The Inn At Lathones

“Excellent stay”

We stayed here overnight with our German Shepherd for my husband's birthday. We stayed in the deluxe room with jacuzzi bath. Food was excellent we had dinner on arrival and breakfast the following morning. Bed was very comfortable, although pillows were too soft. Staff were very friendly and helpfu… more

We stayed here overnight with our German Shepherd for my husband's birthday. We stayed in the deluxe room with jacuzzi bath. Food was excellent we had dinner on arrival and breakfast the following morning. Bed was very comfortable, although pillows were too soft. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Our dog was also made welcome, he even got a sausage at breakfast time. I would highly recommend The Inn at Lathones. We would definitely stay here again.

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“Lovely staff. No lounge/bar area. Looking a bit tired.”

5th April Inn at Lathones room 19 (a superior room). Hadn't been here for a number of years, and not since the new owners had taken over. Really looking forward to it but was soon to be disappointed. They seem to have turned a lovely hotel into a slightly tired looking dog friendly B & B. The ori… more

5th April Inn at Lathones room 19 (a superior room). Hadn't been here for a number of years, and not since the new owners had taken over. Really looking forward to it but was soon to be disappointed. They seem to have turned a lovely hotel into a slightly tired looking dog friendly B & B. The original cozy, atmospheric bar area has been lost to a dining room. Meals are served in this 'bar' dining room, so it feels like you're getting a bar meal. Not really doing justice to the lovely food. Three dining areas and no bar/lounge area. Really strange and disappointing. Nowhere to sit and relax, especially if you're in a group. I can understand some guests feeling over charged. Paying for a hotel with bar and restaurant and getting a dog friendly b&b. We knew that check-in was 4pm, but had arrived early around 2.30pm. The reception door was locked. Rang the "ring" doorbell, no reply. Rang duty managers mobile number, no reply. Bit disappointing, not a good first impression. Came back around 5pm to check in. Welcomed by a lovely receptionist, friendly and welcoming (Mallory). She turned out to be the restaurant manager, bar manager and waiting staff too. Not so good bits:- Reception door double glazing leaking/faulty - doesn't look great and won't be heat efficient. Room was looking tired and well worn, poorly maintained. Wooden floor was well worn and quite grubby looking, creaking floor boards. This was the same in the hall and adjacent rooms. The floors must take an awful lot of cleaning, being dog friendly. Not sure that a rug is a good idea in dog friendly rooms unless they are washed and changed after every stay. Slept ok, but the bed felt a bit saggy and tired. Huge bed, which is two singles joined together which meant that there was a bit of a ridge in the middle of the bed. Might be better to have one king-size bed. Only 4 hangers in the wardrobe 10 or 12 would be better. Squeaky wardrobe door. More coat hooks would be helpful, maybe at the back of the door. The bathroom door was scraping on the floor making it difficult to close. Just needs the hinges adjusted or a bit taken off the bottom. An additional black out blind would have helped. The black out curtains didn't keep the sunlight or heat out in the morning. We were lucky to get some good weather, sunny in the morning. Due to this, our room was really warm in the morning with the heating off, just due to the heat of the sun coming through the patio door/curtains. This was early April, it was 9 degrees outside, can't imagine how hot it would be in summer. No window for ventilation, only the sliding patio door to open. One of the lights on the bathroom mirror was very dull, either faulty or the wrong type. Looked dull rather than the luxury that it should be. Light above the bath not working, didn't seem to be a separate switch for it? This doesn't sound like much but I know from previous experience that it's a coloured light that creates a lovely mood light in the bathroom, just another small thing that would have made a big difference between unloved and a bit of luxury. A Jacuzzi jet was missing from bath. The toiletry holder missing in shower cubicle. Decking area was tired and grubby looking, dead pot plant summed up the overall feel. A sign saying that decking is slippery when wet shouldn't be a substitute for cleaning and maintaining it. Slip resistant surfaces are available if this is a problem. TV could have been mounted flat on the wall opposite the bed, rather than in the corner at an angle. Don't know why it was done this way, would have been easier to fix it flat against the wall. Outside door at entrance to the accommodation block (rooms 16-23) had to be slammed shut to close it, not ideal if you're trying not to disturb other guests. Wifi was temperamental, a bit hit or miss. Had to keep re-connecting. Would have been good to have a small fridge for milk/drinks. All very small things individually, but they all add up to an unloved feeling. What made all of this more disappointing is that this is the start of the season. Surely all of these things should have been checked and sorted regularly, especially for the new season ahead. Things will only get worse during the year if these maintenance issues are not attended to. The hotel seems to be being run on a shoestring and is a shadow of it's former self. A real shame. Poorly signed from the road and not very inviting. Almost makes it look like you don't want to attract customers? Black sineage doesn't stand out very well from the road. It's actually more appealing at night when it's lit up. Maybe some signs next to the road 1/2 mile before hotel would be helpful. Some flower tubs on the grass verge or hanging baskets would make it look more pleasant and inviting. Doesn't look like you're trying to attract passing trade. You're also not attracting local people in for drinks or meals. No reception or staff on site between 11-3pm, or after 10pm. No bar available between these times and no lunches being served. Seemed like a really strange way to run the place. Really surprised they don't do lunches. Good bits:- Lovely receptionist, friendly and welcoming (Mallory). She turned out to be the restaurant manager, bar manager and waiting staff too. She was excellent and should be getting paid triple for doing all 3 jobs. She is a credit to herself and the company. Lovely large bedroom (19) with stylish furniture and open outlook over fields and countryside. Huge bathroom with jacuzzi bath and separate shower cubicle with power shower. All spotlessly clean. The cleaning staff must work especially hard due to it being dog friendly. Large decking area with table and chairs. Quiet relaxing area. East facing decking is a lovely place to sit out in the morning. Decking is sheltered from the sun in the afternoon/evening but has a nice open outlook over the fields. We didn't have breakfast, but had dinner on Sunday night which was excellent. Lovely haddock mornay and a huge portion of chicken. Both had lovely wee cheffy touches. We were seated in the bar dining area and not the main dining room. We also had dinner on Wednesday night. Debbie was looking after us. Another lovely member of your staff. Friendly and helpful, a credit to herself and your company. She should be getting paid triple for managing everything. Dinner was excellent. Both the Venison and Haggis pie and the Lasagne were lovely. We didn't have a dog, but it's a dog friendly restaurant and accommodation. This might not suit everyone but will be an attraction for some visitors. I'm guessing that this location would be most suitable for couples or couples with dogs using it as a base to explore the surrounding areas. Not sure that it'd be much good for groups of people due to the lack of bar/lounge area, nowhere to have a drink and relax together. We had a group of people meeting in the room next to us one night which was a bit annoying although they weren't too noisy. Nowhere else for them to get together after 10pm. We didn't have a terrible stay and it was fine for what we had planned, but it could have been so much better. Better maintenance and attention to detail required. Your staff are definitely your greatest assets.

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