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What a wonderful hotel to find and stay in on our first trip to Kefalos, Kos and it won't be our last.  The hotel is in a perfect beachside location.  Although quiet, it is within easy walking distance to lots of wonderful bars and tavernas.  The staff are lovely and nothing is too much trouble for them.  Our room was huge & spotlessly clean and although facing the road this didn't bother us, however, it will be a sea view room next for us as the view is perfect. Breakfast was good although a small criticism would be there was no wholemeal bread and the orange juice, more like squash, was a bit hit and miss. The pool and bar area was nice and relaxing with views over the sea.  There was always plenty of sunbeds to go round.  Check out was funny as the poor receptionist had to add up every bar receipt twice as she made a mistake and there were lots .... ha ha!! Not use to this as the bill is normally ready and waiting for us.  We found a couple of nice beaches to walk to if you like a hike plus we had a wonder up to the village.  The bus picks up outside the hotel however be mindful taxi's are few and far and expensive so don't miss the bus back if you go out for the day.  Would certainly go back and highly recommend.

A lovely beachside gem

The Royal Bay has some good points and some not so good points.

The good points  are :-
i) bedroom was spacious with a very comfortable bed, excellent air conditioning that was quiet, adequate storage, a room safe and a fridge (need to keep the power on for it to work effectively):
ii) bathroom was a good size with enclosed shower cubicle (but you need to be careful with the hand held shower, otherwise the water would go everywhere):
iii) the maid service was excellent, cleaning was thorough and towels were replaced when required (not every 2 days, as stated in the room "for environmental reasons" or rather as I suspect to save money):
iv) the swiming pool area is furnished with substantial sun beds with large, easy to erect umbrellas - although whether there are enough in high season, I doubt:
v) all staff are friendly and try their best.

Where if falls down in matching 4* expectations is :-
i) the hot breakfast is not hot, at best it is tepid and sometimes cold. I complained to Easyjet and the hotel and in the end had my breakfast individually prepared - obviously that got me sorted but didn't help other guests:
ii) the "fresh fruit" at breakfast is laughable - it usually comprises slices of apple and on the odd day you might also get slices of orange:
iii) no pool towels are provided:
iv) children of staff are allowed to play in the lounge area:
v) coming back after an evening out you can tell that the night staff have been smoking inside the hotel from the smell of cigarette smoke.

The hotel is very quiet, they only serve breakfast with snacks being available at lunchtime. There is a bar, but there is nothing going on in the evening to keep you in the hotel.

We think the potential is there for it to be a great hotel, but it is not being exploited to its fullest extent.

Not up to 4 star international expectations.

Lets start with the negatives which are outweighed by positives. Breakfast choice is poor and service sometimes lacking (not 4*), Shower head poor, can not be adjusted and is not up to modern standards (not 4*), Bathroom is compact, poor fittings and has a towel rail directly above toilet! (not 4*), Room Furniture starting to swell due to cleaning of floors as sits directly on floor (not 4*).
Great location in a very spacious setting, Hotel grounds kept very well and you having a relaxed feel about the place. Staff are attentive, polite and helpful. Plenty of sunbeds though some towels were put out around breakfast time, sunbeds with parasols available on the beech which is directly across a path from the hotel. Air Conditioning was good, though we had power outage on three occasions during are stay at night which you only find out when you start getting hot! Rooms are very spacious ( could have used some of this to enlarge bathroom), 40 minute walk to the harbour with plenty of restaurants on route, would recommend walking via road as coastal pathway is very hit & miss and not easy to navigate when dark. 
We stayed for a week and thoroughly enjoyed a very relaxed week, couples staying are 60 plus which suited us, there were only a couple of days when oddly some children appeared which it then became noisy for guests. Weather was in the around 30c though one day it touched 38c.

Enjoyed a relaxed week.

Just back from 11 days at The Royal Bay Suites Hotel in Kefalos and had the most wonderful stay.  This is a super hotel and way ahead of any other hotels that we saw in this area. It is so modern looking and spotlessly clean but has the vibe of a family run personal service hotel.  
Where to start ?  The rooms are enormous and comfortable, not like the average place. The pool is fabulous and never crowded and it was such a massive bonus, on all 11 days, to not have to worry about getting our sunbeds as they were always available throughout the day. Very comfortable too. The pool deck overlooks a beautiful beach, with just a few steps down to the beach with even more free sunbeds and umbrellas. The sea is crystal clear and even quite warm !
The breakfast buffet is more than adequate, and despite what I see from other reviews, it was always replenished with eggs, bacon etc and also continental ham, cheese etc. There's also an excellent bar with lunchtime bar snacks such as salads, sandwiches, burgers etc and Greek lager on draught.
So we totally loved the pool, the beach and the stunning view but what makes this place extra special is the staff, who were amazingly friendly at all times.
A big shout out and 'thank you' especially to Michelle on Reception, Katarina on the bar and Magda in the dining area. Wonderful customer service.
There are around 10 restaurants/bars within a 300 yards walk of the hotel and then probably another 5 or so a bit further on towards the harbour and village. Some are literally next door. The majority of them are really good quality and most are authentically Greek Taverna style. 
We've been to many lovely resorts in Europe in recent years but this was our first trip to Kos  and we'll certainly go back to The Royal Bay next year.

A superb hotel in a super location.  A real find !

I booked this hotel because I have slight mobility problems, it looked flat and had steps into the pool, and looked easy to reach the beach.  When we arrived the receptionist greeted us with "you can't have your room because your agent has not paid" - very unprofessional as a welcome!

The main building looked out on to a great view of the sea and islands - that is the good bit.

We were finally given our room card and were shown to our room.  The guy hung about until I tipped him. All looked ok at this point, large room with sea view.  Then you start to take a closer look - air con control broken, only hangers that guests had left behind.  The bathroom was awful - the shower was an old bath tap on the wall with an attachment, the sink was right next to the hair dryer and live socket.

We unpacked and went to the pool, all glass perimeter, of which panels were blown cracked and broken. Pool was clean and easy to access.

First night there, 2am - I fell through the bed slats!  The next day I went to reception and asked for some repairs to be carried out - repair bed, cover bare wires on door switch for air con, air con control which was broken so you had to put your finger inside it to alter the temp, we had a fridge which sounded like being inside an MRI scanner so kept you awake.  All we got was a shower hand set and a new hair dryer put in our room.  

Breakfast was poor, cheap and cold food!  Reformed bacon, half cooked eggs and the woman owner marching up and down shouting at staff and poking at the food!  There was a two slice toaster for the entire place which had a permanent queue.

I am a retired builder who ran building sites - this place is a health and safety nightmare! I do not believe the smoke alarm was working, I fixed the broken bed, the ceiling tiles were held up by corroded bars, poor electrics, very poor shower area, no hand rails on steps to beach.

Please do not waste your money going here - the two travel agents who serve British tourists and sell this hotel should hang their head in shame!

Photos supplied.

Don't waste your money!

Located in Kefalos Village, the beachfront Royal Bay offers a swimming pool, plus a second smaller pool for little ones, and a restaurant and bar.

Each spacious and air-conditioned room and suite at the Royal has a flat-screen satellite TV and a refrigerator. It includes a hairdryer and a safe. Rooms are complete with a balcony overlooking the Aegean Sea, the pool or the garden. Upgrades are at a fee.

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Royal Bay Suites