My wife and I are just back from a Friday/Saturday/Sunday 3 night all-inclusive self drive break at this hotel. Hotel nicely decorated on ground floors after recent upgrades and a big sweeping staircase going up next to reception. We paid extra for a room with a view and it was a good view of the lake (room 127). The main room was adequate but some the bathroom fittings were a bit loose, the grouting wasn't up to much. Water had leaked onto a room wall at some stage and the wallpaper had been coming away again and painted in a slightly different shade-very odd. The other annoying thing with this room was that we had paid extra for the view but was immediately above the bar/lounge and had to endure loud music until about midnight after the acts had finished around 22:30. The creaking floorboards throughout the hotel added to the hotel charm.

The breakfasts were excellent as were the 3 course evening meals with free glass of wine and coffee to finish. There was about 6 choices of main meals with largish portions.

The all-inclusive lasts from 19:30 to 22:30 and is limited to branded drinks and an allowance of £15 per person per night. Go over your £30 limit for a couple and it wll be charged to your room. A pint of Worthington Creamflow (the only beer) was £3.30 and half a pint of Carling was £1.70 so you generally get about 6 rounds in at those prices.

Nothing to do in the village as it is only small, beautiful lake views from the pier nearby. There is a tearoom just round the corner from the hotel, handy for dinner-time with basic snacks and drinks, although the hotel does meals as well.

The hotel is at a major road junction and plenty of long distance Citilink buses pass by. On the Sunday we took the bus to Inveraray, a distance of about 25 miles and a fantastically scenic trip. The return bus journey was just over £7 each. The previous day we had a walk to Arrochar, about 2 miles away with other great views of another loch.

We came by train, the railway station Arrochar and Tarbet is about half a mile walk from the hotel and it takes just over an hour from Glasgow Queen Street.

Overall we had a good time. The entertainment was OK, Scottish folk singer Friday with a bit of comedy, singer comedian on Saturday and another Scottish folk singer Sunday, more or less singing the same songs as the one on Friday. A lot of people had gone home and the Sunday crowd was a bit sparse compared to the previous 2 nights.

First of all, I honestly do not know how Shearings put on such great holidays for the money they charge. We paid £99 each for four nights, dinner bed and breakfast, two included trips, free nightly bar between 7.30pm and 10.30pm, and of course the travel to and from the destination. This was the fifth shearings hotel that we have been to in Scotland, and as usual we had a great time. Unlike the other four hotels, this one is not actually in the village. It is about two miles away from Arrochar. This did not bother us, as we were busy from start to finish. The first morning after our arrival, we went on an included trip to Invarary which is a lovely little town. That afternoon we paid extra for a trip to Callander which has a nice long street full of interesting shops. Wednsday, we paid extra for a trip entitled "Hidden Villages plus Helensburgh" which took us right beside Loch Long and Gaerloch (saw the Faslane submarine base there). We finished up in Helensburgh, a town I have often wanted to revisit, as we spent our honeymoon there hundreds of years ago!!! Thursday was another lovely day, the included trip was to Glasgow. We also paid for another extra trip which meant that we stayed on the coach for another couple of hours when we reached Glasgow for a very informative and interesting tour of the city. We then had a couple of hours of free time there before we came back. It rained and rained and rained that day, but it didn't matter very much as there are more shops there than you can shake a stiick at to be visited!!! The three extra trips that we paid for only cost us £25 each, which is a bargain. (thinking of last year when I paid £85 for one very average day trip in the Dolomites!!!) The weather during our five days was mixed (sometimes rain, sometimes snow, haha) - but there was so much going on, we hardly noticed. Our coach driver, Jimmy, was great - we had lots of laughs - plus he knew everything about the area. Now, the hotel itself - well it is really in need of a refurbishment, I think they have done one or two of the public rooms, but the part where our room was (rooms 201 to 235) could do with some attention. Maybe that is their next project. (I think we were spoilt by the Braemar hotel where we went in December, as that one was really lovely.) The food was very good, I do not know how anyone can say otherwise. What we did notice this time though, was that the service was a bit slower. I think that may be because they seem to have cut the meal times down - only one hour for dinner, half six to half seven, and maybe they have reduced the number of waiters. Same at breakfast. Having said that though, not much to grumble about. It was Robbie Burns night whilst we were there, so we tried the haggis for dinner (it would be rude not to wouldn't it?) - and we really enjoyed it. They had the usual sort of entertainment each night, but if you didn't like that, there were plenty of other places where you could sit. What about the free bar? Brilliant. No queues either. All in all, a lovely break, and I am now looking forward to our next one, sooner rather than later. Shearings, I thank you.

Brilliant value for money.
Staff very helpful and attentive. Reception staff loaned us an o.s. map and advised on walks in the area.
Food very good and plentiful
Evening entertainment good
Only criticism would be the condition of the standard bedrooms, they are very jaded and require redecoration
Would recommend it to friends

My Husband and I have travelled with Shearings quite a few times over the years to different locations in Scotland but the Tarbet is always a favourite with both of us the service and the stunning views over Loch Lomond are amazing you feel like you are in a different country. The Hotel itself when viewing from the Loch which is only a few yards away looks like a old castle with turrents but inside its warm and cosy and the staff offer a ecellent service during your stay. The food is varied and plentiful and the evening entertainment is fantastic we usually finish our stay with booking to go back the next year. We have never had a bad expericence with a Shearings Holiday good for value and excellent service for everything