Royal Gardens Apartments

The Victoria apartment had a big bedroom with an en-suite, plus a spacious lounge, kitchen and bathroom off a large hallway. High ceilings, full-length sash windows and parquet flooring made it feel like a real home rather than a clinical hotel. The windows looked out over the Royal Park and castle, and the location is about a 10-15 minute walk to the old town or the castle. Brea Restaurant is worth trying for dinner. We found the kitchen and separate laundry appliances useful, and Katie was excellent at keeping us informed. Some previous guests seem to have been careless, as the paintwork was a bit worn. Still, for the price it was a good stay, and we’d come back when we’re in Stirling again.

We had a family reunion here and the apartment gave our group plenty of room to get together. It’s centrally placed for the castle and town, and the museum next door is very good and well worth seeing. The place is looking tired and needs some TLC. The shower was risky because its controls were missing, so you could get scalded, and the Jacuzzi bath was out of order. For the money, those things need attention. Owners, please take these comments on board.

The big, clean rooms were a plus, and the master bedroom is huge with an en suite. The location works well for town or exploring the countryside. For the castle, there’s a steep back route on foot that’s quite a workout, or you can walk about five minutes into the centre and take the main street. Parking in Stirling can be tricky, but we found a spot round the corner and paid £3.20 for a 24-hour ticket. The futon beds in the living area were uncomfortable, though, and brought this close to a four-star stay.

I booked this place for a five-day family trip to Scotland with 17 people, and it turned into a nightmare. The listing showed three washrooms, but only two worked, and one of those had a broken door. The property was extremely old, and the place for dressing was poor. The service was bad, too. They expect you to clean everything but don’t provide the equipment, and I don’t think you’ll ever get your security amount back.