I have just come back from a 2 day stay here with National Holidays. I like to be fair with my reviews, so I'm going to start with the positives: the scenic location, the friendly restaurant staff and management, the drinks package and the entertainment. I also have food intolerances, and the kitchen staff did a good job of accommodating these.
However, I am so disappointed with the standard of my room. It was very basic, which is as I expected for the price paid. What was not expected was the state of the room, which smelled overpoweringly damp and mouldy. There was also faecal matter left in our toilet, and a dirty tissue left in one of the drawers. I asked to be changed to another room or pay for an upgrade, but the only room available was unacceptable; it smelled strongly of cigarette smoke and didn't have a fitted shower. I was unable to sleep in my hotel room, and that completely ruined my break.
I called National Holidays, and asked if he could arrange for me to come home, and this request was declined. My Mother asked the receptionist if there was a train, and the receptionist said that there were no direct trains to Manchester it would be difficult to get a train from Arrochar that evening as they don't run very often. I felt trapped.
That night I could not sleep because of the overpowering smell in my room, and so I went to sit in the bar, where I spent the majority of the night. The night staff made me feel uncomfortable, looking at me when they went past, but not asking me if there was anything they could do to help. I spent the night planning how to get home, and discovered that a train would cost me about £90, which I just didn't have to spare.
In the morning, I asked for a different room because there were lots of people leaving; the only room that was offered was similar to the one offered the day before, but it also smelled of urine. I was desperate to leave, so I asked the National Holidays coach staff if they could take me home, but this was not possible.
I couldn't enjoy the coach trip around the Trossachs on Friday because I was absolutely exhausted from not sleeping the night before. That evening I had to drink a lot of alcohol in order to be able to fall asleep in my room. I was unable to have a shower for the duration of the trip because I didn't feel comfortable with the mouldy damp smell in the bathroom or the rusting screws in the shower. I spent the entire trip feeling very uncomfortable indeed.
When I was awoken in the morning by the sound of the television and talking in the room next door at 7am, my chest hurt. I have a history of asthma, and throughout the day I felt a bubbling sensation in my chest that feels like the beginnings of a chest infection, and I have developed a cough. I'm going to have to see my doctor first thing on Monday.
The rooms offered were not fit for purpose. I'm going to upload some photographs showing what I have described.
I am just shocked and appalled and feel really disappointed. I was really looking forward to taking a break with my Mother, and from the moment I arrived, I could not wait to get back home. It's such a shame; if my room was not damp and mouldy I might have enjoyed my break, because of the other positive aspects of the hotel. read more