"Location is very good. Quiet at night, but not too far from beach and historic sights. It is a 10 minute walk to the edge of the historic centre. Other hotels on the beach road that we considered were nearer but when we walked past them we were glad we chose the Sea Palace. The others had much busier roads around them and less appealing outlooks.
It is not far from the train station but the walk with large bags wasn't that pleasant with narrow pavements. (For the uphill return we got a taxi from reception).
Our room was quiet and near the back. It was large, clean, with a comfortable bed. We also had a large terrace, which partial views of the sea and the town. The air con worked well.
Breakfast was on the top floor with lovely views. There was a good range of food, including some nuts, and fresh coffee made by staff. Also some fruit. (Availability of nuts and fruit seemed to vary by the day).
Its beach club almost opposite was good. We got beach towels from reception which was handy.
We arrived before official check in but after a lunch at the beach club we were able to check in an hour and a half early.
The main downside for us was the emphasis on no food or drink in the room, including it would seem water (it was not clear). For those of us to like to do the right thing it leads to unnecessary stress. Other reviews have mentioned this, and the response has been that it is a common policy and for safety and hygiene, which seems odd. We go to many hotels in many places and have never had this. The opposite in fact with bottled water often now provided free to avoid the need to go to local shops. And often space in the mini-fridge for brought in water, milk etc.
We like to use hotel bars but also like to have lots of bottled water to drink, and a drink of wine or beer on the terrace, perhaps with crisps or nuts. If the issue is people having parties and being anti-social, that should be what is stated. Or bringing in lots of food, eg take-aways, that should be mentioned. If the issue is food debris, attracting mice etc, then a reminder to keep food wrapped would suffice.
In terms of bars in fact we would have liked to have a drink at the hotel more often. We used the day-time beach bar which was fine, though as others have said a bit pricey. We also used the 4th floor bar once in the evening and it had a lovely night time view of the town and cliffs. But it still looked like the restaurant room, with a few tables on the edge for bar seating, and we were the only people there at 11pm. Not sure what can be done to make it more of a draw but it is a pity there was no more standard bar area for the evening (there was an outside area which was being done up when we were there - perhaps that will be a place to go in the evening). It would be nice to have some events like wine tastings or acoustic music early evening or happy hours that might encourage use of the bars.
The breakfast food was fine but not as good as some places, eg no fresh yoghurt or freshly cooked mushrooms. We are not big fans of the white table cloth and white chair cover look, which is quite old-fashioned.
The beach club loungers weren't the most comfortable - not easy to adjust."
