Zara Continental Hotel

We only stayed because of a family wedding the next day, and the experience was horrific. I'd honestly rather have slept in my car. There was no bath as advertised, and despite asking in advance for a bed or crib for my one-year-old son, we were told we could put a mattress on the floor. With our other two children in the other double bed, I wasn't going to leave him sleeping on the floor by himself, so he slept with me and my partner. The TV was fixed to the side wall, hard to see from bed, impossible to move, and we couldn't connect HD cables. There was a spider the size of a tennis ball in the toilet that night, plus hairs on the toilet floor. My six-year-old daughter found a cannabis grinder under our bed, presumably left by the previous guest. I woke with a horrible cough, maybe from damp or the smell of the place, though I can't be sure. It may be okay because it's in Gretna and everywhere else was booked, but it isn't a proper hotel. It felt like a house, restaurant, and takeaway, with customers coming and going for kebabs. I can't say for certain who ran it, but the people appeared to be Indian or Pakistani. My father is a solicitor, and the hotel, if you can call it that, will hear from his firm when we get home. One star would be generous.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff, superb food, and good accommodation. It's an excellent base for exploring Galloway and the Borders, with both Glasgow and Edinburgh an easy drive away. Highly recommended.

A varied selection of excellent curries, with friendly, helpful staff.

Shocking.