Ivy Bush Royal Hotel by Compass Hospitality

Hotels
•
Compass Hospitality
7.4 (2271 reviews)
Spilman Street , Carmarthen , GB

Paid
Children allowed

Facilities

WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Non-smoking rooms
24-hour front desk
Restaurant
Room service
Heating
Terrace
Family rooms
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Clean and comfortable
Great breakfast variety
Polite and helpful staff
Cons:
Issues with room cleanliness
Uncomfortable beds
Cold room temperatures

Categories

Cleanliness
6.44
Several reviews indicated issues with cleanliness, such as visible mould and dirty curtains.
Service
8.41
Staff received praise for being accommodating and helpful.
Location
7.95
Location was frequently noted as convenient and central.
Room Quality
6.9
Some rooms were described as nice, while others faced issues such as cold temperatures.
Amenities
7.43
Amenities were mentioned positively regarding the bar area and lounge.
Value for Money
6.89
Value was viewed as fair for the stay duration, despite some issues.
Food and Beverage
7.44
Breakfast had positive feedback, but also negative comments about dinner quality.
Overall Experience
7.71
General sentiment was positive despite some specific complaints.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2025-12-20 10:45

Property Description

Luxurious Accommodation
The Ivy Bush Royal offers 81 beautifully furnished bedrooms, including family rooms, executive rooms, and a two-room suite, providing comfort and style for all guests.

Blend of Old World Charm and Modern Facilities
Fully refurbished and modernised, this hotel seamlessly combines its historic charm with contemporary amenities, ensuring a unique and comfortable stay for every guest.

Ideal Location for Business and Leisure
Located at the gateway to West Wales, The Ivy Bush Royal welcomes both business and leisure travellers, offering a perfect blend of style and convenience for a memorable stay.

To experience the perfect blend of old-world charm and modern comfort, book your stay at The Ivy Bush Royal today!

Important information:

Please note that bookings of 5 to 9 rooms or stays of 28 nights or more require a 10% non-refundable, non-transferable deposit charged at the time of booking.

Please note that bookings of 10 rooms or more require a 20% non-refundable, non-transferable deposit charged at the time of booking.

Please note that children are not allowed to share beds.

When booking for 28 nights or more, different policies and additional supplements will apply.

Please note that a maximum of 2 dogs is allowed per room.

When travelling with pets, please note that an extra charge of GBP 20 per pet, per maximum stay of 4 days, applies.

Please inform the property at least 1 day in advance of your stay/ if you plan to bring a pet.

Please note that pets are only allowed in the guest rooms and designated outdoor areas.

All pets staying at this property must have received a flea treatment before check-in.

Please note that pets are not permitted in the public bar or restaurant, except guide dogs.

Owners are responsible for supervising pets at all times.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
Guests under the age of 18 can only check in with a parent or official guardian.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM

Location

Guest Reviews

7.4
Based on 2271 reviews
Cleanliness: 6.44
Service: 8.41
Location: 7.95
Room Quality: 6.9
Amenities: 7.43
Value for Money: 6.89
Food and Beverage: 7.44
Overall Experience: 7.71
N
Nicky • family_with_children • gb
6
Won’t be back but for an overnight was fine
Pros:

Location suited my needs

Cons:

Needs a refurbishment and a deep clean. More choice for continental breakfast to suit vegetarians

2026-10-17 • via Nuitee
L
Lori • solo_traveller • us
7
It's okay
Pros:

The location is great and the rooms are comfortable. The breakfast staff are very polite.. The breakfast buffet is a typical English breakfast.

Cons:

Understandable the hotel has been around since the 1700 with many renovations over the years so you would think there would be mini fridges in the rooms by now. There are kettles and ironing board but still no fridges.

Breakfast could do with some variety. There is yogurt but fresh fruit for the yogurt vs syrup can fruit offered would be nice.

2026-10-13 • via Nuitee
G
Gareth • solo_traveller • gb
8
Very enjoyable.
Pros:

Excellent breakfast. Location good.

Cons:

Parking charge.

2026-10-13 • via Nuitee
M
Mark • couple • gb
1
Turned the shower on and the tap fell off the wall…nothing more to say
Pros:

Not a lot

Cons:

Simple just needs closing down

2026-10-13 • via Nuitee
J
June • solo_traveller • gb
7
Comfortable but missing the little extras I expected with the cost
Pros:

Very large room. free standing large bath and walk in shower
Breakfast good second day but first day fried eggs rock hard and coffee cold
How helpful the recepton staff were

Cons:

Missing extras in the room like water, biscuits, a fridge that worked, a towel rail that switched on,
No phone so could not order room service
No hotel information in the room

2026-10-12 • via Nuitee
C
Chantelle • couple • gb
6
2026-10-12 • via Nuitee
R
Rachel • couple • gb
4
Won't return
Cons:

Rooms very poor. Curtains hanging off

2026-10-11 • via Nuitee
J
john • solo_traveller • gb
9
Pros:

Dinner and the room.

Cons:

Cooked food in the buffet style breakfast too long in the servery dishes but the staff willingly cooked some fresh food for me so all good in the end..

2026-10-08 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • couple • gb
6
Very Disappointing
Pros:

Location cleanliness & comfort

Cons:

No hairdryer in the room
Stayed because it was Dog Friendly
But the cost of £20 each per night seemed expensive at £40 for one night
Then to be told they are not allowed in the bar area, which I was not told at check in
So we had to sit outside in the cold so we had to go to bed with the dogs

2026-10-07 • via Nuitee
T
Trevor • solo_traveller • gb
10
Pros:

Well situated to all amenitise the food was limited but excellant in taste

Cons:

Maybee. A bit more sellection on the evening menu

2026-10-07 • via Nuitee
I
IORWERTH • solo_traveller • gb
3
Cons:

Lots of noise from entertaiment

2026-10-07 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • couple • gb
4
DON'T stay here on a Tuesday night if you want a good sleep.
Pros:

The location was convenient, with plenty of parking spaces. Breakfast was nice, with a good selection, and the beds were okay. The décor is dated, but that wouldn’t have been an issue on its own.

Cons:

Thankfully, we’d read other reviews mentioning the £5 parking charge for 24 hours, as reception didn’t explain this or check whether we’d paid.

The biggest problem was the noise. We were woken at 2am by barrels being delivered, followed by rubbish and bottle collections at 5am. The noise was horrendous — how is anyone supposed to get a decent night’s sleep with that going on?

The room also smelt damp. There were air fresheners, but they didn’t mask the smell.

Despite the good location and breakfast, the disrupted sleep and damp smell really let the stay down.

2026-10-07 • via Nuitee
L
Leah • solo_traveller • gb
6
2026-09-18 • via Nuitee
G
gerald • solo_traveller • gb
8
Good location
Pros:

Good location, well appointed room, helpfully staff, excellent food menu,

Cons:

I messaged hotel when booking that my wife used a wheelchair, i don't think the
choice of room given in the basement was really suitable, it was difficult to get in and out of the small lift at the basement. I'd rate the room as good although the bed was a little firm for us and the windows could do with a clean

2026-09-17 • via Nuitee
T
Teresa • couple • gb
2
An experience never to be repeated.
Pros:

Due to our experience very little

Cons:

The room allocated to us had not been cleaned or bedding changed for our arrival. Offered another smaller room by duty manager. Declined so offered us another room which we turned down as it smelled of damp and old toilets. As booked room would not be cleaned until the next day we took first offer. This room was dusty, TV had no reception and WiFi did not work. Felt little sympathy offered. We got booked room the next day - TV had no reception and WiFi didn’t work.
When Booking.com contacted them on our behalf they said there had been no problem. As you might imagine our response was not good as to their view of events.

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
M
margaret • solo_traveller • gb
1
Overall not a good experience.
Pros:

Average

Cons:

Mold in window, dirty carpet, mold on shower head, dirty shower curtain, mold behind the mixer tap on bath and damaged dirty bin in the bathroom, also side of bed torn along the bottom near floor. Damp on the wall and ceiling in corner near window. TV didn't work very well.

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
K
Kenneth • solo_traveller • gb
9
Enjoyed a weekend away.
Pros:

The breakfast was good as normal. The staff very pleasant and helpful.

Cons:

The only thing I didn't like was the television didn't have all of the freebies channels.

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
R
ronald • couple • gb
8
good for a short stay
2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
E
Eirlys • solo_traveller • gb
10
Pros:

It was a lovely place to stay..the staff were friendly and helpful

Cons:

The amount of steps up to the bedroom!

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • couple • gb
2
Dreadful
Pros:

Good location

Cons:

No towels in room .tv not working we were moved 3 times

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee