Macdonald Houstoun House

“Below Expectations”

Disappointing stay, the room was tired and unclean, holes in bedding, carpets thread bare, rotten window with holes. The overall experience did not meet our expectations. The facilities were poorly maintained and sadly the experience was not worth the price. Some areas of the hotel are in desperate… more

Disappointing stay, the room was tired and unclean, holes in bedding, carpets thread bare, rotten window with holes. The overall experience did not meet our expectations. The facilities were poorly maintained and sadly the experience was not worth the price. Some areas of the hotel are in desperate need of renovation and repair. However the staff were all great, especially the lady on reception.

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“Friendly Service but an Underwhelming Stay”

My wife and I stayed here for two nights to celebrate our anniversary. There were definitely some positives, but overall we left feeling a bit disappointed. The staff were great throughout the stay. Everyone we spoke to was friendly, polite and always willing to help. The room itself was comfortab… more

My wife and I stayed here for two nights to celebrate our anniversary. There were definitely some positives, but overall we left feeling a bit disappointed. The staff were great throughout the stay. Everyone we spoke to was friendly, polite and always willing to help. The room itself was comfortable, and the housekeeping staff were brilliant when we asked for some extra tea, coffee and milk. The spa was one of the highlights of our stay. Apart from the confusion over our pre-booked treatments, which may have been down to the third-party booking, everything else was excellent. The facilities were clean and well looked after, and all of the spa staff were kind, welcoming and helpful. The only slight downside was that an aqua aerobics session started while we were trying to relax by the pool. We appreciate these sessions have their place, but it did interrupt the peaceful atmosphere and we ended up leaving the pool area earlier than we’d planned. The biggest let-down by far was The Tower Restaurant. It feels very dated and has no real atmosphere. Even though we had a table booked, we ended up waiting around 30 minutes before being served while other people who arrived after us were seen first. There also seemed to be quite a few things unavailable. It wasn’t just the odd ingredient – there were whole meals missing from the menu. The Vault Bar was the same, with several beers and wines unavailable, and my wife couldn’t have the Peach Bellini she wanted because they had run out. The food just didn’t match the prices. I paid £25 for a steak that was much smaller than expected, wasn’t given a steak knife, and the chips were poor. For what should have been our anniversary meal, it was a real disappointment. The Vault Bar itself also feels quite tired and dated. My first pint was flat, and while the standard beers were reasonably priced, £31 for a bottle of Merlot seemed excessive. Breakfast was much better. The continental selection had plenty of choice and was enjoyable. I was a bit surprised by the £6 extra for avocado on toast, though. The Eggs Royale was nice enough but looked a bit plain without any garnish. We also had afternoon tea, which looked lovely when it arrived. There was a good selection of sandwiches and cakes, but everything was warm rather than chilled. The staff couldn’t tell us what some of the cakes were, and there wasn’t enough cream and jam for two scones. It felt more like a shop-bought afternoon tea than one made fresh, although the staff kept checking on us and made sure we always had plenty of tea and coffee. Overall, I’d give the hotel 3 out of 5 stars. The staff really do deserve credit because they were excellent, and the spa was a lovely place to unwind. Unfortunately, the restaurant was a real let-down and, because it was supposed to be our anniversary dinner, that’s what we’ll remember most from what should have been a special break.

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