This establishment although proclaiming to be a hotel is in fact a number of rooms above a restaurant. The room we had was a family room ( we have two girls) and we were really happy with it. The kids bunk beds had soft toys on them and they have obviously made an effort to make it welcoming. The woman who took the booking (please call back after 11:00) is not the owner and met us on arrival and showed us our room, all good so far. English is her second language, no issue there, except when you want local knowledge about Pitlochry and how to get to the Enchanted forest. After a few minutes I decided to use the internet as this lady had not been and was not sure where it was?! We had originally booked a table for dinner before going out but decided to eat when we got back as we were running out of time so I went down to the restaurant to cancel our 5:30 booking and tell them we would eat when we got back......Ok she says no problem........We got back at 8:00pm only to be told that the kitchen is closed!!! Wouldn't you mention that to your guests before they head out??? With two hungry kids........Great!!! I now have to go to the chinese takeaway and bring the food and plastic cutlery back to our room and eat on the floor. A Good nights sleep followed.....Then the following morning Breakfast doesn't begin until 09:00am. Our two kids are starving by 8:00am so I head out again to the local shops to buy cereal and milk for the kids. I meet another girl in the restaurant cleaning and ask if she can give me some milk as we have travel with weetabix and can give our youngest daughter something sooner. After searching around she comes back to explain in Eastern European, sorry we don't have! In a restaurant!!! C'mon!!
As this is not a hotel there is no reception and nowhere to go other than your room, fine if you are out all day but what about if it's raining and you decide to head back and relax. What a lot of scottish hoteliers don't realize is that part of the attraction in coming to Scotland is to meet scottish people. Not Eastern Europeans. No matter how hard they work!
- Strathgarry Hotel Pitlochry
