Well I've been visiting Dornoch my whole life and this is the first time I have stayed in a hotel here rather than with relatives, and what a great choice of hotel it was to stay in! The room, bar and staff were all brilliant. We loved sitting by the fire in the bar in the evenings. Stayed in a castle room which was full of character and a pleasant view over the beer garden. Big fan of the room having proper coffee rather than sachets of nescafe or such as well. I will certainly be staying here again. I'd like to add that the negative reviews seem to be from salty individuals who have failed to adhere to the hotels policies when booking/turning up with dogs, as a couple did while we was here... the rooms here are well presented, clean and comfortable as are all areas about the hotel.

If I were to be really picky I'd say it'd be nicer to have a bit more of a hot breakfast rather than the mainly continental. I'm in Scotland- let's have some haggis and black pudding on the plate, rather than cheese and ham

We were in a "dog friendly" room in the annex of the hotel which was good in terms of access through the garden and was on the ground floor, the old historic part of the hotel [which used to be a palace] was interesting and the "whisky bar" crowded but inviting. The restaurant was busy, but well run - serving mainly simple dishes such as pizza [which was very good] The hotel is in the historic centre of Dornoch which is a lovely location.

The "dog friendly" room was a bit cramped for 2 people and a large dog. Parking space in the hotel car park was limited, and access through a narrow entry gate [of historic significance] difficult for large cars.

Beautiful location Large comfortable room with complimentary toiletries- fresh dressing down and towels. Bed was lovely and mattress was hard (which is each to their own- bit hard for me ). The bath was lovely and deep and the bathroom clean. Room was clean and well stocked with tea and coffee facilities- milk could be requested as not kept in the room. As well as whisky for a little treat. The staff were super kind and friendly - couldn’t do enough to help - even offering me toast the next morning to take as I was leaving before breakfast time. The staff do make a difference. A couple of down sides There is no lift at the location - as someone with mobility issues- it was a struggle but managed. There was quite a lot of noise especially the fire doors slammed rather than closed softly- as well as from downstairs but didn’t affect me too much. The non slip mat in the bath needs to be replaced

The location is fantastic, in the centre of Dornoch. Room with a view, and a very comfy bed! The bathroom had a spa bath but we didn’t use it even though it was a lovely addition. The whisky dram in the room was a nice touch. Breakfast was delicious and really well presented by the breakfast team. However, I felt that the call at 10.33 to tell us we were late for check out was a bit OTT. Dinner at the hotel was nice - sirloin steak & chips. Nice wine and could do better at promoting the award winning gin (Thompsons) as this just fell into the conversation later in the night. This is a huge selling point. All in all, great value and a great nights sleep.

The call at 10.33am to remind us that we were 3 minutes late for checkout.

Great to stay in a castle , very typical Scottish property Good buffet breakfast choice, loved smoked salmon and mackerel and selection of cheese, great coffee too We had a two bedroom suite with a bathroom which was super comfy (Golspie room) for 4 of us (all adults) , one bedroom had two single beds and the other bedroom had a four poster bed, with bathroom in the middle between the two bedrooms Nice touch to get a whisky tasting in the room ! very friendly staff and great whisky bar Great location for visiting Glenmorangie distillery and Dunrobin Castle

Bathroom was a little dated , could do with new silicon around the shower ; shower was leaking so a little water mess on the floor

Pleasant little place, not exactly like the picture..but hey ho..it was still a castle. It was fairly dog friendly. Must try the Dornoch gin..it was lovely. Fresh made pizza was yummy.

Although it was do friendly I had to walk through the restaurant area into the bar to eat breakfast, nowhere to tie my dogs to so that I could go and get my CONTINENTAL breakfast and take it back to the bar, but a member of staff held my dogs so I could go and get..then I had to walk through the crowded restaurant to my room...if I could have sat i the restaurant area (without bothering staff)I could have benefited from a fair breakfast. Cobwebs in places in the bar area..not good. But not a lot. No real reception area, just a table in the bar area.

Stunning Hotel in a Stunning location. Staff were very courteous and friendly. Hotel is one of the best I've stayed in. We were on the 3rd floor. Room had fantastic views looking over the gardens and on to the North sea. Nice big log fire to sit next to in bar area. Dinner was lovely. We had Pigeon for the starter and Pizza for our main. We were welcomed with a complimentary whisky in our room. Bedroom was cosy.

Pigeon starter portion for £10 could have been better. No hot water in bathroom. Shower temperature was a bit cold. Had it up full.

This was the most expensive room I've ever booked, but no regrets. I specifically chose the Deluxe Room, which has a romantic medieval feel to it, to end our vacation in style. The personnel was super friendly and helpful, from check-in to check-out. The bath had a jet stream function, which was a nice surprise. Also nice surprise was the complimentary glass of whisky that came with the room. The bed was very comfortable, and the room felt warm and cozy, we felt like lords in our castle. There were power outlets near the bed, which I always see as a plus, to charge your phone while being lazy on the bed.

If I have to say anything I think the choices on the hotel restaurant's menu were rather limited.

Loved the location, the building was amazing and historic, the beer garden was a major bonus for the sunny afternoons. Breakfast was good - homemade granola was very tasty.

Restaurant menu was uninspiring unless you wanted pizza, bar seating area was small and overwhelming whisky fumes so landed up playing cards in room with bottle of smuggled in bottle of wine. The other areas available for sitting were away from the bar and a bit soleless / empty. And they did not have Cromarty's Happy Chappy on tap (favourite local tipple) All very minor points and overall did not spoil the stay.

Who doesn’t wish to spend the night in a 16th century castle? Great ambience and a complementary whisky tasting awaited us in our room. Charming bar. Beautiful beer garden. Staff super friendly.

Dining menu could use a re-boot. Was hoping for a more extensive menu with slightly more fine-dining appeal. Website advertises some kind of intimate dining experience known as ‘the vault’, but only for groups of 4 or more. The server was only vaguely aware of the experience. I would think if you are paying to stay in an authentic castle like this, the menu would be more upscale than ‘pizza joint’, which describes the lion’s share of meal choice.