Craig's Royal Hotel

Stayed here a few months ago and I have to say, it was one of the most fun stays I've had. We booked 3 rooms for a family weekend getaway and were pleasantly surprised that one of our girls had received an upgrade. She found herself in the Chinese Honeymoon Suite. It still comes up in conversation and it's a source of great joy. Our room was lovely, but the bed was, and will continue to be, a source of raucous laughter in our family. To be fair, for someone of average height, the bed would have been perfect, but I'm 5 foot nothing and watching me try to get onto the bed was like watching me try to scale Mt Kosciuszko. We were all in fits of laughter. As some people have said, not everything worked perfectly, but honestly, this didn't put a dampener on our trip. We were loving the fact that we were staying in a historical building and just taking in all the old world charm. It made a refreshing change from modern hotels that are nice, but lacking personality. We loved the fact that every room was unique. If you're wanting a unique experience and don't mind things not being brand new, this is the perfect place to stay.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Majestic Pearl Anniversary at Craig’s Royal Hotel — A Place We Will Always Return To 🥰 Our recent stay at Craig’s Royal Hotel was nothing short of exquisite and will forever hold a special place in our hearts as the setting for our 30th Pearl Wedding Anniversary — a milestone deserving of grace, history, and timeless elegance. From the very beginning, the experience reflected an exceptional level of care. GRACE, MELODY and PAUL demonstrated outstanding professionalism and genuine thoughtfulness by informing us well in advance of the air-conditioning issue affecting the Royal Suite with Balcony and keeping us attentively updated. We were accommodated in the Royal Suite without a balcony, which proved to be a blessing — the beautifully appointed attic space added intimacy, character, and a sense of old-world charm, elevating the experience beyond expectation.♥️ The hotel’s generosity and attention to detail were evident in every gesture. We were deeply touched by the inclusion of two days of breakfast and the complimentary sparkling wine, elegantly presented with a personalised Pearl Anniversary greeting awaiting us in the room — a refined and meaningful acknowledgment of our milestone.🥰 Our arrival was seamless thanks to ALEX, whose warm and polished welcome immediately made us feel at home. From the bar, MEL consistently went above and beyond — graciously topping up my water bottle with ice each time we passed by and offering thoughtful recommendations that enriched our Ballarat stay. TOM added to the magic of our evenings with beautifully crafted late-night drinks and engaging, genuine conversation.🥂🙏 At the Atrium Restaurant, HEIDI and her colleague (my sincerest apologies for forgetting her name) delivered service that was both attentive and graceful. The cuisine was outstanding — indulgent, beautifully presented, and truly memorable. Established in 1853, Craig’s Royal Hotel stands as one of Australia’s most distinguished heritage hotels, having welcomed royalty, dignitaries, and celebrated guests across generations. Its grand architecture, antique furnishings, and rich sense of history lend a rare and enduring elegance — a true icon and pride of Ballarat. 🏆 What truly sets Craig’s Royal Hotel apart is not only its heritage, but its PEOPLE. From day one, we felt genuinely welcomed, known, and cared for — the hallmark of a hotel that understands true luxury lies in personal connection.🥰 We highly recommend Craig’s Royal Hotel and will most certainly return — not only to celebrate future milestones, but also for our regular antiquing escapes to Ballarat, a tradition we look forward to continuing for many years to come.🥂🥳 With our deepest thanks, Gina & Allen

Magnificent building and well appointed rooms. Good price however the air-conditioning wasn't working for the 2 nights , hottest of the year. A fan made it bearable but given the hallways were working it was unfortunate. Heaps of afterhours car parking outside. Restaurant was lovely, the orange cake was a little dry. Excellent service, we'll come back and hopefully the aircon is fixed.

Many months ago i booked a great deal with Luxury Escapes - a Royal Suite ( top of the range ) for a coming anniversary celebration. This grand hotel is in a perfect position to check out all the lovely things Ballarat has to offer.|Checked in at reception, given keys to room on top floor - opened the door to the following-:|1. A portable fan circulating hot air ( no A/C ).|2. A refrigerator virtually not working ( even chocolates beginning to melt ).|3. Container for liquid soap in bathroom - empty and broken.|We were not advised of any of this or offered any alternatives.|Problem solving?|1. Electricians on-site for 4 days ( am led to believe this has been an issue for weeks )|- still not fixed! Getting someone from Melbourne? |2. Took several days to see the General Manager - seems to be only a part time Manager ( wasn't made aware there is an assistant manager ).|3. Housekeeping came up in response to the liquid soap container issue - couldn't fix as broken, this had not been reported by staff. On her initiative ( Christina ) showed a comparable room across the passageway which was vacant - it was on the cooler side of building but still no A/C. She went down to see the Asst Manager and successfully arranged for us to change rooms.|ONLY after all this did we meet the General Manager where she said they would wave the costs of breakfast and parking and also comp. the first $100 of our dinner on the Saturday night we had booked for our last night. Also said she would leave a key at reception to another room where we could sleep ( we declined this ).|After no sleep on the 4th night ( excessive noise and still no A/C ) we decided to leave a day early - couldn't stand another 24 hours of same as apparently getting an electrician from Melbourne ( when?) and the General Manager off for the weekend.|When reception asked why we were leaving early - she said sorry, and then the Asst Man. leaned in and told her he would show her later how to process the expenses, etc ( did not address me at all!).|This hotel has a lot of issues - a part time manager and very little training of staff!

Enjoyed a delicious dinner. Chicken curry and salmon were both very tasty meals. The decor was wonderful and the place packs a lot of beautiful character. Unfortunately our room was a bit noisy and the view of the rubbish bin wasn't exactly what we had in mind. Otherwise everything was good

We had such a disappointing visit to Craig’s on Friday night. The waitress wanted to be anywhere but at work, everything seemed difficult and like we were putting her out. The menu sounded great and I ordered the Balinese chicken curry, it arrived with a friends risotto and both dishes were cold , my curry was tepid if that ,the roti was warm, no garnish on the risotto just a blob of grey rice and served on a rectangular flag plate made it difficult to eat. I was trying to get the attention of a staff member to alert them to our cold meals but no one came. It was 15 minutes before the other 3 dishes arrived which was a halloumi vegetable salad all 3 said it wasn’t nice and the halloumi was chewy, and bland. After the main course we sat with empty plates for about 30 mins before asking the waitress if we could look at the dessert menu. 3 desserts came out apple walnut crumble with melted ice cream all over the plates, like they’d been made and had sat on the bench waiting for the other desserts. Then the other crumble came out with frozen ice cream and the pannacotta. We ate the desserts and would have liked a hot drink or night cap but were never given the chance as the waitress just stood behind the till until she came and said I need to do the tills so you’ll need to pay now. We were so unhappy as we would have had another drink or gone into the bar but we’re never given a chance. It’s such a shame as Craig’s used to be such a beautiful meal with incredible service. I think the kitchen staff need help with timing off meals and ensuring meal’s going out are hot not just tepid!

We were keen to stay in this historic hotel and were not disappointed. The historical features are really well worth seeing. Our room was very pleasant, complete with four poster and balcony. The toiletries in the shower were very hard to access. The staff were friendly and helpful. There are not many power points in the room (well it is a historic hotel) but taking long charger cables is advised. The room was clean, comfortable and mostly quiet. I think there are pigeons in the roof above the bed.

Have stayed numerous times visiting Ballarat and lm normally a loyal customer until! My room was great, however the heating was not working, l was assured someone was to sort that out but as 5pm arrived with no-one showing l check with front desk who had no idea about my concern, they did the righty and changed me to another room, with 2 single beds! I couldn’t be more disappointed, lm a big man & haven’t slept in a single since school! They had an upgrade but l got a downgrade! I won’t be back, unacceptable!

Gorgeous!!! If you are looking for an elegant night out in Ballarat, this is the place! The restaurant is in a beautiful conservatory area and it's just magnificent. We were there for a girlfriend get-together and the service and food were great. We had the pork bellies and the seafood fettuccine. Both were perfectly prepared. It's a little pricey, about $40 per place and sides are ordered separately, but for a special night out - worth it!

The food here was really good and I loved everything from the atmosphere to the service. The only thing that bugged me was the use of plastic straws. I know it's picky but a lot of places, even smaller cafes, are using metal re-useable straws and I thought that somewhere as wonderful and elegant as Craig's would be up to date on this. Just some food for thought.