The Peebles Hydro Hotel is minutes walk from the town centre of Peebles and has a lovely long drive…read moreup to it. The outside of the hotel is very beautiful and inside, the hotel is being refurbished. I stayed in a family room which we got at a reduced price because the room was quite outdated and due to be refurbished. The room was large and had a very comfy bed. The room had a great layout; the two single beds were further down the room and were separated by a curtain giving more privacy. Our deal included breakfast and I enjoyed the choice; fry-ups, toast, cereal, fruit, yoghurt and pastries. Unfortunately the croissants I had were warm on the outside and a tad soggy in the middle. Breakfast was good but the quality wasn't amazing. At night, you could buy a drink at the bar and sit beside the cosy fire on comfy sofas and chairs which made the hotel a winner in my eyes as I hate being stuck in a hotel room all night. Gin lovers will be happy to know that they have a huge list of gins - there's a little greenhouse in the bar area where they show all the gins they have on offer. Outside the hotel, they had chickens and a bee hive as well as an outdoor giant chess board and small golf area. In the hotel, they have a kids play group and you can hire bikes. If the quality of breakfast had been better, I would've given it 5 stars.

Beautiful, old place in good shape. It gives the true feeling of a historic spa hotel, and has…read moresuperb food. We had a group BBQ dinner and I was impressed about the simplicity and yet perfection of all the dishes they prepared for us. The lamb, especially, was delicious.

Had a high tea today for 6 of us. Great value and delicious food. The Edinburgh bramble cocktail…read morewas very good too.

We haven't actually stayed here but have eaten in the restaurant a couple of times since their…read morerefurb and have had good experiences. The restaurant space is fantastic, it's like a grand ballroom and is just a lovely place to sit and have a meal. With social distancing measures in place, there are fewer tables than they probably would have, so you are practically guaranteed a peaceful evening. We found the menu, although not extensive, had enough variety to cope with most diets, and they are always willing to adapt to your particular needs. Portions were just right - meaning we could manage the full three courses! Staff were courteous, friendly and chatty, and made us feel very welcome.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon my husband and mother in-law visited the pub for drinkies and snackies…read more We sat outside in the back area, which was decorated with large umbrellas, café tables, and artificial grass for what was at least an admirable attempt at a "lawn patio" feel. The area was about half-full when we arrived. We waited for a while for a server to come, then discovered there was none. No servers on a Sunday afternoon? My husband went inside and placed our orders for wine and nachos at the bar. He forgot to ask for a glass of ice for my wine (yes, I drink it old-lady style. It makes your wine last longer and helps prevent hangovers... those old ladies have the right idea!) I popped back in to the bar to ask for a glass of ice and had to wait in the queue for a while as the bar staff were not terribly energetic. When I finally made my request, the bartender generously offered not to charge me for the ice. Um... thanks? Seriously? Is ice in a glass something that they normally charge you extra for? Anyway, glass of ice in hand, I returned to our table. The nachos were plentiful but very bland and uninspired. No spices, no guacamole. I think it would be a great place to go, if I went back with my expectations lowered by a pitcher of margaritas, a gift certificate, and group of drag queens.

I have never in my life received such a high level of service as I did at Cringletie House. I had…read morethe best experience of my life here- not only because it was my wedding but also because the staff are just absolutely incredible. I began my search for wedding venues in Southern California, and eventually had a full wedding planned for the US Virgin Islands. I found I could get more value for our money outside of California. When two hurricanes hit the virgin islands 8 months before our wedding, I was scrambling to find a new plan. I read about Scottish castle weddings in a destination wedding book- you could rent the entire castle out for an extremely reasonable fee, and an owl could even deliver your rings. From this, I was pretty excited to have a Scottish wedding. I emailed multiple venues, but the instant I got a response from Johanna, the wedding coordinator at Cringletie, my fiance and I instantly knew that we wanted our wedding at Cringletie. Johanna went out of her way to be so kind to us, and answered every single one of my many questions. Planning a wedding from Southern California in a place I had never been to was daunting, so I had a lot to figure out. Johanna was the reason our wedding was such a success. I had emailed vendors in so many different places by this point, and never had I received such kindness and helpfulness, and in my opinion, when you're spending this kind of money for a wedding, you better receive amazing service. Johanna surpassed my wildest dreams. I believe Cringletie is a hidden gem- there are other more well-known castles for weddings, but I can't imagine any of them live up to our experience at Cringletie. From the moment we arrived, someone came out to take our bags and show us to our room. I saw many of the rooms in the hotel since we had a full buyout on the castle, and every one was unique and stunning in their own way. All of them had gorgeous views. Coming from SoCal- the land of traffic and too many people, I felt like I could finally breathe when I arrived in Scotland, and Peebles was like nothing I had ever seen before. I spent some time walking around the grounds and visited the horses next door. The rolling hills around the castle took my breathe away. They allowed us to settle in and I had a meeting with Jeremy (the manager), Louise (the new event coordinator) and Will (the head chef) and we went over every detail of the wedding for the next day. They are experts at what they do, and had many suggestions to make everything run as smoothly as possible. They handled every.single.detail. I have to emphasize that for a wedding where I am from, none of this would be included. They handled a million details that I would have had to do myself or hire someone separately for. I think the best example of their service is illustrated in how well they treated my flower girl, who has an extremely long list of dangerous food allergies. When I originally spoke to Johanna about these allergies, Johanna insisted that they would be able to accommodate her allergies, yet I was still skeptical. Her mother normally has to bring and make all of her own food because it is hard to find food at restaurants that will be ok for her to eat. The staff at Cringletie went shopping especially for her, created an entire menu that she could eat, and double and triple checked with her mother that everything would be alright. I have never received such service anywhere for any reason.. I was and still am completely blown away by this. The food itself was very high class and extremely delicious. We had 4 courses, two options for each, and everything was so yummy. The included full breakfasts were also absolutely delicious and the variety of food offered was immense. The day of the wedding was flawless. As mentioned before, Jeremy was our MC, Mark the bartender created new drinks to suit our guests requests and was generally delightful for everyone to chat with. He also stepped up and handled our music and video cameras. Louise coordinated with all of my vendors and kept the timeline running seemlessly. It was truly a magical day. I had accepted that since I was planning a wedding from so far away, not everythign would be perfect, but because of Cringletie everything WAS absolutely perfect.. it actually somehow exceeded perfection because of the efforts of all of the staff. I know we will go back to Cringletie time and time again. The full buyout was so special because it felt like we lived at this lovely, warm manor. The inside of the castle is stunning, with so many different rooms to lounge in and explore. I have to say- it is now my favorite place in the world.

Absolutely amazing…read more We stayed for three nights this past weekend in May. Cringletie was my best friend's wedding venue as a destination wedding. I found the website photos of the grounds and rooms to be accurate and communication with staff via email beforehand was easy and quick. We've also never met a more personable and kind bunch with such witty banter. Restaurant wise: The Sutherland is the restaurant situated inside Cringletie House. My five year old has multiple, severe food allergies (red meat, wheat, dairy, egg, sesame, peanut, tree nuts, and coconut) and Cringletie staff were insistent that they could accommodate all of them. I was a little dubious because no restaurant has ever been able to accommodate her allergies, let alone breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days. I'm so pleased and thankful that Cringletie actually did. We actually had to rush her to the hospital recently before our trip to the U.K. because she had an anaphylactic reaction to a food she was mistakenly served (and was severely allergic to). So one can imagine how special it was that almost all of the staff knew my daughter by name and were aware of her food allergies. I was in contact with staff prior to our trip, we discussed her allergies again upon the first day of our stay, and even talked to the chef one more time. We have dined at multiple restaurants with my daughter and none have come close in accommodating her food allergies with the skill and respect that Cringletie's staff showed. She was served three proper courses alongside all of the other wedding guests, including bread and butter (which she'd never had at a restaurant before). Eating is such a communal activity and my daughter constantly has to face not being included completely because of her dietary restrictions therefore something so simple as her being able to eat bread and butter with everyone else is priceless to us. Restaurant staff were also gracious in making an exception for us when we arrived for dinner one night right when they technically closed. I died a little on the inside when I realized that our family was still dressed for a comfortable day in Edinburgh (trainers, sweatpants, leggings, flip flops, etc.) while other patrons were in formal attire; however, none of the staff batted an eye. That dinner was probably my most favorite out of all the meals we had during our three night stay. My husband and I both thought that our meals were very affordable and reasonable for the quality of food that we got. Dinner was a set menu but we were allowed to order a la carte as well. They offer seasonal tasting menus but they have to be reserved in advance or else we would've loved to have tried them. Hotel wise: We stayed in the Peebles junior suite. It was a cozier fit for myself, my husband, and our two kids but suited our needs. Our barrage of luggages were expertly whisked upstairs to our room when we arrived and the staff offered to safe keep our daughter's car seat and our son's stroller on the main floor so that we'd have more space in our room. A travel cot was provided for our daughter and a baby cot for our son. The clawfoot tub in our suite was a fun touch. Staying at the Cringletie for us meant experiencing all of the idiosyncrasies of an old home (lights flickering from time to time, floor creaking at times, etc.). It's not a negative aspect for us but I feel like it is worth mentioning. The bride had the Selkirk suite, which I personally thought was well suited for the women to get ready the morning of the wedding. I also visited the Stobo classic room (killer views, accessible via small staircase and short doorways.. my friends that were 6+ feet tall had to duck) and Ardean cottage (perfect for the lively groomsmen). The grounds are sprawling and I'm kicking myself that we didn't have enough time to explore all of it. Cringletie itself is a stop along the Borders bus route. It's an easy stroll down the private road that connects Cringletie to the main road (google maps says it's A703) where the bus stop is. The bus ends at the bus station in Edinburgh in case you want to visit the city or transfer to EDI. TL;DR: I wholeheartedly recommend The Cringletie House Hotel! The service is amazing. The location is dreamy yet easily accessible to Edinburgh and the food is great.

Like stepping back in time, we made our trip from North America to visit the border country of…read moreScotland. Our intention was to disconnect from our daily grind, experience the Scottish culture and of our main interest, enjoy the mountain bike trails at the nearby Glentress & Innerleithan trails. Friends had stayed at Castle Venlaw and did recommend, especially a turret room if available, for the experience and added space. We tried to book a room 8 weeks out and initially this request for a room was unsuccessful as they were at capacity with no rooms for our long weekend. We continued to stay in contact with Lorna at the Castle. She was kind and offered recommendations in Peebles that were within close proximity to both mtb trails and Peebles. Sadly the options available to us were very limited (turns out there was a little golf tournament happening nearby the same long weekend, 2014 Ryder Cup). Surprisingly about 2 weeks out we rec'd a message from Lorna on a room that had become available, a turret room no less! In addition, they offered us a special package which included dinner and breakfast for 139pounds/night (normally the room alone is 160)!! Excited we booked immediately and when we arrived in Peebles, the castle was, well, a tiny castle, I guess what you'd expect if you've never stayed in a castle before. Not an over the top imposing castle mind you, but a smaller more intimate version. We landed early and got to the castle around 9am, check-in wasn't until 3pm and the staff were just finishing breakfast and beginning to check folks out. Roy, the main castle staff we interacted with on our stay, was very kind and very helplful. He allowed us to quickly check our bags, use the restrooms to change and then we were off to 7 Stanes mtb forest. We returned late afternoon to check-in. Our room (3rd floor turret) was so classic and elegant. Nothing modern in this castle, yet we didn't feel as if we actually checked into the 16th century either. 2 rooms and a bathroom in the turret room. entry room had a dresser/mirror, 2 seperate single (twin) beds and two windows with beautiful views of the country side. The actual turret room had a large queen (US King size) bed, the mattress not overly soft or hard, just a mattress. Blankets and sheets were basic, nothing over the top. There were also 2 large windows with equally impressive views. A small side table and small television (never turned on) rounded out the turret room.Bathroom was spacious with a large vanity/sink and tub. The shower and water temperature was a little wonky, or difficult to regulate, but the tub was perfect and large enough for a nice hot bath for two. Aside from the basics, that's it, and to be honest, all we wanted. No telephone in the room. No internet. A small transistor radio that picked-up some local station. Breakfast was served in a side room on the main floor. Quite the spread of continental cereals, muffins, juices and oh the jellies (strawberry & marmalade!). In addition to the dry goods, the castle B&B meal provided a hot Scottish meal option, including sausages, black pudding, toast, egg, thick bacon, mushrooms and baked beans, YUM! Hot French press coffee also made the meal extra special. In the evenings we enjoyed a nightcap of local whisky and ale inside the castle's library and bar. Such an amazing room, shelves stacked with old Scottish books, a classic bar setting with a wall of whisky's and 3 taps of local suds. Quiet and dark, couples sat quietly enjoying their spirits and peaceful Scottish ambiance. I really enjoyed my time in this room. *Wifi Internet is free and available in the bar and eating areas of the castle. There's many other wonderful things to do on the property, walking trails etc, and nearby downtown Peebles is literally 3 minutes away. We visited at the end of Sept. and the weather was PERFECT. Sun was shining and it stayed in the low 70's during the day and upper 50's in the evenings. Perfect time of year to visit! Lastly, I can't say enough about Mr. Roy, who was our primary contact there at the hotel. Always willing to help with any request, from another coffee to extra towels, directions to the mtb trails, even some suggestions on the areas local whisky tours. Very kind and very respectful of our visit and with service like this, it's hard to not want to to return. If you're looking to integrate yourself into the community, I would absolutely recommend Castle Venlaw. Stayed September 2014, traveled as a couple

I had never even heard of Gleneagles until our friends mentioned they lived just five minutes…read moreaway--who knew this hidden gem was right under our noses! Walking in, I was instantly in awe of the beautiful golf course and the lineup of Bentleys and Rolls Royces casually parked out front. Talk about arriving in style! And the cherry on top? A friendly Scottish staff in full kilt attire, greeting everyone at the entrance--I felt like I'd stepped into a movie. We wandered around the hotel, soaking it all in, and couldn't resist staying for dinner. Such a fun and fancy experience!

First class hotel, way too expensive. I felt out of touch staying here. I was surrounded by…read moreextremely rich people and outrageous prices. For 30 minutes of Archery, I had to pay 500 dollars! Buying a bow, arrows, and target is less expensive than that!!! I made my money's worth, as I made the record for the week, but still, $500 is way too much. Besides that, beautiful rooms, scenery, and food. My favorite part was the breakfast buffet. I had the best smoked salmon I've ever had. I would recommend you only come if you're willing to blow a few thousand dollars.

This a popular restaurant in Peebles, with excellent food. The menu is changed regularly and the…read morespecials seldom disappoint. Very good value and good sized portions, with friendly staff.

Fan bar. Great banter. Staff awesome. All latest sports plus monthly live actaread more