Who doesn’t love Whitby – a town that ticks all the boxes when it comes to charm? The fishermen’s cottages with their colourful doors, the higgledy piggledy streets and a dramatic ruined abbey overlooking the pretty harbour. What more could you want from your seaside destination?
Well, now there’s a new attraction – The Royal Hotel in Whitby – a grand Victorian pile built as a seaside retreat in the late 1840s.
This impressive hotel is perched above the town in an enviable clifftop location, with a vista that includes the ruined abbey and the harbour. It was taken over by the Fat Badger pub brand in 2024, and they are doing a great job marrying modern with original features.
When we visited, tired carpets were being replaced with those of a more boutique-type feel, and everything felt fresh and contemporary, while the communal areas have been redesigned in dark – yes, gothic – shades, which bring a feel of high drama to the large foyer and the swanky bar.
From here it’s about a 10-minute walk to Whitby’s famous harbour, the one Count Dracula slunk out from, spawning an annual festival in which hundreds of gothically attired people descend upon the town every spring.
There’s a Dracula museum too, which, surprise, surprise, is dog-friendly, well, as long as you’re well-behaved and are undeterred by the dark side! And the attractions keep on coming, famously Whitby’s 13th-century abbey and its unusual St Mary’s Church, both of which allow four-legged friends a rummage around.
Whitby fish and chips are legendary (it wasn’t for nothing that the celebrated travel and food writer AA Gill made the Magpie Café here the subject of his final restaurant review for the Sunday Times in November 2016) but, if you want a fancier meal then the Royal delivers.
The menu is filled with crowd pleasers, so it was prawn and lobster cocktail and a 10oz sirloin steak for one side of the table and a goat’s cheese and asparagus tart and grilled halloumi with mixed salad on the other. Happy to report I was allowed in a dog friendly portion of the restaurant and in the bar, both in the evening and for an excellent buffet breakfast in the morning.
Talking of bars, the wines are good and prices even better, including £65 for Veuve Clicquot champagne. Whether this will continue, the humans weren’t so sure; after all, dressy-up bars and restaurants in this part of the world are a bit in short supply, and it’s easy to imagine how this might become a destination for special occasions, parties, etc.
So, my advice is, come now, bring your pet pooch and enjoy the view. It really is spectacular.
Royal Whitby West Cliff, Whitby YO21 3HA
By Janet Reeder | Images Paul Morgans
