I recently stayed at the Royal Palm Hotel in Umhlanga, Durban, and overall, my experience was positive. The room was spacious, neat, and well-equipped with a kitchenette that included plates, cutlery, a working microwave, and fridge. The two bedrooms were adequate for our needs, and the location was excellent, being directly opposite Gateway Mall, which made shopping and dining very convenient. The staff were friendly, and the service was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the breakfast, with the omelette being a highlight.

However, there were a few drawbacks. The room felt a bit old and dated, and the bathroom layout posed a slight challenge for three adults, as there was only one shower, while the other bathroom had a tub. The variety of breakfast options could also have been better. Despite these issues, the stay was still quite comfortable.

Clean. Spacious rooms. Aesthetically pleasing. Close by for shopping, food and entertainment. Friendly staff. Quiet and private. Room was situated near the lift. Wheelchair friendly.

Lifts take too long to arrive. And is usually full whenever needed. Only 2 bottles of drinking water for a family of 4 in a 2 bedroom apartment. Kettle is very tiny. Had to boil a few times to get full mugs of tea for 4 people. Netflix only worked for a few hours on 1 day and then never worked again on our 3 night stay. Key cards keep deactivating even though it was not kept near a phone at all. Had to visit reception to reactivate it.

What an exceptional experience we had. Friendly and welcoming staff, from the security personnel you feel warmth all the way to reception and restaurant staff. Even if you meet fhe staff in the corridor they ask you how you feel today, that was very good. The food exceptional, we really enjoyed the meals. The most comfortable bed that was a struggle to even leave it. Housekeeping took care of us very well. Saturday we were lazy to get up because of the bed so we asked we skip the cleaning and they took it well. We are definitely coming back, soon. Thank you.

We liked everything.

We were told we had to wait for housekeeping to come in at 7h00 for towels. I was needing to leave at 6h30. We were the second person at breakfast , waited for eggs over 20 minutes which still had not come. My hubby had to leave due to his flight. Really need better service there. No apology, went to check but no real help from the kitchen staff except for them coming to take the plates away before time. I did tell the nice gentleman at the entrance of the restaurant who seemed very apologetic that I would complain. Next time a little consideration. Better time management with food prepared and delivery as eggs don't take over half an hour to fry.

I was pleasantly upgraded to the penthouse which made the start of our stay wonderful. Staff that assisted me at reception was very friendly and pleasant, including the porter service. Location is perfect, rooms are well priced for the quality and standard.

Would appreciate the check out time to be around 11am-12am, perhaps offering a leeway on the check out time. Bar closes at 10pm, perhaps consider the hotel occupancy on the day and make it flexible to 11-12pm depending on occupancy levels. Rooms are lovely and spacious however you should consider a soft refurb to the rooms soon.

Room & Location

I believe that you should definitely consider catering for halal breakfast

The room was big and spacious

There was only 1 soap provided. There was only 2 towels provided, for a couple who needed to shower that evening and the next morning. When we requested 2 extra towels, we were told to call when the towels needed replacing and assured that house keeping would be open. Upon using the towels and then requesting replacements, we were told that house keeping was closed, but we were then provided 1 fresh towel for the next morning The kettle did not work or open and we were unable to have tea or coffee.

It was absolutely beautiful, the penthouse was spacious, extremely clean, and just perfect for the amount of people we had… we couldn’t have asked for a better apartment, walking in, this place exceeded our expectation… the reception staff were amazing and soo welcoming…

1) So maybe not a dislike but a suggestion, the property should put up a “no loud anything” after a certain time… it was a bachelorette party so some noise was bound to happen, but I did apologize when checking out, whether or not it was our fault it was the right thing to do… 2) A glass bottle that we brought in, fell and broke, unfortunately there was nothing to clean in it up within the apartment, so we had to call housekeeping, I did understand the lady may have had a long and tiring day but she was less than thrilled and not very friendly with us when we had asked for someone to come up and assist…I wouldn’t hold this against the property maybe we had just caught someone on the wrong day…

The staff at reception was very friendly and helpful. The chef was also kind she made something for my son that was not on the breakfast menu because we are Hindu and don't eat beef and pork otherwise it was ok but could have been better.

Location was great its at the Gateway but easier access doors were closed off ad you have to go around the building to get into the parking which was very scary it was dark and very steep and narrow pathway otherwise ok. Breakfast should have a little more options for people who don't eat meat. The tea and coffee was from a machine not great it was just warm water should have been hot cause after adding milk it was cold. The room is open plan no door into the bathroom nad shower which must be looked at.

The Royal Palm has an amazing homely atmosphere to it and makes you feel relaxed and comfortable during your stay. The decor is completely unique and has an influence on the comfortable stay. The staff are always friendly and more than willing to assist with just about anything. The buffet breakfast is totally amazing, and you'll never get enough of or bored of the different varieties offered. The Royal Palm is honestly underrated and should be given a 5 star rating. If you are coming to Umhlanga, then I would highly recommend the Royal Palm to you and your family..

Nothing at all