What a great experience - Anthony was fascinating to hear his stories of the area and the history of the hotel. Food, accomodation and staff were outstanding - will visit again & again

Love the uniqueness of this hotel. Great quality food, good bedding and warm friendly environment. A few mod cons like WiFi would attract more like minded visitors and help grow the town.

A very special place to stay, one of a kind. Certainly recommended if you need a place as a stopover or when exploring the area.

A lovely place full of history and character. Anthony is a man with a lot of stories to tell about the place and the town. A very enjoyable stay.

A unique experience.

The Royal Hotel was a lovely experience. While on the older side, everything was neat and clean and the staff were so hospitable and friendly. Meals were lovely.

Great experience

Welcome to the Royal Hotel ……where you can check out any time……but you will never leave… The moment we parked our car in the courtyard Anthony appeared out of nowhere….. and I could sense that this is no ordinary man…or hotel. This was the start of an unforgettable stay. The Royal is by far the quirkiest hotel we have ever stayed at on our many road trips. The rich heritage of Bethulie , combined with this one of a kind book and vinyl collection, exhibited in the perfect manner, makes this a must stay over for all who want something much better than the usual stuffy mosquito-ridden establishments. Besides being a raconteur of note, hotelier Anthony Hocking leaves a lasting impression. My wish is that Anthony continues with his unique way of “hoteliering” for many more years.

A quirky hotel with incredible history and hospitality. Thankyou Anthony

very interesting stay. host was very friendly and shared a lot of info about the area.

This was our second visit to the Royal Hotel, and this was even better than the previous time. The host Anthony entertained us with historical tales whilst we enjoyed a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. Would definitely recommend staying at the Royal Hotel.

Enjoyed the hospitality and the books.

A very nice en interesting place to over night.

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Wonderful hosts. Dinner was lovely.

We made a one-night stop and found it fascinating, especially the extensive book and vinyl collection. Our host, Anthony, very kindly gave us an impromptu tour of Bethulie regaling us with war stories and showing us the concentration camp site and cemetery. Perhaps our next stay should be for longer .... Thank you!

We were quite disappointed arriving at the hotel , as not fancy by any means , but we had a delightful stay having a historical tour given to us by Anthony. We were told that the Hotel was the book of Stories - and wow - it is literally full of books - every wall in the hotel is covered with bookshelves and books. Anthony completed the name- teaching us the history of the boerwars in a whole lot of stories of specific people - making history a story tale - wish our grandchildren could be taught history in this manner. We went fir a lovely 30km cycle on a dirt road along dam and then back on tar road . Had a fantastic full house breakfast .I was worried about our night sleep being so hot and mozzies , but we're had a very comfortable evening.

Anthony and staff, well done. It was an experience we will always remember. More than just a stay over, we were truly entertained.

A fun place to visit. Owner is a marvellous host, regaling many interesting stories and the meals are excellent

Staying at The Royal Hotel Bethulie is something very special. Anthony is a brilliant story teller and has an enormous knowledge about history and the area. So you'll get a lot of interesting information.You'll hardly find somebody as enthusiastic. Although the Hotel is located in an old house and the interior is somewhat simple I recommend a stay. Because it is so different and charming. It takes you back in time.

The hospitality was exceptional, and the historical tour was phenomenal. We will be going back for more! A special complement to the chefs. Fantastic food and catering.

We love staying at Bethulie. Quirky and fun and interesting stories from Anthony! His knowledge is amazing! What a brilliant raconteur! Delicious food!

An incredible experience! The owner is extremely knowledgeable, entertaining and a great story teller. He makes history come alive! Not to mention the huge collection of books an vinyls (old LP's). I gained so much information about the Anglo-Boer War and visited the graves of the SA people who died in the concentration camps under British rule. I will definitely visit again. The Royal hotel is a jewel!

We found Anthony Hocking to be an attentive and amusing host, who spared no effort to make our visit as welcoming as possible. It would have been tempting to stay another day or so and wallow in the enormous choices of books lining the walls, but we were locked into our arrangements and could not do so. There is a great deal more to Bethulie than one would think, and Anthony is a font of knowledge on the subject. I would certainly recommend a visit to his hotel to anyone of discernment, and particularly those who love books, music and ghost stories!

Amazing experience. Loved the tour of Bethulie

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The quirky building, Anthony's wealth of knowledge and great food made it a stop over we won't forget. Our 9 year old didn't want to leave until she met at least one of the ghosts. We got an unexpected tour of the area with a fascinating history lesson.

Good overnight stop. Very interesting hotel. Anthony was a lovely host and made us feel very welcome.

Staying at the Royal Hotel Bethulie is unlike any other hotel experience we've had. The key to our deep sense of satisfaction with our stay was the enthusiasm of hotel owner Anthony Hocking, who shared with us his passion for (and extensive knowledge of) the fascinating history of the area – especially Anglo-Boer War History, the notorious concentration camp established at Bethulie, and the Boer-Basutho wars. We took up his offer of a tour of the sites, which was the highlight of our stay. I suppose the hotel itself will not tick everyone's boxes – it does not boast any particular modern luxuries or up-to-date decor, but it more than met all our needs as well as outstripping by miles a more typical hotel in terms of character. It is piled high with Anthony's truly enormous collection of books and vinyl records (which were played for us at dinner). The hotel provides good home-cooked dinners and breakfasts. We also enjoyed visiting the Gariep Dam Wall close by as well as the impressive road and rail bridge (reportedly the longest in the country) at the other end of Bethulie. We can highly recommend this hotel for its highly characterful and comfortable hospitality.

An interesting old hotel with lots of character. Anthony, the owner is an excellent host, and a mine of information. Bethulie has a lot of South African history attached to it.

Royal Hotel Bethulie was baie aangename verrassing. Sal definitief aanbeveel!!

Excellent stay, excellent host