The Tarbet Hotel

The setting is beautiful and deserves five stars, but the room cleanliness was awful. The shower tray overflowed because the drain was blocked with loads of hair and soap scum, and the floor was filthy. I spent five minutes cleaning it with water and toilet paper, then we walked on towels for the rest of the night. Breakfast was a spread of rotten fresh produce, hard pastries, overcooked sausages and beans left uncovered. Customer service gets two stars. I spoke with manager Claire Mulgrew, who offered a 50% refund, but that never came through. Instead, they offered us a complimentary stay. It could be an amazing venue if it were managed properly, but this was a poor show.

The staff were really friendly and made an effort with everyone, and our room was warm with a comfortable bed. There was plenty of parking too. We stayed two nights, which was quite enough for me. Dinner was better quality than breakfast, and I don't understand why they use fresher, better ingredients in the evening. Neither meal was exciting. The hotel is still a little better than an average place like Premier Inn, but I've also stayed at the nearby Arrochar Hotel and would choose that one next time.

The hotel looks stunning beside Loch Lomond, and the views are breathtaking. The Loch Lomond cruise jetty is less than a two minute walk away. If you're passing, it's worth stopping for a drink or food and enjoying the scenery, then moving on. Staying there was another matter. The lift is labelled safe for six by the manufacturer, while a handwritten note says only two. It has carpet from floor to ceiling that looks and smells like it dates from the 1960s. We were first given room 124. It was dirty, painted all over in a baby nappy colour, and the windows were screwed shut. Staff apparently hadn't known they wouldn't open when we asked to move after one night. The room was basic, with almost no bathroom storage, and the shower plug was full of hair. We changed to room 228 mainly because its windows opened for fresh air, but it was just as dated and unclean. There were marks on the walls, loose covers on the plug sockets, and a bad smell throughout. Breakfast was a joke. Everything on the buffet had either congealed into a warm lump or dried out so much it couldn't be eaten. The staff were pleasant, but seemed to have no direction or investment in making the hotel welcoming. Tables in the breakfast room and bar were left uncleared for hours, especially outside where they were out of sight. The place looks great but smells bad, and left me feeling like everything I'd brought inside needed a wash. For the views, park nearby and sleep in your car. It would be more comfortable.

At £144 for a superior double with breakfast through booking.com on the discounted genius rate, we thought it was a good deal for a decent night's sleep and an okay breakfast. At the full price of £170 or more, though, it would be overpriced. I saw rooms listed on their website for over £230, and they're definitely not worth that. We didn't eat in the restaurant or use the bar, though the public areas looked busy and had a nice atmosphere. The location is good and the staff seemed nice, so with a bit of sprucing up this could be a lovely place to stay. We were comfortable enough, but there were lots of little maintenance issues: buckets catching water in the hallways, clear signs of old water damage on the ceilings, a shower with hardly any heat or pressure, and shower gel just left on the floor. One mug was chipped, there were dead wasps on the window seat, and the wardrobe smelled as if a heavy smoker had spent an hour in it. There was no chair at the desk and the linen felt thin. Each thing on its own was small, but together they took away from the stay.