Royal Kamala Phuket

We stayed at the Royal for 20 nights in spring 2017. We've used at the same hotel in Kamala for the last 3 years but suddenly the price doubled so we thought a change was due. The Royal is set back roughly a mile from the main town highway and offers a jungle setting at the foot of the mountain. It's roughly a 25 minute walk into central Kamala and in the day time there is a free hourly shuttle bus you can use. We had a car so it was no issue for but if you have no transport you may be a little isolated here. Our apartmant was on the third floor of the newer block and faced towards the mountain. It had a large open plan lounge, kitchen and dining area plus a bathroom with 2 sink/dressing areas and a double bedroom. The place felt like a real liveable apartment rather than just a short stay room which was exactly what we wanted! The kitchen is very well equipped so we prepared lots of our own meals in the room and the lounge and balcony were a pleasant and comfortable place to relax in the evenings before going out. The Royal has 2 pools, a smaller one which we didn't really use and the main pool which was a great place to spen a few hours. There was an issue with the chemicals in this pool which meant it was out of action for a few days but I'm reliably told it is now a salt pool and all's well. There is a small gym that I used daily. It is not fantastically equipped but there's enough for a workout and the aircon is great. All in all we loved our stay at the Royal and hope to be returning soon. The staff were all lovely helpful folk and at just over £20 a night it offered amazing value. I really doubt I will bother looking anywhere else when we return to Kamala!