Atholl Palace Hotel

Unfortunately disappointing experience

The rooms were outdated and had a musty, mouldy smell. Ours was located directly above the bar, where loud music played until 11 PM it might have actually been quieter if we had just sat downstairs. The bathroom was old and not particularly clean.

The restaurant had plenty of staff, but service was disorganized. Dinner was underwhelming, though breakfast was much better, with a good variety of fresh options.

On a positive note, the location is beautiful, with well-maintained gardens and surrounding forest truly a highlight of the stay.

Unfortunately, the overall experience was disappointing. In hindsight, we should have chosen a different place.

Very good, let down by dinner

Always a pleasure staying here but the standard of dinner is falling. Hard bread rolls already on the table are always a red flag. The chicken parfait was dry, very small and served with a poor limp salad. Surely we can move beyond packet oatcakes in this day and age too? I regret giving my wife a bit of fish from my Cullen Skink too as it was one of only two pieces of fish in what was a tiny bowl in the first place. The pork main fared better and was a good dish. My Venison tasted like a lot of granules/base went into the craggy sauce and had that bitter edge you get with sitting too long on a stove or oven. Both dishes came with identical under seasoned veg. Again, where is the creativity. I'd expect far better from a restaurant that proclaims a high calibre of cooking. Cooked breakfast was OK but there were very limited options for anything else. Pre packed yoghurt, toast and cereal. Nothing close to a 4* Continental option. The whole food offer screamed of a kitchen struggling to make a margin and cutting corners instead of enticing customers. I usually enjoy a coffee before check out but 5.50 for an Americano. Really? A real shame as the rest of the stay was excellent as always.

Disappointing

This is a 4 star hotel that is more a 2 star hotel. No hot water in the shower in our room on both days of our stay and staff were unable to do anything about it. The facilities in the Spa were either broken or out of bounds due to wet paint.
Complaint to the Hotel Manager was met with a response of "we have had a look into your problem and couldn't identify the issue but come back again and have another stay".
No way.