The Royal is the oldest hotel in the South Pacific, dating back to the 1860s (though it was rebuilt in the early 1900s after a fire) and it’s got the character to back it up. This proud timber building is thick with colonial atmosphere, although the creaking wooden floorboards are sometimes matched by a similarly creaky approach to customer service.
Upstairs each room is different and full of quirky old furniture, with iron bedsteads and sloping floors. The semi-enclosed private verandahs come complete with old-fashioned white cane chairs and wooden shutters. There are also some modern cottages with kitchenettes in the grounds – less characterful but certainly more comfortable.