Comlongon Castle

The setting was amazing and our room magnificent. The waiting staff were brilliant, patient and professional even under pressure, especially the 14-year-old waitress, who handled things with a maturity beyond her years. She even dealt with us asking for the number of a local takeaway. We booked a weekend away with bed, breakfast and dinner. After reading lots of reviews saying the location was lovely but the food was a letdown, we thought surely they couldn't still be getting it wrong. They are. We waited 90 minutes for starters, and other tables seemed to be having the same experience. The food, when it came, wasn't up to the standard you'd expect from a place like this. They blamed a rota mishap and not enough people in the kitchen, which explained the delay but not the quality. The location is amazing, but the dining experience wasn't good.

The views were great, and the bedroom was lovely and spotlessly clean. The Scottish breakfast was excellent. Dinner was the weak point: the pan-fried sea bass was dried out and the sticky toffee pudding was burnt underneath, so that's why I'm giving four stars.

We got married at the castle 15 years ago, just the two of us, and it was a wonderful day. The wedding package was brilliant, and the surroundings made it perfect, the happiest day of my life. I'd fully recommend it if the castle is still holding weddings. One day we'll come back x

The grounds are still lovely, and if I won the lottery I'd still like to own the place. I love it because we got engaged and married there, and our daughter was christened there recently. Kim was brilliant organising the christening. But it's gone downhill, and this is hard to say because it breaks my heart. The evening meal was disappointing for the price. Breakfast wasn't enjoyable either, with hardly anything on the menu actually available. The waitress seemed not to care, and we couldn't get hold of her for more butter, so we had to take some from another table. Our friends waited more than an hour because their order was lost, then got breakfast at 10 and were told to be out of their room by 10:30. Compared with four years ago, staff made us feel less welcome and the place felt less homely. The room was tired, and the mattress felt like it had been there since the place was built. It was so uncomfortable. Sadly, for the money, I'd now rather stay somewhere else.