My wife and I went for a 'one night romantic' DB&B package which overall was very good value for money. Our room was excellent in size. The main reason for our visit was for the dining. Solid, but could have been so much better with a few adjustments. Arrived in the comfortable drawing room for a pre-dinner drink. 'A Kir please'. "What's a Kir?" (is the polite response). mmm! Next, (to a different member of staff), 'a bottle of Viognier please', and for the red, can you advise me if the Cotes du Rhone 2001 is good one?' "Nobody really knows, except the owner, but eh it is fairly popular". Don't get me wrong, the staff were very nice and attentive, but training is crucial if you want to compete against the 'Airds' and 'Isle of Eriska's' of the world. That said, the wine list was very good value indeed. Then the food. Both starters (A type of Salmon terrine and a Scallop dish) were sublime, as was the two types of beef in a port reduction main course (unfortunately not warm enough, but not cold enough to return). The dessert was only reasonable, however, the biscuits and cheese regained the lost ground again. A fabulous breakfast (the best bacon and sausage I've had in a long time) rounded off a good all-round dining experience. Small negative in the morning being staff related again, as the (very polite) individual didn't know the 'fish dish' on the menu, and had to toddle off to the kitchen to find out. Jesus, it's not rocket-science, surely this type of pre-service preparation should be part and parcel of the staffs' remit. As I haven't stayed at Castleton before, I wasn't sure if this was a hotel which is on the way up, or was on the way down (for some reason I think the latter but may be wrong). However, don't get me wrong it was still a very enjoyable stay, but a slightly frustrating one, as I believe that with some additional attention to detail it could be so much better and realise it's underlying potential.
