Just back from a Frid to Sun stay and i have to say i had a enjoyable time. I went with my wife who was having her 40th and my young daughter who is 6 aswell as my parents and brother. I know this is aimed at the older market but in saying that we went with the mind we were going to have a good time and that is what we had. The rooms were clean and warm although ours had a leaking window which was highlighted to the manageress but was a case of "ok we will put some towels under it" and that was it. Meals on the whole were very good and portions were enough to fill so no complaints there. The staff are mostly foreign but i have to say very polite and attentative to our needs. Now the entertainment i would say was good on the whole the Friday night couple who i cannot remember their name were excellent, it was traditional fare but i enjoyed this as we were in a traditional location. The comedian/singer on Sat night was ok but with a young daughter hearig "bloody hell" every five minutes grated after a while. Now on Sun night Mike Devine i have to say was superb. He especially spent time getting my daughter up to sing a christmas song with him then sang again with my daughter "happy Birthday" to my wife and the thing is Shearings are dropping him. All i can say is that this man knew how to bring families into what is traditionally an older couples market so thanks to him he made out last night very special. Location is wonderful as the scenery was breathtaking with snow capped nevis dominant to your eye wherever you went but i do agree you need the car to get into town being a couple of miles out ,but do not know if there was a bus service or not. All in all a great weekend and for the money i cannot complain.

Booked this hotel through the website hotel Connexions and got a great deal of £50 per person for dinner bed and breakfast. Got to the hotel slightly earlier than checking in time (3 hrs early!) but the staff were great, checked to see if the room was ready and let us check in.

We were in a standard room up at the top of the building but there was a lift if you find the stairs too much trouble. The room was lovely. The hotel has recently been refurbished and it has kept its traditional features but some modern design has crept in giving an overall impressive appearance. The room was spotless.

Had some lunch in the Garden Cafe/Bar that is part of the hotel and it was lovely so we had high expectations for dinner.

Dinner was great. Good Scottish fayre and presented brilliantly. Couldn't fault the food but did feel that perhaps a £8.95 supplement for steak was a bit steep.

Breakfast was great in the morning. A cold buffet was set up with cereals, fruit and pastries and then you got a choice of what you wanted off the menu. You could opt for the big full breakfast or the lighter options of egg and toast etc.

overall we were very impressed. The staff were attentive but not a nuisance and the food was brilliant. If I had one negative to add it would be that there are no parking facilities. We had to park at the ferry terminal car park and paid £3 for 24 hours. Not a problem for us staying one night but if you are there for a longer stay and using this as a base then it is a pain. I suggested in their comments box that they come to some arrangement with the car park so lets see what happens.

Stayed at the Caledonian for a 3 night weekend in October.

Initially attracted by the offer of 3 nights bed and breakfast + dinner for an all in price of £180 for two. When you consider that 3 nights at the Premier Travel Inn would cost £165 excluding any meals at all, we decided on the Caledonian on the premise that if it was that bad, we could eat out and have ended up losing out by £15.

Booking was via the W A Shearings web site. UK readers will recognise this as a UK coach / tour company who do UK coach tours nationwide and into Europe, but they sell unused capacity on a self drive basis. As it turned out, the W A Shearings group actually own and operate the hotel.

Our biggest surprise was that on arrival, we found it to be the hotel we stayed in (and enjoyed) 26 years ago under its former guise as the Mercury Motor Inn, then owned and operated by the Ladbrokes group. Our biggest disappointment, for all we were aware of the strict smoking laws in Scotland, is that the entire hotel, including your own room was "no smoking". This in turn led to frequent meetings at the front door with fellow guests who still crave the dreaded weed.

Reception and public areas felt dated but were kept clean and tidy. The bedrooms themselves were on the small side but adequate and again clean and tidy with fresh towels every day.

Our fear of dinner not being up to much were dispelled on the first night. A choice of 3 starters, 5 or so main courses with a choice of 3 or 4 deserts plus tea or coffee proved to be ample. The choices changed daily, and while I would not say "that was great......let’s eat here again" we could not fault what we had.

As mentioned by earlier posters, and as the hotel is operated by a coach tour company, the evening entertainment was aimed at the 50 + brigade. I will admit to being a member of the brigade, but the entertainment was not of my liking. If you do like Country and Western this is the hotel for you, but some traditional Scottish folk music even including bagpipes would have been appreciated on at least one night. However, it did seem to go down well with the vast majority of guests. Let’s say full marks to W A Shearings for providing any entertainment at all, particularly as late October is out of season. In fact, a few people staying at other hotels in Fort William made the journey for the entertainment alone and were made welcome at no cost to themselves.

All in all, a good hotel experience but as mentioned by earlier posters, unless you enjoy a good walk, a car or other means of transport is a must. One of the visitors for the entertainment quoted a £6.30 taxi fare from Fort William which did include a Sunday night premium.

I must also mention the staff. Nearly all the staff we spoke with were from Hungary, with the exception of one from France and one from The Netherlands. Truly an international hotel tucked away in the Highlands. Shearings have done a good job with selection and training as all were very pleasant and obliging.

booked this a few weeks before leaving...scenic bus journey from glasgow(3 hours) arrived with the news that the hotel ground floor was flooded due to heavy rain...staff worked round the clock to clean up the hotel and make our break enjoyable, a different hotel was offered but we opted to stay-a good decision! the food was great, the entertainment on saturday night was very funny, the room had a hair dryer, iron, kettle, towel rail. great view of the loch and the hills. staff were very helpfull. only downside is there were no buses to the center on sundays. the hotel is intended for older couples..but we are 20 and 18 and found it just as enjoyable! definetly recommend for anyone who wants a wee break up north!!!