Fairmont Royal Pavilion

Some things excellent, a few things not. The location is outstanding, the beach is flat, the waves slight and ideal for swimming. The beach can be reached with a short walk from any room. The hotel is small, it has a village or club feel and a nice ambiance. The greeting on arrival was pleasant, professional, quick, and despite an early arrival (1:30pm - arrival time is 4pm) our room was ready immediately. The concierge service is excellent and cars are always available (at a price). The only negatives were the restaurant and breakfast. There was a wait for seating every morning at breakfast, despite tables being free. Tables could have been cleared, and all guests seated immediately, the number of guests arriving was not high. The greeter was often absent, and very focused on sitting some guests at the tables next to the sea. One can only speculate why. Similar story at night in the Taboreais restaurant in the evening. Seating was a problem, some visitors seem to have a fast track. Better managed at lunchtime. On one occasion in the afternoon the food was very slow, on another prompt. Seating was better managed. The good news is that there are a large number of great restaurants near by, often walking distance, and the concierge will book them for you. All had superior food to the hotel. Check out time is mean at 11am. The BA flight to London needs a 2:30pm hotel departure. We were refused a 2pm extension but given 12;30. Meaning a ‘package holiday’ end to our vacation with cases packed, sitting in the heat. I would stay here again, the location is world class, service very good, except for my frustration with breakfast, and seating at restaurants. Maybe I caught them on a bad day. Accor can certainly run good hotels, so maybe they will fix the seating problems. By the way. Dont book directly. Good deals are probably available through your travel agent.

This was probably the best customer service I have ever received in all the hotels I’ve stayed in around the world. The staff really seem to enjoy their jobs, from the cleaners and the gardeners to the hotel manager. The food quality was also truly 5-star. Sometimes a 5-star hotel can have 4- or even 3-star food, but that wasn't the case here. The restaurant for breakfast and dinner was majestic, with breathtaking views of the ocean. After we finished eating, we would sometimes sit there for up to an hour because it was so relaxing. We originally stayed on the middle floor, which had an amazing view, but we moved to the ground floor and found it much easier to access the beach directly from the back of the room. The beach is exactly what you see in posters of the Caribbean: light blue water and almost white sand. The beach and water are very well-maintained, with soft sand and no sharp coral. There were no pushy salespeople trying to sell you things; they politely just walk past. With a very decent clientele and a great atmosphere around the hotel, I was impressed and would definitely go back!

Where should I begin ? I did extensive (hours and hours!!) research on all the 5 star hotels on the West Coast prior to booking and so glad we chose the Fairmont, we had the most amazing 7 nights (definitely not long enough!). As a family we had 2 rooms, both rooms were spotlessly clean, soft fluffy towels, comfiest beds and linen. Every member of staff provided exceptional service and all with a friendly smile and nothing is too much trouble. The view from our rooms, the beach every single thing we could not fault, we will definitely be back. Thank you Fairmont Royal Pavilion for the unforgettable memories. (I think you can tell we had the best time.)

Superb location Friendly and helpful staff Beautiful rooms and well kept grounds Nice cocktails Plentiful toiletries in the rooms Welcomed coffee machine

Overall we enjoyed our stay. Rooms and exterior of hotel painted last year so all looks fresh. However the rooms and bathrooms in particular need renovating. All perfectly usable but in our opinion not 5 star in it's current form. We had a ground floor ocean suite and it is worth the extra money to walk out on to the private deck and beach. Included is butler service and both Dawn and Renico were great. Views over the ocean from palm restaurant were beautiful. Hopefully when the new general manager is in place and the bathrooms in particular renovated this will again be a special hotel with its setting right on the beach. Would recommend