The Marine Hotel

We had a lovely night in picturesque Stonehaven. There’s free parking on the quay, and the downstairs bar has a good range of beers and other drinks. Our top-floor room looked over the harbour and was decorated in a contemporary style, though getting up there meant climbing two flights of stairs. It was well appointed. At first we thought it was too warm, then realised the en suite floor was heated. Breakfast offered a good mix of fruit, cereals, pastries, breads, meat and cheese.

Once we finally got a table, we were seated against the harbour-facing wall, by a window and radiator. The blind was left up, the radiator stopped working soon after, and the place was freezing. We asked for the heating to be turned up and for the stairwell door to be shut because of a strong draught, but neither request was acted on. Several diners wound up eating in their coats. There was no apology, and the staff seemed put out by our asking. I’m all for supporting local businesses, but the evening was a pretty negative experience at The Marine. Even though we’d called to book just two hours earlier, our reservation hadn’t been entered. The staff member who took the details had been pleasant, but apparently hadn’t updated the booking system. Luckily it wasn’t too busy, so we did get a table.

A great harbour view and a place that’s busy with locals. The staff are superb, and the pub, bar, restaurant and hotel are all excellent. Definitely somewhere to stay.

I liked the fish and chips here, though I thought the Ship Inn did them better. The chips were crisp wedges with soft centres, and the fish fillets weren’t watery inside, so the batter stayed crisp.