Creebridge House Hotel

We were searching frantically for somewhere that would take dogs after deciding not to stay at the other hotel we’d booked, and found Creebridge house hotel through booking.com. The reviews and photos looked good, so we checked in relieved to have a room. It turned out to be another disappointment. The room was cold, with the radiators off despite the very cold weather. There was a small fan heater, so we switched it on straight away, but it was our only source of heat all night because the radiators needed bleeding. The bathroom and bedroom were grubby, with poor housekeeping and maintenance throughout. There were dirty marks on the bath panel, urine on the toilet, thick dust on the radiator and bedroom lampshades, and all the mirrors needed cleaning. The headboard was very loose, two sheets of plywood had been screwed onto the bed base, and the window rattled. The thick curtains at least helped block the draught. We had a very broken, uncomfortable night’s sleep because the bed was hard, the pillows needed replacing and the fan heater ran all night on its thermostat setting. There was also a halo of light around the fire door, which wouldn’t protect anyone if, god forbid, there was a fire. The hotel says it’s dog friendly, but we couldn’t see a bin on the grounds for poo bags. We tried to get a drink in the bar, but a large group of non-residents had come in to watch the rugby, so we moved to the lounge. There was a lovely fire there, but non-residents were using that room too. We tried the residents’ lounge next, a very large, cold room with no welcoming fire lit. We booked dinner for Valentine’s Day, but the earliest time was 5.45pm. After a long, cold day we were hungry, and although Newton Stewart is a very short walk away, hunger got the better of us and we ate out, cancelling our reservation. When we returned, there was still no room in the bar, so we took drinks back to the room and spent the evening there. The location is great for local amenities, but with two disappointments in one day, that was just our luck.

This is an old-fashioned, traditional hotel, and the building gives away its age with slightly uneven floors and a rather charming expedition to reach your room. The staff are excellent, friendly and helpful throughout. Kenny, the barman, remembers everything and wouldn’t take a decent tip, saying, “It’s my job.” The food was really good, with lots of choice and great value for money. It’s an individual, charming experience rather than a production line, so don’t be in a hurry.

We were visiting from Canada and had been here on a previous trip, so this was really disappointing. We were turned away at noon on a Monday because we hadn’t booked, even though there were only eight people inside. We were told quite abruptly that the kitchen couldn’t handle it, and the woman didn’t seem to care at all.

The steak pie was superb, and the duck was great too. We had an excellent dinner in the bar, which was cosy with a roaring fire. Kenny the barmen was funny and kind, and really made our visit. The staff were all friendly, as was the owner. We’re the four girls from Glasgow, and we’d highly recommend it.