Royal Beach Palace

The Royal Beach Palace in Fort Lauderdale is an average hotel that attracts travelers with its affordable rates, spacious rooms, and close setting to the beach. However, noisy rooms and dated decor are notable downsides. From the outset, guests are introduced to the outmoded style due to a classic retro motel facade, complete with metal balconies and ‘70s-style loungers around the pool area. The lounge area looks tired, with chrome tables, a circular bar, colored neon accent lights, and white pleather modular sectionals. Although some rooms have been renovated with contemporary decor, other units have old-fashioned wood wall paneling and patterned carpets. While the pools are mediocre, guests often rave about the tiki bar and its bartenders. This is a decent pick for families and couples seeking a budget-friendly getaway.

Royal Beach Palace is located in the residential Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, about a 10-minute walk to the beach. The hotel is a 30-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. An airport shuttle and transportation to Port Everglades are available from the hotel for an additional charge.
While it’s not actually on the water, the public beach is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the beach, lined by condos. It’s impossible to walk between the condos to access the shoreline, and some find the resulting walk too long. The hotel runs a free shuttle to and from the beach, in a vehicle packed with free-to-use loungers and umbrellas, though some past guests have complained of it not running at times.
It’s a 13-minute drive from the city center, and a 25-minute drive from the Port Everglades area, where cruise ships depart from. Shops, including a pharmacy and grocery store, are located across the street. Restaurants near Royal Beach Palace include the 3711 Beach Side Grill, which serves up burgers and fish tacos, and the Greek Islands Taverna, which has some excellent hummus and Greek dishes. It’s a short drive to popular tourist spots like the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens (10 minutes away by car) and Anglin’s Fishing Pier (5 minutes away).

The Royal Beach Palace’s rooms and suites are connected by external corridors, and each room has a private balcony, some overlooking the pool. Past guests have complained of noise due to the adjacent road and the on-site tiki bar. Older-looking rooms have patterned carpet, brown wallpaper and curtains, and wood wall paneling, while more modern ones have dark geometric carpeting and sleeker furnishings.
Clean and spacious rooms have either king-size beds or two queen, and standard amenities consist of flat-screen TVs, safes, desks, balconies, tea- and coffee-making facilities, microwaves, fridges, irons and ironing boards, and Wi-Fi. One-Bedroom Suites and Jacuzzi Honeymoon Suites with corner hot tubs are available as well. Bathrooms have shower/tub combos and hairdryers.

The Royal Beach Palace hotel has a casual American restaurant on-site serving a la carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner (all at an additional charge), and there’s also a bar and lounge. It’s a popular place to eat for hotel guests thanks to its reasonable prices, though the food is pretty average. There are often specials like Taco Tuesday, which tend to be well-liked. The interior has a dated Florida feel to it, with neon lights and white and chrome groups of seating.
Panorama, advertised as a tiki-style bar, has a modern patio with a row of TVs (usually tuned to a sports game) hung near the ceiling and plenty of both comfortable outdoor seating and seats at the subway-tiled bar. The bartenders are reportedly extremely friendly and guests rave about service.

There are four small hotel pools spread among the property, and guests typically use the one by their room building or the one with the Panorama tiki bar alongside it. They're nothing special, but clean, heated, and the surrounding grounds are well-maintained. Guests can borrow pool towels from the hotel, and there are simple loungers and umbrellas available for guests to use. The hotel is pretty bare-bones beyond the pool, but the beach is nearby. The walk is longer than it seems because visitors can’t walk between the condos lining the shore, but it still takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes. The hotel does generally provide shuttle service to the beach, along with umbrellas and lounge chairs.