My (now husband) and I visited Edinburgh for only one night, and we wanted to stay somewhere spectacular to mark our visit. We went in March, and arrived the same day as a huge snowstorm. Instead of proposing at Edinburgh Castle, which was closed due to the storm, my husband proposed to me in the Dalhousie Castle Chapel, which probably explains why I have such fond memories of it.

The castle was spectacular, and defnitely fit the bill of "Ye Olde Scottish Castle" in appearance, which was quite pleasing to me, as it was my first trip to Scotland. The dungeon restaurant was great- service was attentive and food delicious, but my favorite aspect of the place was the castle porter (I regret I don't remember his name.)

He and his brother had worked at the castle for many years, and took quite the liking to my husband and I. Being as we were one of probably only three couples there at the time, I think he was in need of a little excitment! He went out of his way to show us all the nooks and crannies of the castle, told us the story of the obligatory castle ghost, and even had us head to the dungeon to tell us the tales that went with the suits of armor. He took us to the storage area where old weaponry was kept, and let us handle the swords and spears. We enjoyed our tour tremendously, and I'm sure he was thrilled to have such a captive audience.

I do think that a large part of my newfound love of Scotland is due to our accommodation. Historic castle, friendly people, great food, a marriage proposal...I can't wait to go back to see what else Dalhousie has in store.

After much deliberation (mixed reviews from previous guests), we finally bit the bullet and booked Dalhousie Castle for my husbands 60th birthday. I am glad to report that we weren't disappointed and had a wonderful, romantic stay.

We chose the Cockpen themed 4 poster room so that we could enjoy our own private battlement balcony, overlooking beautiful countryside. The room, though not huge, was reasonably spacious, but the bed was larger than a King size and very comfortable (if you like a fairly firm bed).

We took pre-dinner drinks in the library - a lovely room with an open fire and plenty of character. Dinner was in the Dungeon. We eat out a lot, but can honestly say that this was one of the most outstanding meals we have ever experienced. The Aberdeen Angus fillet was to die for! The Dungeon itself is fascinating and although in the basement, was warm and pleasant.

Breakfast was in the Orangery - a bright airy conservatory overlooking the river and countryside beyond. After eating this substantial meal, we didn't need to eat again until tea time!

All in all, a fantastic experience (albeit expensive) and I would thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone.

First of all, do not book a room in the Lodge! It is described as a 100 yr old lodge, tucked away from the castle and implies decor/ambience in keeping with the age. We arrived and the building could have been erected last year, the rooms could have been in any average hotel, ours was in the eaves with trees as our view. As we had booked what we thought was a romantic weekend away (at some cost) we were sorely disappointed. After speaking with the Reception and paying for an upgrade we found ourselves in the Cockpen Room. what a difference - fabulous! With a private terrace to boot. The staff were fantastic,the food was out of this world (if overpriced in the Orangery, they have a captive audience, no need for the prices)the dungeon was well worth the experience. Afternoon tea was great, infront of the fire in the library.
The spa was lovely, however, again with price - it is very small and you have to pay extra for the therapy pool. if guests have booked a rasul treatment it also puts the sauna out of bounds for 30 mins, you have a choice of foot bath, steam room, tropical shower and relaxation area.
Having said that, we did have a fabulous time, relaxing and wandering the grounds visiting the falconry centre. Only because we were able to change rooms.

My husband and I married at Dalhousie Castle in October 2007 after getting engaged there in April 2006. We had the most amazing day! The venue was fantastic and we are so glad we booked it for our special day. We will definitely go back for anniversaries and special occasions!

The staff knew I was the bride and made such an effort to look after me, they could not do more and responded to any requests I had instantly. I felt like a celebrity - like I was the only guest there! Everything was as we imagined… the owl, Lily, behaved and delivered our wedding rings without a hitch… the drinks reception was great and the canapés went down a storm. Our wedding breakfast was delicious and even a month later people are commenting on how great the food was. We had soup to begin with, Aberdeen Angus Fillet Steak and then Dalhousie allowed us to create our own dessert menu of 3 mini portions of our favourite desserts. Bacon rolls were served in the evening and our guests thought they were a great touch. We were allowed to serve cake & cheese that we had brought in ourselves, not many wedding venues would allow that! The ‘on the day’ wedding coordinator, Liz, was amazing. She is without a doubt one of Dalhousie’s best assets. Our day would NOT have run as smooth and problem free as it did without Liz. She put up with so much from us and our families… a crying Groom, a drunk Father of the Bride, a rowdy group of men watching England play in the rugby world cup final… and a bunch of drunken English lads in kilts desperate to show the world their crown jewels!!!

We didn’t stay in the honeymoon suite - I found it a bit eerie and dark so we opted to stay in the Mary Queen of Scots. It’s a lovely room, well decorated, huge and very clean. Oh and if you hear music in your room its coming from the TV - took us ages to work that out!!!

In terms of other things… when we stayed the night we got engaged I used the Spa and I also used the Spa the day before our wedding. I had a treatment on each visit and they were brilliant, really nice and relaxing. We put on a falconry display for our wedding guests, it went down well and they all got really involved.

I can’t recommend Dalhousie Castle enough!