After a pleasant drive from Inverness airport my work colleague and I checked in to the hotel. Being away on expenses we decided to book into the restaurant for the a la carte that evening. Unfortunately this hotel caters for large coach parties, but I was too late to see the "welcome Shearings" on the notice board. The a la carte was off as two coach parties were expected - but the carvery sounded promising and reasonably priced.

We had two single rooms - which were snug and clean but the basic business travel items (eg telephone) were missing! I managed to dial in at reception for an extra £1 (forgot to claim for that on expenses!).

The carvery was a total disgrace. The starter/main/desert were appalling. Salmon cooked to death and left under hot lights, even the turkey was scorched. The veg was boiled to an inch of its life - boiled carrots, swede, potatoes, beans and croquette potatoes. I suppose catering for coach parties they don't need to be al dente! You certainly didn't need teeth! Breakfast was equally awful - I'm not sure the sausages had ever seen a pig. It was Brake Bros catering that's for sure.

The first night (yes we were there for two!) was interrupted by load crashes and banging of cases. There isn't any sound proofing at all so we made the best of the "midnight sun" and stayed out until 1am the next evening (after a lovely trip to Plockton).

Avoid Dunollie if you possibly can. Let the coach party travellers keep it!

We stayed at this hotel as part of a Globus tour. The staff were very friendly and the facilities were cozy and clean. The hotel doesn't look like much from the outside, but is a nice place to stay. We stayed in room 132 which had a breathtaking view of the ocean. With a view like that - who cares how the room is decorated? The bed was comfortable (although a bit hard). We took a walk around and happened upon a Scottish wedding - everyone was so cute in their kilts and finery. The breakfast was nice as well.

The room was so uncomfortable that I got up at 6am and left for my next destination. It was tiny, the bed mattress was not lumpy and the pillow was wafer thin. What a waste of time and money.

I avoided the dinner at the hotel. Another traveller warned me to stay away so I went to the Broadford Inn, down the street for dinner.

Since then, I was told to avoid hotels in Scotland. B&B's and guest houses are much better. Lesson learned.

This hotel has great potential, but our stay was spoilt by poor management of the detail. We were allocated a pleasant room with great sea views and comfortable beds. It was clean and up-to-date, but the shaver socket was broken, a minor irritation. The public areas and bar offered generous space with bar-food available. However, the hotel advertised a good looking a la carte menu but when we asked for it we were told the chef was redoing it, so it wasn't currently available. A weak excuse. The only alternative in the dining room was a rather dried out carvery.
Breakfast was also poorly presented and dried out under hot lights with eggs swimming in grease. On the second day a tour party cleared all the food and no-one bothered to keep it topped up, so only half the menu was available at 8.30am. There was no shortage of staff, mainly young foreigners trying their best, but lacking direction and training.
The good news is that the Harbour Restaurant, across the road, is charming and good value for money. Need to book!
Finally, reception failed to note that we had paid in advance and tried to charge us a second time.
Come on Dunollie, a few small changes could put this right in no time. Tidy up the outside of the building and show some pride!