When I opened my cousin's wedding invitation offering to stay in this hotel over the weekend of the wedding we pondered about the cost but decided to treat ourselves so went ahead and booked a room from the Friday to the Sunday. They prided themselves as an Exclusive Use hotel even mentioning over dinner on Friday but I cant say it was entirely Exclusive Use. For one the room below us had a dog and further investigation and detective work we discover the room was used by a member of staff. As rooms are very limited already and people being turned away as there is no room in the inn I still dont know why not sell the room? Also the dog barked late on the Friday night as the owner was working and I had to finally called reception to deal with. Secondly on the Friday there was another wedding rehearsal and we were told we had to leave by 11:00 sharp as another wedding party was arriving then. I just feel it was a wedding conveyor belt. Churning them out and counting the money. Not very special at all.

I cant fault the service as all the staff were very helpful and it was one of the saving grace of this place. The meals too were of a high standard.

The rooms are a bit of a pot luck and we were out of it. Everyone paid the same but had far superior rooms with one even having a sitting room and as he described it like a mini flat. Ours was a bog standard travelodge like room. I dont mind travelodge as I use them often enough but with the price I pay for here it was definite not worth it. We found a dead insect in the bath when we arrived and so called reception to ask if they mind cleaning the bath. A teenage boy was sent and I dont think he knew what to do as he just scraped it up with a tissue in a bemused fashion. Wi fi was not working from our room though we were lucky to have power as one of the other floor, there was a power cut from late Saturday and wasnt fixed by the time we left on Sunday. They only had 5 channels on the tv of which none were perfect unless you like the fallen snow on the screen.

Location was stunning. 5 minutes from Edinburgh bypass so easy enough to get to and there is a 24hour supermarket 5 minutes from there as well as a Dobbies. As it is a castle building in a lovely setting, it is an ideal wedding location. There is nothing in the actual hotel, no gym or spa.The bar is suffice in size but not for the actual wedding of 150 people when we waited between the service and reception.

I did write in the feedback in the website asking for a further discount due to the dog and room but unsurprise I havent heard back. And I couldnt recommend this hotel even if I wanted to as they only sell the hotel rooms as a whole. You cant just pay for one room.

Best - the staff and food
Least - room was not worth the price I paid

A fantastic venue for a special occassion of all types. A very efficicient service from Arlene prior to arrival and then by Phyllis as well as other members of the staff, all friendly and helpful. The food was excellent both in presentation and taste. The bedroom with four poster bed was special as was the venue in general. A great time and thank you to all those concerned.

I got married at Melville Castle in May 2009 and it was perfect! The venue was stunning. The food was out of this world. The staff were really helpful and very friendly. We all stayed there the night before the wedding and the wedding night as well. Staff ordered us taxis as we wanted to to go to Dalkeith for dinner the nigth before the wedding. They even made the reservation. The rooms we all stayed in were lovely. I really couldnt find fault in the place and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a wedding venue. We also had sole use of the place which made extra special.

Booked the new year Package at Melville Castle to experience a Scottish New Year. Beautiful grounds and an impressive Castle with an excellent location 10 mins from Edinburgh. We wanted to stay in a Suite but they were booked so we had a superior room. This was fine although nothing special apart from a nice view over the Gardens. Bit concerned when we arrived as it was us and 2 other couples for dinner and the castle felt strangely empty. But it soon filled up as we approached new Year.
Wonderful staff, Great food and magical location made up for some of the hotels quirky bits (Shower stopping and starting, odd smell in Lift, hunt for breakfast as it was a different location each day!). New years eve was spectacular with great meal, good company, a piper and Wild scottish dancing, made more fun by the appearance of the owner and his family who joined in enthusiastically. Special mentoin for Liz the receptionsist who was brilliant and really made our stay special. All in all a great experience which we will remember and the quirky bits just made it more fun