The Murray Arms Hotel

We’d booked again after visiting last August, when the food was excellent but our waitress didn’t seem very enthusiastic. This time was much better, and we’re glad we gave it another try. The night before Valentine’s, the restaurant was full, so we reserved a table in the bar, which was still lovely. The food and service were faultless. All three of us enjoyed our starters and mains, and the portions were a good size. We’ll definitely return.

Andrew was welcoming, professional, helpful and charming when he handled our booking and greeted us. He also suggested some nice places to visit. My friend and I stayed at The Murray Arms Hotel from Sunday the 15th of March till Tuesday the 17th of March, and were pleasantly surprised by the ambience and decor. The anteroom was a cosy living room decorated around Rabbie Burns, with tasteful ornaments, pictures and books. We were delighted to learn that Burns wrote Scots Wha Hae here in 1793. Andrew showed us to a spotless, charming, modern and comfortable room. Our wee dog had a big luxury bed like the one at home, plus food and water dishes, treats and poo bags. At other pet friendly hotels, we’re often given a less than satisfactory room. Here, we felt at home away from home with our dog. Dinner was scrumptious and plentiful, and we really appreciated the cafetiere of delicious coffee with a generous breakfast. Coffee at many lovely hotels we’ve stayed in has been disappointing. Louise at the bar was warm, friendly and helpful, and Luba, the maid and waitress, was a lovely friendly lassie from Ukraine. The wee village was quaint and very quiet. We think The Murray Arms is a 5 star hotel with a 4 star gold rating. It was luxurious, comfortable and exquisite. There wasn’t a 24 hour concierge or butler, which we didn’t miss. It had no pool, spa or gym, facilities we never use anyway, but there were plenty of lovely trails for walking or jogging right outside. While visiting historical burial sites that morning, I even got to help a farmer feed his cows. That was brilliant. We highly recommend this friendly hotel.

The hotel is beautiful, with a lovely atmosphere, gorgeous rooms, helpful staff, delicious food and a well priced bar. We had a great couple of days at The Murray Arms Hotel with our besties, exploring a lovely part of the country. We visited Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas, and Gatehouse of Fleet is a sweet little town. On our second night, we ate at the Masonic Arms and had another tasty meal with helpful staff. The area was clean and fresh wherever we went, and we’d definitely recommend visiting. We were also taken by the building’s history with Rabbie Burns. He wrote the first draft of Scots Wha Hae at the inn. There are fabulous artifacts in the Burns Room, and the building has been there since 1796.

One of the best dinners we’ve ever had. I had the beef cheeks, and the food was absolutely delicious. We were staying in our camper van at Anwoth holiday park and had dinner at the Laggan restaurant on Saturday 2 May. The service was excellent, especially from Sunita, who was friendly and efficient. We’d love to return and stay overnight. Even the toilet soap was gorgeous, I think it was from the local shop, Apothecally.