We booked this hotel as a stopover to John O'Groats, not really expecting much other than a comfortable bed for the night. However, when we got to the Tulloch Castle, we were struck by how beautiful it is, both inside and out. We were made to feel incredibly welcome and our room (booked very late on Laterooms) was fabulously huge and confortable. We booked a table in the restaurant and enjoyed one of the best meals we've had in a long long time. The service was fantastic and the food and wine just sublime. Our stay here was excellent and we are looking forward to returning and exploring Dingwall and Inverness some more. We will definitely stay here again and will recommend the hotel to friends and family.

We had a wonderful time at Tulloch castle completely by accident. We were driving around the highlands, kind of got lost, and stopped for dinner at an AWESOME Indian restaurant in Dingwall. They reccomended Tulloch castle and though we were not planning on spending the night in Dingwall, we decided to check it out. While my husband and I explored and chatted with locals in the Green Lady bar, his mother used some old school southern charm to score us the owner's flat which was composed of most if not all of the castle's top floor. There weren't many people staying there that night, so we paid less than the price of a normal room and got a fully stocked kitchen, two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and two bathrooms, one of which had a huge footed tub. The whole place was beautifully decorated and the awesome windows overlooked neverending green hills that came to life in the morning with hundreds of running sheep (sooo cute!!!). Oh, and we had to climb a narrow spiral staircase in a tower to get there...very cool.
Now for the creepy...The only scarry experience I had personally was when were were walking to our room. The lights had already been turned out in the main dining hall downstairs and we were forced to make our way through it in total darkness. I noticed that I was WAY more scarred of the dark than i usually am. In the morning, both my husband and his mother recounted ghostly experiences. My husband said someone was trying to get in the door and opened the window, while his mother said she felt a cold hand run up her leg. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper and didn't notice anything, so I didn't think much about it (or completely believe them). However, a few weeks ago my mother -in-law saw a special on the travel channel about haunted castles, and Tulloch was on it (and I think she said #1). The wierdest part to me was the fact that they said the most angry spirit is often encountered in the main dining hall. Yep. The scary one.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience. The manager and staff were excellent (and I am very critical of hospitality providers). The breakfast was amazing. The atmosphere was unbeatable. I very rarely have hotel stays where there is not ONE thing I dislike. Add this one to the list.

We booked this hotel on recommendation from another hotelier- a hotel we respect very highly. On arrival this place is very impressive in its stature but a little out of context being amongst a modern housing estate. There is no clear signage telling you where the entrance or reception is so try not to arrive at night. On the inside it is a little over decorated and has lost much of its original character- the lights are all fake candles and there is a tartan overdose in the wallpaper and carpets.

Staff were friendly and welcoming however and we were shown to the restaurant right away having arrived quite late. The options on the menu were reasonably interesting with both of us opting for the smoked salmon to start and the pigeon as a main. I was very disappointed- the salmon was pack fresh and uninteresting, presented as a flat plate dotted with capers. It didnt taste to nice either. Main course was pigeon breast, not too badly cooked but very over seasoned. It was served on what was meant to be a rosti of cabbage and something else but it was a sludgy pile of minging mess that tasted foul- very dissapointing. We didnt bother with a dessert as the cheese board was uninteresting and again over priced.

The bar was by far the best part of the hotel, a nice simple bar with comfortable chairs and tables and a friendly bar lady- a good selection of whiskey. I think the beer taps were something that they ignore on a regular basis as both the Stella and Tennents tasted dreadful however.

The room was large and well equiped- maybe a slight lack of powerpoints and the TV a bit complicated with 2 remotes, one for the TV then one for the digi box. Beds were as old as the castle i suspect and softer than a pillow fight in a marshmallow factory. Bathroom well supplied with items, but the shower was set at Oompa-Loopa height so i was crouching- and i'm barely 6ft.

Ok, so breakfast- it was served in a room that reminded me of a confessional. It was regimented, unpleasant and did not make any effort to be a nice place to eat early in the morning. I had as always the full monty and was reeling from the effects for the rest of the day- dreadful! My colleague had the veggie sausage option- they looked like they had been freshly made by the chefs dog out back and tasted similar.

Needless to say we were glad to leave and there are several way better hotels in the area- see the Coul House for the best hotel in the area.

My wife and I stayed at Tulloch Castle on the first night of a ten day trip to Scotland. My wife had always dreamed of spending the night in a castle, but there are so many to choose from! The bulk of our trip was spent in the western Highlands, but because I also wanted to visit Culloden Moor and Loch Ness I chose Tulloch Castle because it's only about 15 miles outside of Inverness and therefore in the general vicinity of the other landmarks. It's also close to the Glenmorangie Distillery.

I must say that I was somewhat horrified to learn that my "authentic Scottish Castle" is actually owned by the Swallow Hotel chain, which seems to be one of the largest hotel chains in Scotland. Plus, the whole thing was (re)built in the early 20th century, so it's not exactly medieval. Nonetheless, it does look like a castle inside and out and it's situated in the ancient and charming town of Dingwall on the Cromarty firth.

Our room was absolutely gorgeous and quite large. We had french doors that opened onto what appeared to be the hotel's only front balcony. For travellers from the United States, this was the exact room profiled by Samantha Brown in her Scottish Highlands episode of "Passport to Europe". Thankfully our stay was a couple of months before the show aired. I would imagine that it's a lot harder to book a room in Tulloch Castle now.

The hotel also has a charming pub on the ground floor and the food and service is quite good. Plus, the pub has several Scottish beers/ales on tap and 125 different brands of single malt scotch. My wife tried the sale malt - McLeod - and thought it was quite good.

If you're willing to forget that you're not really in an "authentic" Scottsh castle I recommend Tulloch Castle.