Marwell Hotel

The ocean view is lovely, and the location works really well for my work trips. Staff are always kind and helpful, especially in the restaurant, and the rooms are very clean, even if the layout can be odd sometimes. Food is the main letdown: it often lacks flavour and doesn't always feel worth the price. I'd still stay here again when I'm in the area.

We'd been looking forward to this special day for months, but the way it was handled left us feeling upset, embarrassed and quite humiliated. We booked before Christmas and had taken the day off work together. On the morning itself, we received an emailed medical questionnaire for the massages. One person in our group had previously had cancer on their shoulder and an operation to remove it. They have had many massages elsewhere since without any issue, and we do understand that spas need to take medical history seriously. The massage was refused because of that previous operation. We respect that policies exist, but no alternative treatment was offered, such as a facial or foot massage, even though the slot was booked and paid for. We were told the whole day had to be cancelled. We even asked whether we could just sit by the pool, and were told no. The vouchers came through itison. I understand that this may not be Carnousties issue, but we weren't given another date or any help with rebooking. It felt as though, because we'd booked through a third party, they simply washed their hands of us. The customer service was awful. I worked in hotels and waitressing when I was younger and would never have thought of being so dismissive. If the questionnaire had arrived when we booked, or at any point in the months since Christmas, we could have talked it through and arranged different treatments in advance. Getting it on the morning gave us no chance to adjust anything. What should have been a relaxing day became really distressing, particularly for the person who'd had the cancer operation. It feels like better communication and a little flexibility could have prevented all this. The day we had planned was taken away before we even got there, and now everyone's day off work is wasted. I just wish it had been handled better.

The bar service was excellent, and breakfast arrived promptly with a good range of choices, though there wasn't much variety and the pastries were a bit hard. Our upgraded room still felt dated, with the course view its one good point. Restaurant service was hit and miss: we waited over 35 minutes for a lovely starter, then the main came promptly, but the fish batter was greasy. I was disappointed overall, maybe my expectations were too high. I doubt we'd return.

We've visited Carnoustie four times now and love it here. Yesterday's overnight stay was enjoyable, and our room was lovely and immaculate as usual. The food tasted great, though dinner felt a little rushed, and one of the mains we'd picked from the specials menu was a disappointing size.