Queens Hotel

Queens Hotel is part of the Duchy Group of three local privately owned hotels -- the other two being The Headland and The Palace. Housed in a four-story building typical of the area, it blends almost seamlessly with the surrounding residential properties. Inside, the ambience is more bed-and-breakfast than hotel, with homey red carpets, oil paintings, and cut flowers. Farther in, a friendly staff runs a large wooden reception desk, and the building opens out to a roomy restaurant flooded with sun from two skylights and a spacious ballroom with polished wood floors. The vibe is cheerful and pleasant, although a bit dowdy. The hotel is popular with older guests and touring coach parties, but it also draws its share of families, as special children's rates are available. 

Although the hotel is not located right on the seafront -- nor does it have any sea views -- it is situated on a quiet street within a five-minute walk of the beachfront promenade, Paignton town center, and several amusement arcades, pubs, restaurants, and a multiplex cinema. Paigton Pier is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, and stretching about a mile up the coast is Torbay's distinctive yellow-red sandy beach. Paignton train station is about a five-minute walk from the hotel, and trains connect to the city of Exeter in less than an hour.

The hotel has 76 rooms -- some with large, bay windows -- decorated in either bold stripes or plaid patterns with coordinated bed spreads and curtains; the vibe is traditional and homey, with towels sculpted like origami into pairs of swans. All rooms include 32-inch flat-screen TVs, tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi, and hairdryers. White-tile bathrooms are clean and fairly well-maintained with wall-mounted Damana toiletries (cleansing gel and hand and body lotion) and shower/tub combos. Rooms have central heating but no air-conditioning, and they can get hot in the summer. Seagulls can also be extremely noisy, especially when windows are open to catch a breeze. While ground-floor rooms are spacious, other rooms can be on the small side. 

The hotel has an impressive selection of on-site eating, leisure, and entertainment options. The spacious Queens Restaurant starts the day serving full English and continental breakfasts (included in the rate), and a five-course dinner in the evening (included in some rates) with wine waiters. Dancing or live cabaret and music takes place throughout the year, and is generally popular with guests, though it might not be to everyone's taste. A pleasant bar and lounge has a pool table and plenty of soft seating, and there's also an outdoor terrace with umbrella seating where guests can eat and drink, and a heated indoor pool. There's also free on-site parking and free Wi-Fi throughout the property.