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The Palace Hotel
Babbacombe Road (Torquay) TQ1 3TG

In 25 acres of beautiful gardens and woodland, this hotel has 2 swimming pools, a 9-hole golf course and a restaurant serving English and French cuisine. The Victorian Palace Hotel is the former home of the Bishop of Exeter. A luxury hotel since the 1920s, it is close to the centre of Torquay, the harbour and beaches. With tennis and squash courts, a gym, croquet lawn and snooker tables, Palace Hotel is ideal for a leisure break. On-site parking is free and there is free Wi-Fi in public areas. The hotel’s Torquay Restaurant serves Devon seafood and West Country meat. Light meals and cream teas are available in the lounges, where large French doors open out onto a superb, sunny terrace.

Score from 859 reviews
Excellent

7.6/10

Rooms: 141

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Address: Babbacombe Road, Torquay TQ1 3TG map

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What people say

Having lived in Devon all our lives it was a hotel we had passed many times in the past, wondering what it would be like to stay there. We were not disappointed. Yes it would have been nicer to have had a slightly newer more modern bigger room, but what we had proved to be adequate for the one night we stayed. The bed was comfortable. Amenities were on hand if we had wanted to use them, but on this occasion we chose not to. We may well do so when we go to stay there again at some point in the f.
all reviews » I loved the opulent atmosphere and high quality attention to detail especially in the restaurant. I loved the gardens , the swimming pool the friendliness and exceptional efficiency of the porters who in my experience went out of the way to take care of my comfort and sleep !! When I was disturbed by a wedding party disco . The night porter very kindly allowed me to use a different room in order that I might get a good nights sleep and not disturb or be disturbed by the celebrations that were . The beautiful Italian style gardens; the outdoor pool with sunshine the whole day, delightful live old-style music & endless supply of towels; the long terrace; fabulous views over the woodland gardens down to the sea; the lovely old building itself; feeling of having stepped back in time to an older era; enough breakfast to last you all day! The other food if you had room for it later; last but not least the really nice staff. Very nice setting and the staff were very helpful. Elegant and somewhat old fashioned - had a real character unlike most 'brand' hotels. We did have a problem with noise in the room we were allocated, but the staff were very responsive when we raised this and moved us to a lovely room which made our stay very enjoyable and memorable. Feeling of a quality Victorian traditional hotel. Spacious rooms, excellent staff, nice pool, room & table service professional and slick. They upgraded us to a suite which was very spacious and indulgent. John the night porter made our stay fantastic and improved the quality of our whole trip. Thank you. Whilst the Palace Hotel has aspects of 'faded glory' in terms of decor in some of the bedrooms the whole experience was very enjoyable, the staff and the service were excellent and the terrace,lounges, the pools and the restuarant were very very good. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Great hotel louge areas were comfortable,staff friendly and welltrained,dining room had lots of charm.the gounds and garden were amazing,had a game of golf on the 9 hole coruse ,small but we had a good laugh.we plan to go back to the palace no are next visit to torquay. The food is good - not quite gourmet, although some is close. Breakfast is brilliant. The staff are exceptionally helpful, especially Mzry on reception who dealt with all the queries and challenges of our group of mum, granny and 17 year old. Brilliant again. I loved the beautiful grounds of the hotel and to be given a room overlooking the garden was the icing on the cake! The facilities were great, the breakfasts fantastic and the staff friendly. I had a lovely stay. Thank you. The staff were all amazing, especially Neel, who had obviously been highly trained. The Breakfast was excellent, but we waited to be seated, and then to be served, not really a 4* Hotel, Im sorry to say it struggle at 3*. The Palace has terrific gardens, and plenty of facilities. Love the terrace overlooking the little golf course and pool. The staff are pretty good too. The public rooms are fine. Great value with special offers. I liked the room we were given it was very spacious with a gorgeous view of the gardens . The staff were very helpfull in every way . The breakfast is fantastic lots to choose from and plenty of it . Large comfortable bedroom overlooking extensive grounds. Lovely restaurant with extensive menu choice. Good leisure facilities. On a bus route, half hourly service into Torquay. Lovely period decor. Friendly staff, beautiful grounds and terrace. Facilities to keep everyone happy. Excellent breakfast that accommodated most, if not all, dietary preferences served in an elegant dining room. The Palace Hotel was exceptional value for money. The setting and grounds were of a calibre of a more expensive hotel. The staff were helpful and the breakfast was second to none. The slightly faded grandeur and wonderful building and gardens Fantastic breakfast in stunning restaurant , really helpful staff would like to visit and stay again Very relaxing. You can walk through the hotel grounds which are lovely, down to ansteys cove where you can go kayaking on the sea or enjoy a coffee and the view. It is really beautiful. We liked the ambience of the hotel grounds, large sweeping gardens and terraces . Leisure facilities were good and very central to Torquay and area but a quiet location. The staff were always friendly, helpful and generally happy to make your visit better. In addition, the food was actually very good - I suspect they use local producers. The hotel was stylish throughout in a superb location, and it had an old -fashioned charm sadly lacking in many hotels these days. We now want to stay again next year. Lovely friendly hotel, good food, nice location and value for money, bedroom in need of a bit of work but on the whole had a nice break and would stay there again. staff friendly and courteous, lovely grounds and walks close by. nothing too much trouble, lots of choice for breakfast. A peaceful place to stay. Will stay again. Excellent large room sunny aspect with bay windows with gorgeous views. Lovely grounds and sunny communal balconies. Great facilities in a beautiful old building. Our stay here over the Easter weekend was very good food friendly staff. A pleasant relaxing few days, will stay at the palace hotel next time we go to Torquay. The staff were excellent and general facilities were good. Although very dated and the rooms were old we had a great and relaxing time in a good fashioned way!. We enjoyed the good food and service also the setting of the hotel, the outlook from our window overlooking the gardens was really pleasant and very peacefull. The staff were incredible and as for the breakfast? Had they charged £15 it would have been worth every penny. One of the very best hotels I have stayed in. The hotel has a traditional style with lovely grounds and facilities. The dining room has a great atmosphere with attentive staff serving excellent food. The staff and service were fantastic. Our rooms were very clean and comfortable. We booked the day before and the price was very affordable. Thank you. food was very good, service great. the cleaning of bedrooms excellent. nice and quiet and relaxing. staff and service very good. very pleasant stay. We were pleasantly surprised at the friendly attitude of the staff and can recommend the hotel to others. the standard of the meals were very good. Very friendly Hotel with lots of return visitors, although it was our first. Food was excellent. Garden view rooms are lovely and peaceful. The service and all staff were excellent..the hotel public areas and grounds equally as good. super gardens. Breakfast was very very good!. Great old style victorian hotel. It was like stepping back to yesteryear, with huge dining room and large ballroom/event room. quality of hotel , excellent service, beautiful grounds gardens and pool, nice terrace to relax ,easy bus ride into Torquay,. Facilities, breakfast, size of our rooms and the fact children had a separate room but both rooms contained behind one door. Comfortable hotel with nice ambiance. Really good tasty breakfast, relaxing room and excellent areas for guest relaxation.. The pitch and putt golf course Our new room overlooking the garden Lounge area was very relaxing Staff very accommodating. It had everything we needed for a short break, you didn't really need to bring anything. The Breakfast staff were lovely. Facilities were fantastic, building and grounds outstanding. Breakfast was very good and room service was excellent. Spacious room; great food; plenty of facilities; tea and coffee facilities; bath; high ceilings; big windows. The facilities, it has got everything! The staff was excellent, the food really good, all in high standards. Large room, bath as well as shower, free parking, friendly staff especially Ashley the restaurant manager. Special offer of £35 per night including breakfast was too good to miss. A very pleasant place to relax. Free parking. Breakfast was good - nice surroundings and staff too. Convenient to Torquay and the area. Loved our stay, staff were fab, food was fab, nothing was too much trouble. Wish I was still there. Very helpful friendly staff our room was lovely with a beautiful view of the hotel grounds. Service from staff was very good and use of facilities. Morning breakfast also very good. Food was excellent,service from staff was what you would expect and was not disappointed. The staff, the facilities, the breakfast in fact everything that wasn't the bedrooms!. The TV in our room could do with upgrading to a more modern Freeview tele with access to Teletext. I don't think that is too much to ask in this day and age. Nothing in particular. I think the reception staff may have been a bit more available and friendly. When I managed to attract their attention they were efficient and helpful. In the restaurant the `chiefs of staff were , in my opinion, a little over efficient giving an air of standoffishness and snobbery. We were there in a spell of unusually hot weather but it would have been extremely welcome to have a fan as standard in the bedrooms - most particularly jn the top floor south-facing rooms - there was only one portable fan for the whole place! Standard of cleanliness a bit lower than might be expected especially carpets & corners; the whole place very dated & in need of a sympathetic updating. The original room we were allocated was not great - very small and had the noise from an extractor fan all day and night. However, when we raised this with the hotel they then found us another room which was absolutely lovely! I would suggest that the difference in rooms was so great that maybe this should be made more clear on booking. When booking would suggest your customers specifically ask for a room overlooking the gardens / golf course. Bit of a walk to the harbour but taxi's and buses readily available. we stayed in room 206 which looked over the gardens ,the decore was dated and the bathroom needed gutting but both were clean and the tv worked. Nothing. Paper holding the windows together, mould on the bathroom shower, take your own coffee, whilst it boasts 24 rm service, we couldn,t get more than our allocated 4 sachets of coffee, but the staff tried to make up for the wholly inadequte house keeping. The bedrooms are now quite tired, and need a serious upgrade. Both decoration and maintenance let the place down. The rooms could do with a few repairs the shower was difficult to use and there was alot of rot on the windows but very nice otherwise. Green light that shone from headboard thro the night - think it was a switch for staff to know if room was to be vacated. Bedroom was a little dated but it was a bargain and probably a standard room - however it was clean and the bed comfortable - cotton sheets and light and airy. The hotel is like a time warp - you expect to meet Poirot in the very slow lift or be invited to a murder in the coffee lounge!! Decor is very dated, especially the rooms- wallpaper on the ceilings!. There was nothing really that we did not like but we were being critical the furniture in the bedroom was outdated and worn. My room was a bit tired. But so was I, and I wasn't spending much time in the room. A cracked window in bedroom that was taped up. no full list of channels on T.V. which was too small to watch properly!!. only thing we found a bit disappointing was the room was out dated could do with a make over but it was very comfortable and a nice view over the gardens. The hotel is dated but in good order. Full of older people and old fashioned. Nothing to dislike. Nothing. It was a little tired in places. tv no remote, and very old. rooms needed up dating, but very clean. nothing. What's not to like?. cant think of much apart from single room i stayed in could do with a lick of paint maybe and some updated furniture possibly..but other than that..all good!. It was very warm and so difficult to sleep, no a/c but with our summers it would not normally be an issue. Bathroom was small and cramped and really needed updating. Bedroom looked like it really required a good dusting and the decor was dated. chefs poor choice of vegetarian meals and combination choices, chefs poor interpretation of a Greek salad, our room wasn't great but it was a late booking and little choice,. Plates cleared from the table before everyone had finished. Tired bathrooms Found by chance we had a reserved parking space on the penultimate day - should have been informed. Stayed only one night but nothing to complain about. Had to change rooms as original was dark and dated. Both male staff on arrival in reception on Friday were a little abrupt, but efficient. Although I appreciate the age of the building - the rooms needed some updating, in-room entertainment was very poor with a very small tv which was about 15 years old!. I was told these were being replaced over the coming months. Nice to be dressed up for dinner but sometimes just not wanted with a family after a busy day. Minor: no shower cap; no sweetener; men's sauna; running machine and putting green out of action. even though there was two bathrooms in the room, the one with the shower did not work... Room was clean but looking very tired. Felt that for me the showers were too basic and prone to accidents for guests over 50! unfortunate experience with the late night celebrations until 1am.not what you expect of a hotel of your reputation.should have been prewarned-not my idea of fun !!!. The bedrooms were dated, only one plug, noisy because the kitchen extraction machine was outside the bedroom. The television was tiny and old, the radio didn't work, there were no glasses and despite being three of us in the room there were only two mismatched cups.

Online Booking The Palace Hotel

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Making your reservation at The Palace Hotel is easy and secure with best rates guaranteed. Fill out your preferred dates of stay above and click the 'check availability' button. Then select the number of room/s you'd like to book and click the 'book now' button. Subsequently a reservation form appears where you will be asked to insert your details to confirm your booking. We will then send you an instant confirmation message by email which you need to show during check-in.

The Palace Hotel Room information

Room Type	Max	from
Classic Double Room [Room Information]	2	from GBP 180.00	Search
Individually decorated rooms with garden views. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath
Classic Twin Room [Room Information]	2	from GBP 180.00	Search
Individually decorated rooms with garden views. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath
Double Room [Room Information]	2	from GBP 150.00	Search
Each bright airy room offers a TV, free tea and coffee making facilities, a trouser press and a private bathroom. Guests also have complimentary use of the Palace's extensive leisure facilities. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath
Family Room (2 Adults + 2 Children) [Room Information]	2	from GBP 174.00	Search
Each of these spacious, bright and airy rooms offers a TV, free tea and coffee making facilities, a trouser press and a private bathroom. The rooms can accommodate 2 adults and 2 children under 12, with the children on fold-out beds. Guests also have complimentary use of the Palace's extensive leisure facilities. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath
Suite [Room Information]	2	from GBP 160.00	Search
Garden views, a lounge, bathrobes, deluxe toiletries, a minibar, fresh fruit and mineral water. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Seating Area, Radio, Minibar, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bathrobe, Bath
Superior Double or Twin Room [Room Information]	2	from GBP 115.00	Search
Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath
Twin Room [Room Information]	2	from GBP 150.00	Search
Each bright airy room offers a TV, free tea and coffee making facilities, a trouser press and a private bathroom. Guests also have complimentary use of the Palace's extensive leisure facilities. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath
Single Room [Room Information]	1	from GBP 75.00	Search
Each bright airy room offers a TV, free tea and coffee making facilities, a trouser press and a private bathroom. Guests also have complimentary use of the Palace's extensive leisure facilities. Room Facilities: Wake Up Service/Alarm Clock, TV, Trouser Press, Toilet, Telephone, Tea/Coffee Maker, Shower, Radio, Hairdryer, Bathroom Amenities, Bathroom, Bath

Amenities at The Palace Hotel

Services

Wi-Fi/Wireless LAN, Internet Services, Free Wi-Fi Internet Access

Pools and wellness

Swimming pool, Sauna, Outdoor Swimming Pool (seasonal), Indoor Swimming Pool, Fitness Centre

Miscellaneous

Non-Smoking Rooms, Heating, Family Rooms, Elevator, Bridal Suite, All Public and Private spaces non-smoking

General

Parking on-site, Parking , Free Parking

Front-desk/reception area services

Newspapers, Luggage Storage, 24-Hour Front Desk

Food & Drink

Special Diet Menus (on request), Restaurant (à la carte), Restaurant, Packed Lunches, Bar

Entertainment and children services

Babysitting/Child Services

Common areas

Sun Terrace, Garden, Games Room

Business facilities

Meeting/Banquet Facilities, Fax/Photocopying

Activities

Tennis Court, Squash, Mini Golf, Golf Course (within 3 km), Billiards

Food & Drink

Please note that no jeans allowed for dinner, therefore please dress smartly.

Important information to guests

Please note that this property cannot accommodate hen and stag parties. While children are welcome at the hotel, you must contact Customer Care before booking, and they will check if a suitable room is available. Children between 6 and 12 years should be seated in the restaurant by 19:30. Guests are requested to wear smart/casual attire in the restaurant (no t-shirts, shorts or trainers, although smart jeans are acceptable). All extra bed requests must be discussed with the hotel prior to booking and no additional beds can be allocated into single rooms. All bookings require a valid credit card which the property reserves the right to pre-authorise prior to check-in. The card holder must be present at check-in. Cash is not accepted as a method of payment.

The Palace Hotel Policies

Check-in

14:00 - 00:00

Check-out

07:00 - 11:00

Accepted CreditCards at Hotel

The hotel reserves the right to preauthorise credit cards prior to arrival.
American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, Maestro, Solo, Maestro (Switch), MasterCard

Cancellation Policy

If cancelled up to 1 day before the date of arrival, no fee will be charged.
If cancelled later or in case of no-show, the first night will be charged.

Children and Extra Bed Policy

All children are welcome.
All children under 3 years are charged GBP 12 per night per person for cots.
All children from 3 to 12 years are charged GBP 22 per night per person for extra beds.
Maximum capacity of extra beds in a room is 1.
Maximum capacity of babycots in a room is 1.