Hotels Near Phola Park in Durban

My wife and I stayed at the Royal Hotel overnight, during March, 2022. We used an elevator to get to our room, and noticed a large dead cockroach lying at the entrance to one of the three elevators. The entrance carpet of our room was damp, and the other carpets and easy chairs were shabby. The curtains were not ironed, and the windows were smudgy. The bathroom basin had a good share of mould around the top of the basin. The room fridge was totally empty, and after our trip to get to the hotel, we were thirsty, but there was no water bottles in the fridge. We complained at the front desk,and afterwards one of the staff brought us two small bottles of water and charged us Twenty-Five Rand per small bottle. There was a kettle in the room, with tea/coffee making facilities. The bedside lamps were strange, and were not matching at all. The shower and toilet were in good working condition. We took the elevator at about 09h30 the next morning to check out, and the cockroach of the night before, was still in front of one of the elevators. We decided to order coffee and scones at the coffee shop. The picture on their website displays a cake stand, filled with a variety of delicious cakes. The cake stand was empty. It seems that the regular business lounges were closed. The tragedy of this experience is that The Durban Royal Hotel has always been, over many years, one of the most famous and popular hotels in Durban, that was regularly used by businessmen and international travellers to Durban. It appears that there was a great lack of care or concern for guests at this hotel during our stay. This hotel is located in the central gardens square of Durban, and could be unsafe to walk around outside the hotel? Numerous tramps and beggars hang around. Sadly, we will not be staying there again.

The hotel is great and close to the sea. It was not safe in Durban and we didn't dare to go out. And we only stayed in the hotel. The tour guide said that the locals were asking about being robbed how many times instead of whether being robbed? It is better to have local friends to accompany you, otherwise try not to go out.

Location is good enough if you are conducting business in and around the city of Durban and not expecting anything more than a very basic 3 star experience. Even so, the value for money is not great. Rooms are clean, but need a little TLC here and there. Colleagues said their beds were very uncomfortable, but I clearly got lucky, as my bed was very comfortable. If you order from the a la carte menu, be prepared to wait a long time for your food to arrive. Same applies to drinks orders. Seems as if they were still on skeleton staff post Covid, or maybe they were unprepared for the influx of people attending Indaba. IMO, City Lodge is much better value for money.

The hotel is ok and everything but the parking is very small and limited I had to park my bakkie on the parking lot across the street but there is a guard 24hrs

We stayed in apartment 408 and it was disappointing. Firstly the photos on the website and the actual furniture and decor are not the same. In fact, some of the photos are misleading. The unit accommodates four people, but there are only three seats provided in the lounge area, so one of has always had to sit on the patio. The one toilet seat is broken, and even though we reported it, nothing was done. The patio door lock doesn't lock, so we felt a little bit uneasy at night. The main bedroom door leading to the patio, which is a nice feature, could not be used because there isn't a key for it. And the windows definitely needs some cleaning. Whist the view from the patio on the channel leading to the harbour is great (there is no view on the main harbour as implied) the netting covering the patio is bit of an irritance. But this is understandable as it is advertised as a per friendly apartment, but it is something to be aware of before you make your booking. The net in no way disturbs the view but it will definitely give the patio a more open feeeing if there is not net. So my advise, unless you're visiting with pets, look for another apartment in PWA. The area and location is great.

Definitely an amazing hotel. The hotel was worth every cent. I loved that I was able to get an international plug when I needed one and that the staff was always willing to help. The breakfast OMG!!! Never seen or tasted anything more delicious. The variety of food and service from staff was a absolutely exceptional !!!!

The hotel is in a great location and the staff were helpful and friendly. I didn't particularly like the restaurant/ room service menu as it ONLY had milkshakes on their drinks menu. You have to inquire about other drinks like wine, juices, coffee etc. It would be nicer if all the drinks prices were listed. The kettle in my room was dirty but housekeeping and the front desk were apologetic and replaced it with a clean kettle quickly. Every cafe or restaurant around the hotel opens at 9a.m, so I recommend paying for the hotel breakfast buffet if you're an early bird like me. I learnt about loadshedding after coming back from a day out and finding no power except a light and the tv in my room. For foreign guests who don't know about it, it might be a nice touch if the hotel could place the loadshedding schedule in guest rooms so it doesn't come as an unwelcome surprise. The bed was comfy and the wifi was usually fast. Overall, I had a good stay at the hotel.

The service I was given at reception was spectacular, as well as room service. Everyone was very welcoming and warm-hearted

There is no breakfast, and there is a breakfast shop downstairs. A family of three with children, very comfortable. Ten minutes walk from the hotel is the beach, and the hotel is a dining street downstairs, very convenient.

Had a very wonderful stay and for the first time, the place is clean and also the location is great. First time getting there during breakfast, the service was not the same, but then at a later stage that was fixed and there was equality.