We were greeted by the very friendly, but efficient Nicki, and taken to the bar; Having chosen our courses we sat and chatted in what used to be the Bishop's chapel until taken through to the beautiful dining room. Service with a smile, not claustrophobic, made the meal a very enjoyable experience. But most of all, the food quality is second to none for this price range. This place is a hidden gem and without doubt better than all but the most expensive in the area. James and Nicki deserve praise in adding these gastronomic feats to the normal Holiday Friendship enterprise. They also put on functions and we are looking forward to ours in December.

Extremely friendly and efficient staff plus good facilities made for a great stay. Contrary to other reviews, TV and WiFi is now available in all rooms. I stayed in a very well appointed room in the new wing - perhaps worthwhile checking to see if your room will be in the original house which has far better views or not.

Cleanliness was fine, the swimming pool area excellent and the grounds, which stretch down to the Loch, were well maintained. Full breakfast was fine but as previous reviewers say, if you make a small selection, you will only be given 1 egg, 1 rasher of bacon etc.

The hotel is predominantly used as a base by HF walking holidays but in my experience the guests are far from beards and sandals and were very friendly and interesting people. Most of all they are usually well travelled folk so if you are stuck for conversation in the bar or dining room get the conversation round to places in the world that you have been too. !

We love this Hotel, it's our home away from home. It's warm, comfortable, clean and the staff are so friendly. When we arrived there was no-one around but there was a welcome letter and the key to our room. Really country hospitality and trust is hard to find these days. Our room was perfect and we enjoyed the social atmosphere of the bar with log fire and dining room with stunning views. The pool and spa are top class and the grounds are amazing. It's beautifully located - quiet but just down the road from some of the best walks and Fort William. And if that wasn't enough there's a wash down area outside for muddy boots and a purpose built drying room which is essential for multiple days in the hills.

Fabulous (if rustic) experience for very, very keen and able walkers and those who love to chat to complete strangers from dawn till dusk. Not so perfect for people who like to "plod about" and are socially awkward. That's the summary, read on for the more objective review.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - OUTSIDE
We were impressed by the ample parking at this place and the first impressions of the outside of the building were very good.The location was as expected, lake-side and absolutely beautiful. Excited, we made our way inside.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - INSIDE
From the main entrance you immediately enter a room which, although dark, had some beautful features and was exactly what I was expecting for an old house ion the highlands. What I was NOT expecting was no reception desk or warm welcome from anybody. No staff. No residents. Anywhere! By this point I was worried we'd actually just walked into somebody's house! It was my husband who spotted a table in the corner with some keys on it. There was just a sheet of A4 paper with the guest's name on it and your room key with the paper. I think you can tell a lot about a hotel by the greeting you get when you walk through the door! Not a good start really.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - ROOM
We walked down the dark (but traditional and pretty) corridor and up the most beautiful carved staircase, passing a gorgeous stained glass window...if the room is half as nice as this then we're onto a winner I was thinking. Unfortunately we couldn't have been more wrong. We were in the attic in the tiniest bedroom EVER. The room can generally be described as:
1. very tired and shabby furnishings
2. pink! lots and lots of pink
3. Like going back in time to the 80's, but not in a good way
4. single beds (eek! who was going to keep my feet warm?)
5. tumbleweeds of dust blowing about in the corners of the room - in fact cleanliness was absolutely terrible
6. Pubic hair found in your bed (before you get into it) is never a good start
7. Tiniest window ever + dark wood furniture is never a good combo -made the room dark, dingy and quite frankly, depressing!
8. Bathroom was so narow it was only the width of a shower. I was heavily pregnant and couldn't even get a shower because the the bathroom was so small that sink was placed almost IN the shower cubicle. I couldn't fit my baby bump through the gap!
9. Bathroom decor was also 1980's style but looked surprisingly new

Cleaniness generally was very poor with lots of evidence of previous guests (make of that what you will) and lots of dust. If you're asthmatic like me you might want to take an extra inhaler because the dust really set mine off something bad.

THE DINING EXPERIENCE
The dining experience is definitely not for shy or socially awkward people or for couples wanting a romantic dinner. There is only 1 sitting for dinner, it's on tables for 10 people and you have to sit with everyone else. As if that wasn't bad enough, the people you're sat with are most likely avid walkers, too interested in your private details (or maybe I'm just a private person?) and are in all honesty, completely boring. I hated every single mnute of the dining experience. It actually drove me to tears on 2 occasions. This was a complete shame really because the food was absolutely fantastic - even if there wasn't much of it! Portion sizes are incredibly tiny at this place so take a pack of Mars bars with you :)

STAFF
Apaprt from one woman who was working in the dining room (a bit frosty and thoughtless - thought I could squeeze an 24 week pregnancy bump into the 6 inch gap between the wall and table!) all the other staff were great.....when you saw them. The lady working in the bar was lovely, sociable but not too intrusive.

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
If you're shy you might want to consider staying in your room or going out after dinner because you WILL be forced to join in the group entertainment with people you have nothing in common with and who are a complete bore. I'm not saying that to be nasty, I just find a hotel full of walkers a complete bore. I think the owners need to focus 100% on walkers only or get bit more of a mix of guests. They also need to understand that not everyone is outgoing and that guests need space!

SUMMARY
Key points: hiddeous room if you're not lucky enough to get one of the new rooms that they show off on the internet, cleanliness poor, awful dining experience, nice food but small portions, staff friendly even if the welcome was lacking, fab location.