On arrival, at dinner, at breakfast and when leaving for a day trip we made sure that staff understood that we would not return until well after midnight and very likely around 1:00 AM that night. We were assured that the back door would remain unlocked for us to enter and if, by some chance it was not, that two members of staff resided on site and would reply when we knocked. When we arrived at 1:15 AM we found the house totally locked. Our repeated knocking and even honking the car horn roused the neighbor, but not the owner. When we finally roused him by finding the light of his television in a second floor apartment he assured us the door was open. It was not.

The room was not properly cleaned. We found three used soap cakes in the shower. On the floor near the bed we found a used set of disposable ear plugs. This toilet is so close to the wall that one could not stand in front of it to sit down but rather had to pivot in to position with knees well spread. This is unacceptable even for an older property.

Staff, including the owner, could not find the password for the promised wireless internet.

The restaurant wait staff were less than friendly. The owner was barely polite and obviously not seriously engaged in managing his property or serving his guests.

We left without breakfast the second morning and requested a reduction for the missed breakfast and the failed internet. The offer of a 20% reduction failed to even cover the menu price of the breakfasts.

I was due to attend an event at Carlops Village Hall, and (having never been to that area before) took note of this detail from the village web site – “The Allan Ramsay Hotel in Carlops will be glad to arrange for a meal before the show or a supper afterwards. Contact Carl at [--]”. I called the hotel to book a table for dinner, and was dealt with by an unusually helpful member of staff who cheerfully answered all my questions and took the time to discuss the menu with me.
From the second I arrived, I had a good feeling about the place. The venue is very attractive and welcoming; the staff are charming and engaging. The sheer atmosphere of the place (coupled with the ubiquitous presence of the owner’s three beautifully behaved Jack Russells!) leaves you in no doubt that you’re in a proper country hotel.
The dinner menu had broad appeal – not overly busy, and unfussily described.
The food was exceptional. The starters were delicious - perfectly portioned and beautifully presented too. We both had steak (rare) as our main, and loved it – having recently eaten in a very high profile (i.e. expensive) “grill” in Glasgow city centre, I’m happy to report that The Allan Ramsay was a far superior experience (for a good deal less money).
The desserts came highly recommended by the waiting staff (particularly the lime cheesecake), but by that point we were both agreeably full!
As for the accommodation... I’m almost reluctant to mention it since I now plan to spend at least a weekend at The Allan Ramsay during the upcoming Edinburgh Festival, and so don’t want to jeopardise availability! All I’ll say is that it’s far better than anticipated, and the self-catering apartments next door are outstanding value.
The Allan Ramsay hotel is somewhere I wish I’d found sooner, and somewhere I can’t wait to revisit!

We chose the Allan Ramsay as our base for exploring the Scottish lowlands in the summer of 09 and found it faultless, the staff were very helpful and pleasant. The food was excellent as well as the variety of beverages. Highly recommend and will be visiting again soon.

An unexpected delight to find this charming ,genuine "oldie wordly" pub by accident on a weekend drive.
Inside we were delivered back in time where the decor would delight anyone looking for that old genuine Scottish charm and the friendliness and service of the staff was second to none.
We had a wonderful meal which was of fantastic quality and an exceptionally modest price.
After dinner we sauntered through to the cosy, homely bar where again the service of the staff was wonderful.
We will definately be returning to this beautiful Scottish Gem.