The commodore…read more Situated right across form the foreshore the commodore can be an amazing place in the summer months as they have a massive beer garden situated at the front of the hotel where you can sit of or hours enjoying the scenery. This is very much a Toby carvery type place where you can buy a cheap breakfast in the summer months and your Sunday roast in Sundays. Good selection of beers, and wine at the bar, with the food being reasonably priced you feel as if your on a winner. I had come with another Yelper for an easy cheap lunch that consisted of burgers, calamari & garlic bread. The burgers where descent and tasty, calamari tasted very anchovy, years back in the food trade this was a trick go make it taste fresher. Cost per head was £22.00 including drinks. Overall good place for drinks, food is a little on the expensive side .

The Commodore Hotel…read more Situated toward the west end of Helensburgh's waterfront, The Commodore Hotel nestles in a block of the residential area. It's the absence of surrounding shops and the presence of some greenery that help give The Commodore a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere whether you're out in the beer garden or in the sizable bar/restaurant area. Having never stayed in the hotel itself, I can't review the quality of the rooms here, but I've attended events in the large function suite and it's a pretty good venue for say, a large party or a small wedding reception. It is deep within the centre of the building, though, so if you were hoping for a view or some evening sun streaming in then you'll have to look elsewhere. In the main restaurant & bar area, the horse shoe shaped bar itself isn't particularly large considering the number of drinks to be served, and it's here that the cracks start to appear in the makeup of the place. On a busy weekend night it can be a challenge to get served, but fortunately this isn't a factor if you're there midweek to enjoy the selection of lagers and ales on offer. As a real ale pub, The Commodore tries its best, with the ever-present Deuchars IPA being joined with a revolving cast of decent ales that are reasonably well kept. A member of the bar staff attempted to pull me a pint of Purity's UBU with a sparkler on the pump nozzle recently. After failing to do so, he took the sparkler off and mentioned that he "wouldn't be able to put a head on it" for me. It's real ale - it doesn't need a Stella-esque head on it, but that this was lost on the barman somewhat betrays the fact it's a chain pub serving real ale, as opposed to an establishment that's truly nailed the CAMRA flag to its mast. Still, there's nowhere else in town that has as good a selection of ales, so it seems petty to complain about how the bar staff are serving it up. On that note, the demeanour of the bar staff has quite a range in it. From upbeat, polite and friendly to cold and detached - it's a bit of a lottery. This isn't so much a factor when you're in for a few beers, but if you've come for some food it hardly helps things go with a swing if you end up being served by Mr or Mrs Roboto. Can't help but think a few of them need a trip to charm school. The food itself is good, but maybe a little pricey depending what you go for. I recently ordered a pâté & toast starter that turned up with a generous serving of pâté to go with what amounted to two slices of toast. Why are they scrimping on toasted bread, yet serving it with enough delicious pâté that I had enough to spread on both sides of the toast *and* the plate? It wasn't cheap, either - but one more slice of toast would have made it feel more balanced and better value, so it just seemed stingy to me. Another time I had a fantastic grilled chicken dish for lunch in the coffee bar side of The Commodore. It was so good that when I was in a couple of weeks later I asked if it was possible to have it as a main dish in the evening. The member of staff I asked retorted that it was a lunchtime dish and not on the menu. That kind of response is defensive at best, but bordering on rude - I only asked, for goodness sake! And that's why I can only give a potentially four star venue a meagre three stars. The Commodore has all the ingredients of what should amount to a great place to drink and dine, but whatever it is that turns a run of the mill place into somewhere special just seems to be missing.

Modern amenities, friendly staff, and tucked slightly down the road from the main drag of…read moreHelensburgh. This place is an absolute gem and the food was also extremely tasty, plus well priced.

Checked in early and room wasn't ready but the got me into another room quickly, which was nicer…read morethan my original room. It was nice to get in early to take a nap after long travel day overnight. The room was eerily quiet, maybe next time I'll ask for a fan just for the noise. The view out my window was awesome. The staff was very friendly and breakfast was good with good selections.

It is in a beautiful location. The scenery stunning to say the least. The signage very poor…read moreespecially for someone who has never been there before - a weary traveller from Ayrshire. The entrance very confusing. The restaurant was lovely but some staff more attentive than others. We asked for the bill twice before having to go up ourselves. The portion size was out of proportion e.g. my husband had loads of hummus left because he only received a few crackers. The leisure facilities had no staff there - you were left to your own devices to find out how everything worked. The lockers were complicated - again signage very poor. Nothing flowed properly. Quite disappointing really. We got this as a gift - not sure if I'd go out of my way to return.

I had a lovely one night stay over the weekend that was a birthday gift for my partner. We had the…read moredeluxe bed and breakfast stay with dinner included in the cost (worth £150). Service upon arrival was fantastic and and were quickly checked in and given directions to our room (thank goodness!) The room was spacious and had its own sauna which was super cool. Each room had a balcony and the shower/sinks had an interesting layout without a door, but somehow fitted well with the design of the room. It was quite rustic in terms of design and I've rated one less star because the room was dusty (I pulled up the blind and heaps of dust fell on me) and the walls appear to be paper thin (10pm and I could hear conversations through the wall and children carrying on in the hallway). The views from the room look directly over the lake and mountains in the background which was utterly breathtaking. So onto food. We were seated by the window with great views of the lake again. Service was prompt and friendly which was lovely. For starters: bread with oil and balsamic, and scallops with black pudding. Both pretty good and the scallops were cooked well. Mains: beef burger and the rib eye cooked rare. Again, both good, not amazing though. Dessert was the peanut butter parfait which was clumsily plated but tasted good. Overall it was... good. There was really nothing that stood out or wowed me though. Breakfast the following day was good, we had the classic Scottish breakfast which was hot and tasted good, but again nothing remarkable. Overall a lovely stay due to the views of the lake. It was generally peaceful and relaxing and a really great gift idea.

Nice setting, property is a total warren of corridors- prob not great for older people or…read morewheelchair users- above average rooms (nice shower), atrocious service in restaurant but good was ok. We got a good deal on the room. I wouldn't rush back even at that price.

I tried this place. Steam room. Jacuzzi. Sauna pool. Gym. WOW WOW…read more it blew me away what a change they have made to this place. Please go and see. I fell in love with it. On my list for joining

Have to say this was a major disappointment…read more Offered a good deal on Fish and Chips and a pint - Captain Birdseye must have been the chef because it was all definitely frozen. The additional drinks we purchased were very expensive and a bit too many navy clientele for an old man like me

Myself and my mother and my sister stayed here and was horrified the mess and dirt that was in our…read moreroom my sister has lupus and other health problems and so does my mother we went into the room after being out most of the day and upon looking about the room the dirt was obvious the cabinets had inches of dust on them along with the bedside table , lights , wardrobe , tv , skirting and window ledge being someone with asthma I was up all night and couldn't sleep due to this I went into the toilet and went to dry my hands on a towel on the rail only for the rail to come away from the fitting it simply was left loose and should have Been fixed and checked the bathroom floor had so many stains it was hard to find out what they were some was make up urine and other sticky substances stuck to the floor the toilet tissue was left on the dirty floor as well upon checking the beds we discovered that the mattress topper was covered in little black dots and stains which if we do not again what they were. We went down to speak to someone regarding this to be greeted from rude staff whom were dismissive and told to email the manager which I did who again just said she has passed it over to someone else this hotel isn't clean has rude staff we won't be coming back to this hotel my sister was spoken to like garbage. None of us got any sleep due to this and there is no one in the reception to ask to move room I would rate this hotel 0 stars if I could we also eat out of the restaurant and ended up with food poisoning due to this unclean hotel please read the honest reviews please before u book

I would rather stay in a Turkish Prison…read more This is the 5th time my wife and I have stayed at the Argyll hotel. We have seen it through changes of ownership and understand the economic challenges it, and the local area are facing. This experience was unforgiveable however and we will never return while it remains with the current owners. Hopefully they will go bust soon as they rightly deserve. The room was filthy. There is a chair with stains so bad, it gives me the fear. There are stains all over the walls and dirty, torn wallpaper. Cracked tiles with dirt in the bathroom and filth on almost every surface.The carpet is seriously old and smells fusty. I would doubt it has been deep cleaned in the last 3 years. There are many horrendous and filthy stains, as have all the other furnishings. After a struggle, one might get to the window in its cramped alcove only to find there is a view of the gutter. Feel free to review the attached photos if you think I am exaggerating. Bed had the most uncomfortable and clapped out old mattress I have ever encountered (outwith a council garbage dump) in a dirty, broken and neglected room. I hadn't the courage to remove the sheet and inspect it. I hoped it was nothing like the chair, which was the stuff of nightmares. The floorboards must be from a haunted house originally. The window handle was broken so that the window cannot be opened although this helps muffle the noise of screaming drunks at the kebab shops outside. I cannot stand up straight without my head being pushed down by the ceiling. I am just under 6 feet. The last time we stayed a year ago, we were given a reasonably clean and comfortable room with 4 poster bed and sea view for around £130 per night. Nothing particularly special but adequate. We even recommended that friends join us this year and so we booked 2 rooms this time. We were told at reception that the lift was slow but it worked. We then waited on the elevator for 10 minutes before a staff member turned up to tell us there were actually people trapped inside on the top floor (they had been trapped since before we checked in but nobody told reception). The lift was not fixed at any point during our stay despite being told it would be fixed that evening. 6 flights of stairs whenever we wanted to go back to the room. Incidentally, the stairs smell as old, dirty and stale as the room did. We booked a year in advance, on a previous stay. I cannot forgive the fact that the hotel knew my wife is disabled, and allocated us a room on the top floor. My wife was physically unable to cope with more than one journey in and out of the room each day. Breakfast was abysmal in almost every way including the service which was basically two bored teenagers running in and out of the kitchen to giggle or check their phones. As a party of four, they literally could not cope with a couple arriving slightly later and ordering from the same table as friends. It was like giving a sheep an I.Q. test. Food mostly inedible, especially the sausages. It doesn't matter how well you cook cheap and nasty food, that's all it can ever be Overall, the service in the hotel was really bad. One nice chap on check in, the rest generally rushed about stressed, glaring at you if you might smile or say hello. The man walking about pretending to be important was worst of all. Just came across as very obnoxious and officious and did nothing to help. I am told that there was a falling out with the very nice staff member who checked us in and out the previous year. She is sorely missed. I really haven't got anything good to tell you about this place other than well located. We had no alternative to this hotel as it was such a busy weekend for the town other than to go back to Glasgow. We are not considering a return and recommend you do not stay at this hotel under its current ownership. Ever. Stayed: August 2018, with friends. Cowal games weekend.

Afternoon Tea Experience…read more Came here to have a nice Afternoon Tea. We did stay just half an hour away for a couple of days and the Afternoon Tea looked excellent when we checked online. Made a reservation (a must) a few days before. Our Bulldog was welcome here as well which was great! There are several parking lots on the grounds, so we took one a bit further away from the building to enjoy a bit of a walk on the grounds before heading in. The Afternoon Tea is served in The Lobby Bar. Which might not sound exciting, but actually has a very comfy and classy setting. Some tables (which were taken already) with wonderful views. Got our table and got the Afternoon Tea explained. Then ordered some pots of tea - there's more complimentary tea in case one or two aren't enough. You even can switch to other flavours. Dilma tea is served here and has some excellent flavours. "Italian Almond", "Blueberry/Pomegranate" and "Rose, Marzipan & Mint" were all great. First served was Leak & Potatoe Soup, Haggis Bonbons, Vol-au-Vent, Quiche and various Finger Sandwiches (Scottish Smoked Salmon with Dill Butter | Roast Chicken & Cranberry | Cream Cheese & Cucumber | Brioche with Egg Mayo & Cress). All fantastic items. Nothing store-bought, really tasted housemade and homemade. Then Strawberry Pavlova, Chocolat Religieuse, Victoria Cake and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. Third and last then the Scones with clotted cream and jam were served. This really is an experience and you won't go home hungry. Don't plan on any big meals later on....or before arriving. The quality is really high, it really rises above any other Afternoon Teas we've had in various places. Even a big name in London wasn't as good as this one. But not just taste-wise it was excellent, but also the presentation. All pieces of art. As great in taste as they look. Amazing. Service was nice and friendly and working hard. Just at the start there was a bit of confusion. First the tea didn't arrive. And when it did, there weren't any cups yet on the table until we've called. But that was a very minor issue that didn't bother our great experience here. And really: at 50$ pp it is fair priced. You get a lot of wonderful dishes and items here. You can also upgrade to an Afternoon Tea with Champagne or Sparkling Wine if you'd like to. Surely the best Afternoon Tea we've had so far. Highly recommended. The Cameron House itself is a beauty and the location stunning.

Sadly, my daughter and I checked in here tonight on Christmas. We travelled all the way from…read moreCalifornia and were so excited to arrive. The valet man was lovely. But checking in at the front desk, we encountered a woman too busy to give us much information about the hotel or whether we needed reservations for any of the restaurants or activities. She rushed us through checkin and told us to read about it on the tv from our room. When we found our room, there was a lovely welcome platter of chocolate on the table that I had pre-ordered to surprise my daughter for Christmas. But next to it was a half-empty small bottle of milk. And in the fridge was a half drunk bottle of water. Then we tried to pull up the dining options on the tv as the woman told us to do. We scanned the QR code which took us to options. We clicked on room service and tried to access the menus, but we received error messages after trying multiple times. We dialed the extension "2414" it gave us to call room service. That line was dead. Again, we tried multiple times to no avail. We then called the front desk and asked if we could have unopened bottles of water and milk and if someone could take away the half-drunk bottles. We had to call twice to remind them since nobody came after the first call. The front desk then connected us to room service and the guy said he could try to walk us through the menu over the phone. I asked if we could have a physical menu to look at. He said he'd send one when he had time as he was working on five orders ahead of us. I told him we just wanted to know what was on the menu so we could decide if we were going to go to the pub, try the traditional Christmas dinner or room service. He said it might be awhile. I expressed my unhappiness about not being able to get information about our dining options and he was rude but said he'd send a menu when he could. The woman who brought us water and milk for the chocolates was friendly and tried to get the menu on the tv to work, but it didn't work for her either and she said the number they listed was wrong and suggested we try another number "2411" I think. By then my daughter was upset with me because I was becoming frustrated by feeling like the hotel staff was too busy on Christmas to provide information or service to us. With that, my daughter went to the pub alone to find food and I'm going to sleep. Christmas night is ruined after us being so excited to finally get here. It's too bad they don't have working QR codes or enough staff to help their paying guests. Seems like other people come just for dinner and maybe they are getting good service but as a paying hotel guest, this was perhaps the worst checkin experience I've ever had. Probably what we should've expected for traveling at a busy time of year like Christmas.

My guy and I were in Greenock for an evening concert at the Beacon and decided to get a hotel room…read moreso we didn't have to worry about rushing for the last train back to Glasgow. This Holiday Inn Express was perfectly positioned so it was close enough to the train station, the Beacon and all the pubs and shops in town. Its also in the middle of a business park, so for anyone traveling for business in the area this could be a great hotel choice. I'm also a rewards member for any Intercontinental Hotel Group hotels, so aside from getting a great room with free breakfast at an affordable rate, I also get points towards free stays or upgrades! Win win! We were welcomed as rewards members and were offered a late checkout for free which was nice. Our room was cozy and clean and the bed was comfy. We didn't have any issues with noisy neighbours or late night parties. The only noise we really heard were the birds chirping outside as we left one of our windows cracked open over night. Breakfast was free and consisted of a huge selection of buffet items. Yoghurts, cheese, mixed fruit, juices and a coffee machine to make a variety of drinks. There was a selection of dry cereals, croissants, muffins, breads to toast, eggs, sausages and beans. To be fair, even though there was a huge spread, we would have enjoyed bacon over sausages, as the sausages were quite mediocre. Otherwise, we filled up in preparation of our day. Check out was seamless and we were on our way in no time. I recommend this hotel as some place to stay in Greenock for business or travel.