Kildonan Lodge Hotel

Cannot fault at all, easy check in, polite and friendly staff, room was amazing, and the little extras just topped it off like the complimentary sherry or the lovely products in the bathroom. Plus free car parking!! Would definitely book again, 4* for location as would just be a bit easier if closer to the city centre, however it's a short taxi / bus ride away so no big issues there. Nice and quiet from road noise as well so no issues. Room was lovely, 4 poster bed, bath, shower, tea coffee making facilities again cannot fault at all. Would definitely stay again.

We stayed in October 2023. On the first evening the carpet in our room was considerably wet due to cleaning. Our room and bathroom was tired and I felt it more of a 3* hotel rather than 4*. That night another guest walked into our room with their own set of keys. There had been a mix-up with the rooms. The staff were apologetic and said they would compensate us/provide a gesture, but this did not happen. They also suggested we had to move rooms after two days, despite that the room mixup was not our fault. I explained that it was my birthday the following day and the staff said they would arrange a gesture but again, this did not happen. Two days later we asked about having to pack up and move rooms but thankfully this was not necessary. We are vegetarian and asked if they provided any vegetarian sausages as part of their cooked breakfast as most hotels do. Unfortunately this was not possible which was disappointing. We were disappointed with our stay overall and felt that the staff/management could have done more to make our stay more comfortable. That being said, the lady on the front desk on our penultimate day was very nice and apologetic and provided great recommendations for things to do in the area. The location is also excellent.

We were treated with utmost hospitality and felt like royalty during our stay. The level of accommodation was exceptional, featuring comfortable beds and impeccable cleanliness. The breakfast experience was delightful, as it was tailored to our preferences and offered a wide array of options. Despite arriving early and departing late after check-out, our luggage was securely stored, and we were warmly welcomed in the lounge area with a cup of coffee, even though we had already checked out. The staff was incredibly helpful in providing bus information and suggesting tour ideas. The hotel's location was incredibly convenient, with a bus stop directly across the street, offering frequent arrivals approximately every 5 minutes to various destinations, including the city center. The only minor quibble was the standard arctic weather down comforters, which could make you either too warm or too cold, a trend we noticed in every hotel we stayed at, even in the summer and rooms without air conditioning.

Lovely warm welcome from Mansie, who was always helpful, polite & chatty every morning at breakfast. The room was comfortable & spacious. The shower had an issue with mould but overall the place was well presented & clean. The breakfast choices were good & the food was well cooked & good flavour, although the ingredients were basic. Overall a great place to stay, bus stop right outside with a 10 min journey into the city centre.

We enjoyed our experience and will recommend it to our friends. The rooms were clean and serviced daily better then any US hotel these days. The rooms are small compared to US hotels but so are the pubs, restaurants, and stores. The beds/pillows were great and plenty of hot water and clean towels. The breakfast was much better then powdered eggs, paper thin bacon, and frozen bagels served at US hotels. Breakfast was tasty, served on time from local suppliers—excellent coffee. The lounge was a great place to relax, watch TV, and have a drink from the honor system bar. The best part of Kildonan stay was Lewis and Norah. Both we proud of Scotland and genuinely wanted us to have a good time. They answered hundreds of question about attractions, customs, and shopping.

The Victorian style house is nice. That is about all that ended up being nice about our stay. Walking up to the front door, we saw a sign asking guests to use the nearby phone to call directly to reception for someone to come and unlock the door. Completely normal for a small hotel or bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, there was no one in reception. At 4pm. When it states on their website and hotel documents that someone is in reception from 8am to 10pm. We gave them the benefit of the doubt for the first few minutes-they may have needed to step away. We decided to walk around to the back of the house to see if there was another way in. On the way, we saw a person in the front sitting room who glanced at us, but went back to looking at their phone. Probably just a guest, right? Nope. After unsuccessfully finding another way in, we went back to the front door and tried the reception phone again as well as calling the hotel from a mobile phone. Still nothing. We then knocked loudly on the door to maybe try to get the attention of the person in the front room. That worked. A woman in workout clothes came and opened the door, stared at us and said nothing. We asked if she worked for the hotel and she responded with a yes and casually walked into the front room where her phone was still playing the video she was watching. With no small talk or explaination, she had us sign in, gave us a key, and said our room was on the top floor. She then returned to her phone. The room itself was very cold. The radiator couldn't keep up with the drafty window. There was a portable space heater in the closet. Next to a very large spot of mould on the wall. We didn't think it would be the best to use a space heater that could potentially have mould inside of it. That combined with the many stains on the walls gave the impression that the room was quite shabby and dirtier than it actually was. The double bed was just two single beds pushed together, which isn't the first time I've seen, however made for a difficult sleep as the mattresses were also quite hard and lumpy. Breakfast was included in our room, which consisted of either a made to order hot meal, or a selection from a cold buffet. According to the website, the buffet was supposed to consist of juice, fruit, yoghurt, oatcakes, croissants, and cereals. We had opted for the buffet, but we're greatly disappointed when we arrived downstairs to a measly selection of cereal. Nothing more. The same woman who had "greeted" us the day before was there again. When we entered the dining room, she asked for our room number and then turned around and left. No 'good morning' or any other pleasantries. Thankfully, we were only staying the one night and didn't have to endure additional time in the disappointing hotel. The cost of the room definitely did not match what we received. This experience came as a surprise to us based on the numerous positive reviews we had seen before booking. While we did appreciate the beautiful home and free parking, the rest of the stay was thoroughly lacking and a disappointment overall.