Stayed earlier this year, felt like we had the place to ourselves, it was lovely! The staff are incredibly helpful, the hotel comfortable and the area is outstanding. But it was the incredible food that really set it apart! Probably the best hotel breakfast Iv had.
Cant wait to get back!More
We booked the hotel a month in advance. When we arrived we were shown to a room on the top floor in the loft, past bits of bed furniture in the corridor. the room was freezing, tiny and had a shared bathroom. I asked if we could have an early breakfast as we had an early flight the next morning and was told I could have a continental breakfast on left on a tray outside your room. No thanks! They say in the advert that you can request an early breakfast but they don't say you will get one.
I then asked wether or not I had to book for dinner. The restaurant was closed for refurbishment but I could eat in the bar area if a table was available. I didn't fancy that either.
Parking is a bit risky as the road is very narrow so I had parked five minutes walk away.
We asked for our money back as I would rather sleep in the car if necessary.
The manager couldn't be bothered to speak to us but authorised the re imbursment in cash even though I had just paid five minutes earlier with a credit card. What I thought was funny was the explaination that we recieved when we said the room we was given was not ensuite, they said it was as there was no occupants in the next room. tell that to the staff when the door slams and your shut out of your room in the middle of the night.
Booked into the Westerlea Hotel just up the road , bliss.
I cannot understand what generated this grossly unfair review which contains many inaccuracies, but I will attempt to provide as balanced and fair a response as possible.
On arrival, the guests were shown to the Family Suite located on the second floor (not in an "attic"). The Family Suite comprises a twin room, a single room and a shower room all located together behind a private lockable door. The guests were informed that they had been allocated the sole use of the entire family suite (which obviously included sole use of the bathroom). The guest's keyring contained a full set of keys - a key to the outer door of the suite, a key for each bedroom door within the suite plus a key to the outer hotel door. Bedroom doors do not lock automatically behind you, they have to be locked with a key so it would be impossible to be "locked out in the middle of the night" as claimed. The guests arrived prior to check in so the central heating was not yet on, but an electric fan heater was in the room which they could have used if desired. The "bits of bed furniture" in the corridor was a brand new headboard which had been delivered that day and was awaiting fitting to the bed in the adjacent bedroom. As stated on our details, breakfast is served 8am to 9.30am but we often provide cooked breakfast from 7.30 am on request. We offer a continental breakfast delivered to the room or a packed lunch to take away if guests want breakfast earlier than that - a perfectly acceptable alternative common to most hotels. As our restaurant was being renovated, restaurant meals were available in our extremely popular and comfortable, award-winning "Highland Pub of the Year" Lounge Bar. (As the guests had not booked on a dinner, B&B basis, we had no obligation to provide dinner in the restaurant anyway). We clearly state that we do not have private parking. On street parking is free and is considered satisfactory by all the residents in the street and normally by our other hotel guests. Finally, when the guests complained to staff that they did not like their room, the staff politely offered to refund the payment and cancel the booking with no cancellation charge. As staff do not have access to the refund facility on the credit card, they telephoned me at home to ask for permission to offer cash instead. I was off duty so not available to see these guests. To state that the "manager couldn't be bothered to speak to us" is offensive and untrue. This review is disproportionately negative. All that happened here is that the guests arrived, did not like the room offered and were given a full refund without question. They did not actually stay with us and so did not get the opportunity to experience and enjoy the Braeval as other guests have done.
We stayed here for two nights recently as we were attending a wedding in the area. The staff were very friendly on check-in and we were shown to our room - which doesn't seem to happen much these days. The room was quite small and the bathroom was tiny but clean on arrival. The breakfast was okay - although I only opted for the cooked breakfast on the first day as I didn't feel the ingredients were of that good quality. However, the choice was sufficient and again the staff were incredibly friendly. My only other complaint would be that our room wasn't cleaned very well the next day.
However, the location was very good - near the water and the town centre and the bar was very impressive.
I'm glad our staff looked after you in a friendly manner while I was on annual leave. I'm sorry to read your comments about the cleaning and have given this feedback to staff. I was surprised at your comments about breakfast, however. I have always been confident about the quality of our breakfast products and regularly receive excellent feedback about it. We use beef link sausages from our local butcher, Stornoway black pudding, local bacon and free range local eggs, so it's disappointing if something wasn't to your taste.
We stayed in the room above the bar/restaurant with sea views - there was a little noise but nothing excessive. The rooms are spacious, clean and well resourced. The main attractions are the views (amazing!), the bar (which has a brilliant selection of whisky), the food (nice, huge portions) and the really friendly staff.
We stayed here recently and really enjoyed the food.We dined in the hotel in the evenings although we had previously planned on going out. The staff were friendly and helpful.
It was just a short walk over to the beautiful beach which makes it easy to go for a walk at any time.
I'm so glad you enjoyed your food while staying with us. Our restaurant, The Bandstand, is open to non-residents and is growing in popularity as an independant restaurant. (I'm grateful to any hotel guests for feedback posted on our other Trip Adviser restaurant site "The Bandstand Restaurant" - much appreciated and helps other "non-residents" hear about the restaurant.
Nice hotel, good pub food and good beer- Orkney, Cairngorm etc. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was lovely, although I didn't sample the cooked option it certainly looked ample!
I will definitely stay again but in a room unaffected by the noise- don't underestimate how severe it is.
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. I do endorse your comments about the noise from rooms located above the bar at the weekends. We do explain this on our website as we don't want anyone to have a disturbed night. We do have plenty rooms which are not affected by noise at all, so if you are not planning on joining in the fun in the bar - do phone us and we'll be happy to provide a quieter room if one is available.
