Rating: 4 out of 5.
230 Katoomba Street
2782 Katoomba, Australia
palaisroyale.com.au

$578 – 3 nights
Free parking

The location of this hotel was THE BEST – in between Katoomba high street and the Blue Mountains attractions on the other side – so a 2-5min walk to cafes / shops etc and 20mins fast walk to the 3 Sisters

I gave this a 4 star as I LOVE heritage buildings – if you like modern buildings then you arent going to like this place! Its literally got everything a simple hotel needs, clean, nice rooms, great location and thats key for me

This was a beautiful heritage building with a light pink colouring on the outside.

The original building was only small and 1 floor, the 2nd storey was added later on, a bit of history below

The impressive building from the front entrance
The front garden approaching the front door – cute little sitting area in the summer time
The sitting area next to the reception desk – old beautiful bright red couches as a reading and relaxing area
The breakfast room and bar
This is the ballroom – large, beautiful and has a beautiful feel to it
My room number 314 on level 2 – very quiet and on the inside area of the building – clean / decent size and just a nice simple room with comfortable bed
The toiletries in the room
The bathroom – nice clean – water temperature was quite cold the whole time not sure if its just this room?
The lounge area

HISTORY & RESTORATION

Originally constructed in 1896 by Mr Spear of Summer Hill, the Palais Royale started out as two separate cottages named Glen Eric and Hillside. In 1900, the Sisters of Charity took possession of Glen Eric to use as St Canice’s Convent, and in 1905 both cottages were joined to become Mount St Mary’s College – a day and boarding school for young ladies that offered languages, mathematics, needlework, art, callisthenics and music.

By 1912, after the college had moved to purpose-built premises, Glen Eric was operating as a guesthouse for the first time. Two years later, both cottages were again united and relaunched as the Hillside Guesthouse, which was run by a Miss Nichol, who retained the Hillside name when she moved on.

The Palais Royale could accommodate 130 guests and was known as the place to stay in the Blue Mountains – a reputation that extended well into the 1950s. By the 1970s, demand for accommodation in the area went into decline, and the property was acquired by the Assembly of God and converted into the Commonwealth Bible College, with the famous ballroom utilised as a lecture theatre.

New owners purchased the Palais Royale in 1997 and carried out a multi-million-dollar restoration. Over 15 months the property was transformed into a private boutique hotel with 40 beautifully appointed guestrooms, three lounge areas, a heated spa and sauna, the reinvigorated Grand Ballroom and Gazelles Restaurant – a spacious dining room that seats 140 and still retains its original floorboards, fireplace, light fittings and colour scheme, with classic dining chairs recreated from old photographs to match those first installed by Mrs Marsh.