Dornoch Station

“Lovely relaxing stay”

We had a very lovely stay here. Elegantly refurbished old hotel, friendly, welcoming and helpful staff, good food, nice drinks, and a view to the sea. Dornoch town which is walkable is very pretty with a cathedral and a distillery. The golf course and the beach are only a few minutes walk from the… more

We had a very lovely stay here. Elegantly refurbished old hotel, friendly, welcoming and helpful staff, good food, nice drinks, and a view to the sea. Dornoch town which is walkable is very pretty with a cathedral and a distillery. The golf course and the beach are only a few minutes walk from the hotel . A lovely asset to the Highlands. We would stay again.

less

“Exceptional in every way”

This is a wonderful hotel, steeped in the wonderful interior decor it was built with. We ate lunch and found the food to be of an exeptional quality and standard. The staff are so very warm and welcoming. It is a must visit, not just to eat but to experience how buildings were built

“Beautiful view, uncomfy bed.”

The hotel is an old building so it had lots of quirks as expected. We paid for a sea view which was beautiful. Unfortunately the bed and pillows were just not comfy so it really impacted our 2 night stay. We asked for a mattress topper after the first night which helped a bit but not much. We love … more

The hotel is an old building so it had lots of quirks as expected. We paid for a sea view which was beautiful. Unfortunately the bed and pillows were just not comfy so it really impacted our 2 night stay. We asked for a mattress topper after the first night which helped a bit but not much. We love our sleep so if the bed isn’t comfy it’s a big problem for us. It felt like an old horse hair mattress although I’m sure it wasn’t! Apart from the bed the room never had any drawer space for your clothes. Only a tiny wardrobe with 4 hangers so we had to live out of our suitcase which was frustrating. Wifi was great, the tv was huge and dinner in the restaurant was delicious. Breakfast was also lovely as were the staff.

less

“Lovely views but hotel has room for improvement”

Was really looking forward to staying at this hotel as we have stayed at 2 other hotels in the same group and rated them very highly. On arrival, the welcome was functional not friendly. Pleasant enough but going through the motions. The concierge, Jamie, was very friendly and showed us to our r… more

Was really looking forward to staying at this hotel as we have stayed at 2 other hotels in the same group and rated them very highly. On arrival, the welcome was functional not friendly. Pleasant enough but going through the motions. The concierge, Jamie, was very friendly and showed us to our room. We had a Deluxe sea view king and the view was stunning. As I started to unpack I realised there are no drawers and only tiny shelves above the hanging rails which I couldn’t reach. Who has ever seen a hotel room with no drawers? Where are you meant to put your clothes? The unit which housed the TV, coffee machine, fridge, etc takes up most of the wall space with 2 very small hanging areas on either side. If you were going to a wedding you would struggle to get a suit and dress hung up. The room was spotless and the bed very comfy. There was no mirror in the bedroom and no plug near the bathroom to let you see a mirror when drying your hair. I did ask at reception if they could provide a mirror but they were unable to so. Fairly basic to have a mirror in a bedroom. The bathroom has a vanity unit with inset sink and this is the only place to put toiletries. Classic case of form over function. When we went for breakfast, the staff acknowledged us at the door but continued to clear tables. The continental buffet was an embarrassment, cooked ham, processed cheese, a few pasties and some fruit. The cooked breakfast was very tasty but in Scotland not unreasonable to expect square sausage and black pudding. We had dinner at The Golden Gorse. We ordered a bottle of champagne and after it was opened, the waiter said it was not the one we ordered. He should have told us this first and asked if we were happy to accept this one. The food itself is very good. The waiting staff are very friendly however they need a lesson on not saying ‘no problem’ in response to everything. We did appreciate the biscuits put in our room to help us celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. On departure, we were not asked if we enjoyed our stay and again was efficient rather than friendly. Throughout our 2 night stay we did not see any Management or senior staff and this is a very poor oversight. The young staff are all very pleasant but they need guidance to help them provide a 4 star service. As I said at the start of my review, we have stayed at two other Marine & Lawn hotels and unfortunately the Station has a long way to go to get up to their standard.

less