Family Room (3 Adults) | Desk, laptop workspace, iron/ironing board, free WiFi

Reviews of White Lion Royal Hotel

3.5 out of 5
White Lion Royal Hotel
High Street, Bala, Bala, Wales

Reviews

8.0

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 82 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 63 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 20 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 15 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 11 out of 191 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.8/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Clive

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Situated on the High Street within easy walking distance of the shops,water sports centre and Bala Lake railway station this is a good base for exploring the local area and other places of interest in North Wales. The hotel has a small car park to the rear of the property, the rooms are clean and comfortable. I enjoyed the complimentary breakfast each morning in the good sized dining room, and the staff were all friendly and helpful.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Clara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My son and I had a lovely stay here for an event nearby. Our room was spacious, clean and tastefully decorated. We had dinner and breakfast at the hotel, both of which were good, and the staff friendly and helpful. We will definitely book again next time we visit the area.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Tom

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed here for one night after climbing Snowdon. Room was cozy, warm & clean. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Veggie breakfast was delicious!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Gaynor

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A really beautiful hotel with very friendly staff. Beautifully furnished and exceptionally clean - just what we needed for our stay
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

John

My room was big clean and very comfortable, however I had no hot water during my stay , the lady on reception was doing her best to get it sorted, she was very pleasant and my checking was welcoming, the hotel did refund my money, having said that , the Hotel is in a good location, breakfast was good and the service excellent, I would stay there again because of how the staff dealt with me
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

Neil

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Booked bed and breakfast , no breakfast available(told no staff) lies . toast or stale croissants when speaking to staff in morning they told us they don’t do breakfast anymore . Room 103 is absolutely freezing . If I new there wasn’t breakfast I would have booked a different hotel .

4/10 Poor

alan, new malden

Business traveler
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
No staff available for check out. Took payment from my card without my permission. (Id arranged to pay with a different card when arriving). Very limited car park spaces. Unable to get a receipt for my stay. The worst experience ive ever had at any hotel anywhere in the world.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

Christine

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Stephen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Nicola

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

4/10 Poor

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
One night stay at White Lion Royal Hotel
We spent one night at White Lion Royal Hotel. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly reception staff, given our key card and everything was explained to us. Our room was large and clean with a big bathroom and tea/coffee making facility. We noticed that the radiators weren't on and my partner went back to reception to ask if/when the heating comes on. She was assured that the heating would be switched on. When my partner went to shower she found that there was no shampoo or shower gel in the dispensers. We got ready to go down for dinner and the radiators were still cold. We asked again about the heating and were told that it would be switched on and we also mentioned about the lack of shampoo & shower gel. The meal itself was OK. I had the curry and my partner the burger, although the bacon that she'd asked for was missing. When mentioned we were given an apology and the option to have the bacon or a refund. When we returned to our room the heating was on as had been promised but still no shampoo & shower gel. During the night our sleep was disturbed by the upstairs guest running across the floor which creaked a lot! Bizarre behaviour from that guess which I understand is beyond the control of the hotel. Otherwise the bed was very comfortable. Breakfast was good, we both enjoyed the traditional breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Carole

Traveled with partner
We had a very comfortable room although a little tired. Breakfast was a bit of a ‘bun fight’ as the area where the self service was situated was quiet small and got quite congested with people so took a long time to get your breakfast items and hot drinks. Maybe hot drinks could be ordered with cooked breakfast? Tables weren’t set with table mats or cutlery which was in a holder with other items at the end of the table which didn’t look very inviting.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gwen

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved the fact that there was easy parking, walking distance to the shops. The staff were excellent. Will certainly consider staying here again.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disappointing
No heating in the bedroom and bathroom. Radiator in bathroom leaking. Unable to close bathroom window, windowsill dirty? dead insects. No shower gel in dispenser. Plenty of coffee but no tea bags. Cobwebs on light and generally needing a 'spruce up'.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Claire

Traveled with family
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Historic building worth the niggles
We had a huge room at the top of the building. It looked good and the bed was comfortable. Enjoyed the Tassimo coffee. Great to stay somewhere with so many historical touches. The room was quite cold as the heating wasn't on, and the bathroom could have been a bit cleaner. The bathroom fan didn't work so there was a lot of condensation. Breakfast was not great. No proper tea- just from a hot water pot. No cooked breakfast available. Service minimal. But, generally fine and worth it for the history.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Rob

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very well placed traditional hotel
Stayed a few times now and its a good safe bet. Well placed and decent enough food Greta front of house staff and Breakfast staff really helpful
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Roger

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

Suzanne

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
A decent night sleep spoilt by the morning after. Woken around 6am by the kitchen staff deciding to blare out cheesy pop music. Fully awake to find out they have turned the heating off so the room and bathroom are both freezing cold. Head down for breakfast and after the worlds longest wait I am served with a cold English breakfast and despite what the menu says it contains its missing black pudding, eggs , only half a cold mushroom and half a stone cold tomato. The time we waited to actually get breakfast they could have at least cooked it and served it piping hot, not freezing cold. Disappointed

4/10 Poor

Shannon

Disliked: Room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Elisebeth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I first want to thank the incredible staff for going above and beyond with an item of property my friend accidentally left behind. She is now happily reunited with the property! Overall, the location was great, the staff was really friendly, and the food was just right, including a nice range of options for breakfast. My room was a tad quirky, but I would recommend!

4/10 Poor

Gary

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
No hot water for a shower or wash, other than that the accommodation is really finished to a high standard and a good breakfast.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Gareth

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Philip

Traveled with partner
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Excellent rooms, great food, especially breakfast. Very reasonable prices.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Simona

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice, old building with personality, placed in the middle of a cute little town.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Mike

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Warm room, powerful shower, comfortable clean bed and a great breakfast. Very much appreciated.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rob

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great find - lovely town and great staff
Bala is a great stop over town - well worth considering if you are going through North Wales This is a much bigger hotel than i anticipated, very old and has fairly recently seen an update Good tidy room with decent space. Fans from Kitchen could be heard though
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyable stay.
We enjoyed our stay. We had a lovely room which was very clean and a comfy king size bed. Breakfast was good, so have no complaints, we would stay again,
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Mark

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, good food.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Terry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

6/10 Okay

Karl

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
The hotel is conveniently located on Bala high street and an easy walk to the lake. The front of house staff are not friendly or welcoming and you are treated with disdain for wanting anything from them. The Management team are clearly not leaders and this rubs off on the reception / bar staff. We arrived at 14.45 and the miserable guy on reception initially ignored us standing at the reception desk. We had to go round the corner to where he was standing behind the bar (directly behind the reception desk) and when he came to the desk, told us that check in was from 15.00 and we could not check in. When we did get checked in much later, our Suite was a good size and clean, but very hot. The windows were locked / painted shut. Other windows in the suite could be opened a couple of inches but had cable locks on them preventing them opening very far. On the second day, the kitchen did not have any eggs, sausages, mushrooms or milk, so the cooked breakfast was a bit sorry looking. Overall, some of the staff at this hotel are trying considerably harder than the management team, which is a real shame.

8/10 Good

William

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Loved the old traditional features & the quieter eating area off from the front inside area. We had the twin room overlooking the back yard seating area. The radiator looked grubby but most likely just needs repainting & the bathroom was super clean except for an area by the little bin. looked like mold. The area beneath the radiator needed a dust or scrub. Heck- my house needs the same attention & it didn't spoil our stay for sure.. Just offering feedback. Had a delicious meal & all your staff were wonderful. The front outside seating areas definitely need some TLC, weeds, cobwebs, filled ash trays left on tables etc, looked tacky. Overall loved the place & would definitely stay again.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great beer garden nicely lit up with lovely chilled music, great food. The room was very clean and comfortable and the beds are brilliant. Fantastic Breakfast 😁
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Alex

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

6/10 Okay

Brian

Liked: Cleanliness
Single room was small but clean, having windows open at night to cool the room was a bit noisy, Breakfast was good and plentiful but on this occasion they had no eggs!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Robert

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Characterful and friendly.
Second time we’ve stayed there. Very happy with the upgraded room but the shower drain was blocked which flooded the bathroom floor which would have reached the main room carpet if I hadn’t used the towels to mop up the flood. Apart from that it’s a beautiful building and full of character. The staff were very friendly and helpful a very tired English couple. We were fortunate to get the last parking space in the car park but had missed any food preparation, which was ok as we’d eaten. The breakfast was ok and no rush going to 11am, the save as checkout time. We have family very nearby and will always use this hotel when we visit them.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kimberly

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent stay. First class rooms and excellent service (the waitress at breakfast was outstanding).
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Amanda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Karin

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
superb breakfast and lovely staff, bathroom was well equipped. good value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disappointing stsy
The hotel was ok but we were bitterly disappointed with our room as we had specifically requested a room with a bath and, on arrival, we were told the rooms did not have baths. Hotels. Com showed bath tubs and the pictures of bathrooms showed tubs too The receptionist said they had no request from Expedia which is very surprising. Apparently they did have some rooms with bath but not ours The room was very large and contained a four poster bed and wardrobe but no other furniture. Apparently I’m a recent refurbishment they had removed dressing tables and sofa!!! Obviously also baths We had been looking forward to this stay and were not happy with the quite expensive room
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A great hotel in the middle of Bala it is perfect for exploring Wales. The venue is a bar, restaurant and B&B. Room was spacious and staff were friendly. Beds were comfortable and the bathroom really clean and modern. My only comment is that there seemed to be limited parking spaces which were full. I was able to park near the front but there is a time limit
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

NEIL

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
overall a very pleasant stay staff very good and a really nice room safe parking and very well organized many thanks
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I'd stay here again
Nicely refurbished, traditional hotel. Good range of real ales and good food. Breakfast was quickly made to order rather than the impersonal buffet you get at most places.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2023

8/10 Good

Jacqueline

Traveled with family
Clean, quiet and comfortable room. Disappointed there are no baths now at this hotel. Breakfast pretty basic. Staff very friendly and helpful
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Shreya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

2/10 Terrible

Daniel

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Bad service, bad food, no house keeping
Probably one of the worst places that I have stayed. The room itself was ok, although it was the top floor with low roof so could barely stand up in maybe a fourth of the room. There is no housekeeping: we had a plate, a coffee cup and something more and nothing was taken and the bed was not very nicely made and there was dirt on the floor. In the bathroom, the bathtub was marked with something that looked like an insect that you couldn’t get off. Not a very nice experience. Do not get me started on the food for breakfast and dinner if you eat there. For breakfast, I would rather go to the supermarket to get a croissant than their breakfast (bread was still frozen in middle) and the dinner, go to the kebab place across the road in stead. I did not think you can mess up a burger but you could. The worst burger I have gotten. And all this: at least if they were kind and good service, tried to fix or give a small acknowledge, but nothing. I would under no circumstances recommend anyone to stay here or eat.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

D

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

Georgios

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

8/10 Good

martyn

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely staff. Good location for snowdonia hikes. Well cleaned, spacious and comfortable rooms.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023