Staying at Glenlaurel with a fresh snowfall really was a winter wonderland! Lots of trails to explore in a perfectly beautiful setting was a real treat. Dinner was delicious and served by candlelight in a very romatic setting! Wine by the bottle is reasonably priced but not a great selection. We were disappointed that the pub was only open for a short period of time before dinner as we would have enjoyed an after dinner drink or night cap in the pub. We loved the fireplace in the room and didn't miss TV at all. It was nice to disconnect from the world and enjoy time as a couple. We did feel some of the staff didn't seem to enjoy their work which was obvious in their interactions with guests with lack of enthusiasm or attention to details such as failing to return to refill water glasses. At breakfast we had to request eating utensils twice as our plates of food sat on the table getting cold. Overall our experience was above average but did not WOW us as we had expected.

New Year's Eve at Glenlaurel. The food was creative and amazing, as always with Chef Eric in the kitchen. (Even the ceremonial haggis, served at midnight with a selection of Scotch whiskeys, was quite tasty!). The inn now serves wine and spirits, and prices charged for wine by the bottle were reasonable, but the wine list was disappointing, and the staff did not know enough to provide any guidance (our waitress pronounced "merlot" as "mare-lot.") The complimentary glass of champagne served to guests before dinner on New Year's Eve was bottom shelf, unpleasant on the palate. We were happy to find that the inn now offers new flat screen TVs, blue-ray dvd players and a good selection of DVD movies. Still no cable, however. Our biggest complaint: the inn was not prepared for the snowfall which arrived the night before, and the property's driveways and paths were treacherous with packed snow and ice. Our car repeatedly got stuck and needed pushes just to get between our croft and the manor house, creating a great deal of stress and inconvenience. In fact, on the morning of our departure, we arrived 20 minutes late for breakfast due to our car getting stuck again. Under such circumstances a wintertime visit is inadvisable unless you have 4-wheel drive. This was a management problem. On the other hand, I can say that the employees who gave us help were uniformly friendly, curteous and prompt. There have been some management changes at Glenlaurel this year, and I think they have a few things to work out.

My Boyfriend and I stayed in mid December in the MacDonald Room which is in the main building. They do have coupons in the entertainment book for a good deal which is what we used. The room was very clean and bigger than I expected it to be. The couch in the living room was very comfy. I liked using the fire place but then it seemed like the bedroom was a little chilly after doing so. I also like the music playing throughout the entrie room and the choice of cds to play. If I had to make a complaint, and this would be my only one is that the bed wasn't very comfy. It was a firmer bed which I don't really care for.

I like that there were journals in the room to read about who else stayed there. We also did leave an entry.

The food was probably my favorite part about staying here. They left some little snacks for us in the room. And then had a cheese and cracker social before hand in the basement pub. The bartender was great and made sure we were tended to. Then we went up to the main floor for dinner. I liked that there was a place card with our name on it. Seemed very personal. Which the same was left in our room as well. Dinner was five courses all of which were amazing. It was also fun drinking out of metal goblets for dinner and we got to try some new foods we had never had before. For Breakfast we had scones, omlets, and porridge. All of which were great as well.

Thanks for a wonderful stay and for being able to upkeep the rooms and the property the way you have.

My wife and I have been visiting Glenlaurel for some time and I am sad to report that things just aren't they way they used to be. For example we have a food allergy and every time we have dined for breakfast or dinner the wait staff was aware of this and would check with us when we sat down. Until the most recent trip when the dish arrived with that particular food.

On its own I would likely let that pass but many other cracks are apparent. For dinner we also asked for a bottle of wine to be put on our table, which it was, and without wine glasses. I had to grab a waiter to get glasses. One of the glasses that came was quite dirty and had to be sent back. It is also above the wait staff to pour wine--I have never dined somewhere where this is the case--and it didn't use to be this way at Glenlaurel.

They seem to have changed from assigning a waiter a group of tables to a rotating system so you never know who to ask for anything, it removes accountability from the staff, and it shows. At breakfast there were 7 tables for 3 staff and after a half hour we had yet to be asked what we wanted for breakfast! I had to stop someone to place our order--beyond belief! This was never the case before.

After breakfast when we returned to the room--after a pretty considerable amount of time waiting on breakfast (including waiting in line 20 minutes or so to get a table--though I'm not sure why with 3 wait staff more tables couldn't be opened) it had not been visited by housekeeping--not a big deal. So I called the desk to ask when they might be over so we could be away and I received a very reluctant attitude of "I guess so" when I inquired. After some grumbling from the desk I was told after 1p. Guess who showed up just before noon?

Most interesting is that in talking with the unexpected cleaning crew they said most of the rooms were check-outs that day. Why in the world wouldn't they have dropped by when we were at breakfast like they had every other time we visited? Nonetheless this part of the staff were very nice--quite a contrast.

Most of the wait staff were neutral to rude and either very green or not well trained. Meals were hurried, little explanation of the food offered, and the rotating table staff system they have implemented (it wasn't this way back in the summer) is terrible. When we were up back in the summer there was one waitress at breakfast for 6 tables and she did a wonderful job.

For dinner they place name cards on the tables and they got my wife's name completely wrong after all of our stays. That definitely sends a message loud and clear.

Further on checkout I was assured the innkeeper would follow-up with me immediately--though they were offsite at that moment--well that has never happened. The attitude of the front desk person, Sandra, was I can't help you with any of these concerns you will need to wait for them to call you.

This is a beautiful place with wonderful accommodations but there seems to be either new management or some experimentation going on with the staff. I would stay clear this winter and watch the reviews to see if this is resolved come spring. This is a very expensive place and not worth taking the gamble right now--especially considering their unresponsiveness.