect for those that want to stream their favourite shows abroad (if your streamer allows it to be viewed in Italy) There is a fully stocked minibar(unlike most bars of its type it's free to take, meaning that you record any consumptions on the form that is provided and pay up at checkout) but I'd strongly advise you to leave the items as they are, you are free to fill up the remaining space in the fridge as you wish, or take out all the items and replace them when you vacate), there are at least three convenience stores in town, and for those of you driving or are willing to take a bus or taxi, two large supermarkets, for snacks or souvenirs, there's also a bigger supermarket in the next town of Lido di Caimaiore. Bus links are very plentiful and took very good advantage of it, the staff keep bus timetables if you are interested in catching one and they'll also impart some important information about them Until just a few years ago, this was one of the O&O hotels under the Best Western brand, and should tell you, that dropping it was the best decision your management has made, because it's much too nice to be a Best Western, it's got that independent fancy feel about the place, and it's just not your usual hotel, it's a perfect holiday hotel, it feels like it too I'd definitely advise you to look into investing in Nespresso machines for every room, and look into investing in a smart TV for every room. Otherwise the stay was truly faultless, and I will be returning some day, maybe a little earlier or later in the year than June when it can be too hot for regular touring. This city is very underrated in the minds of Brits wanting to come to Italy, but it should definitely be on your radar.