Well it was once my family home, I come from the Murray's of black barony on my mother's side. Everyone was very kind and helpful, the place looks like it could do with a lick of paint but it is an ancient building I suppose. The ground and surrounding trees are beautiful, the ceilings could be higher but I suppose people weren't so tall back in those days although my grandfather was 6 foot 5 and I'm 6 foot 2 so I think my family are mostly quite tall. It was grand but not as grand as I had imagined from the photos and my mental image of the place having never visited before but knowing it was built by my aristocratic family. I half expected a free cup of tea and a slice of cake which I jokingly mentioned to the staff when I booked my stay 😂, but you know as with any chain these personal privileges can't be authorised without going to head quarters probably in some other country like America?
Lovely hotel with a great spa and beautiful overall. The restaurant was very good as well, although quite expensive. Our main disappointment was the change to the kids’ pool access policy. It used to include both a morning and afternoon slot, but children are now only allowed in the morning. It definitely gave the impression that the hotel is moving towards discouraging families from visiting the hotel. Unfortunately, the staff attitude reinforced this feeling. We were repeatedly reminded when our child needed to leave the spa, including being stopped well before the end of the allocated time to make sure we were aware of the cut-off. It just didn’t feel particularly welcoming or family-friendly. That said, it is probably a nice choice for couples looking for a quiet, child-free getaway and who are happy with the premium pricing (for example, around £15 for a glass of wine).
Nice enough hotel good large clean room and bathroom. We didn't eat in the evening but did have an excellant breakfast. A couple of people we were talking to said their breakfast was slow service so we expected that but everything was great.
Slight issue was slowish bar service as only one person working
Played golf on a lovely course which is quite challenging but very enjoyable.
Looking forward to heading there again later in the year