Lovely castle would have liked to know more about it. Had a small distillery in the garden Food good. Excellent, probably legendary whisky bar Relaxed atmosphere, popular. Good location in Dornoch

Staff were pleasant and helpful but clearly a bit stretched. It was very busy. I would have liked it to be easier to get out with the dog as all doors to the garden locked so impossible to get back in without phoning the night porter. Despite conversations about the dog and having to eat in the bar etc. staff clearly surprised not sure if that was an issue with handover or something to do with booking.com

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

The whiskey bar was awesome! Staff were lovely and very attentive. Thompson Bros distillery is great too. Breakfast was very nice! The room was big and the bed comfortable. The garden was well tended and a great place to relax and enjoy a beer or whiskey. Evening meal was divine, accompanied with a few whiskeys ;-)

Electric car charger at the hotel didn't work, wasted 1/2 hour of my holiday trying to get it to work, ended up at a public 7.5 kw charger a few hundred yards away (pay carpark), but that was successful. For those traving in an electric car charging simply is a BIG deal and can significantly affect your stress levels when things don't work as expected (sorry for the rant). Carpark is to tight for larger cars.

Positioned in the lovely small town of Dornoch on the main high street. Parking was just outside or in a small car park attached, this was a little difficult to see when you first pulled up. Room was lovely and large, with dual aspect windows, great view over the garden, it had a lovely sitting area as well, very well appointed. The hotel itself is more of a pub with rooms, as opposed to a traditional hotel, reception is just tucked away at the entrance to the bar. Bar is absolutely fabulous, great range of whisky's and gins, good atmosphere. There is a large beer garden, which was lovely to sit at, there was a small restaurant, choice was limited, as some of what was on the menu was not available, which was a shame, it did however taste good. There is a fabulous beach just a little over 10 minute walk from the hotel, which was really lovely and the famous Cocoa Mountain, serving fabulous hot chocolate is a stones throw away.

It did take us ages to get our bill though and pay after our evening meal , which I do find extremely frustrating, especially as by the time we had finished it was not that busy. As part of reducing plastic waste, the hotel do not provide the small milk pots in your room for your tea or coffee, you have to go down to the bar and ask for fresh milk. whilst I appreciate the sentiment, if you like a coffee or tea as you wake up in the morning, you do not want to be traipsing downstairs to pick up milk, if they want you to support their objective, then maybe a small fridge in each room, whereby you can college a small jug of milk would be more useful.

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.

Dornoch Castle is such a cool place to stay - it's oozing with character, and whiskey! It's also centrally located in a little town that has a lot going for it, with interesting independent shops, nice eateries and a beautiful beach. The staff were so friendly throughout our stay, the first person we met shaking our hands and leading us all the way to our room.

Everything was very good. In an ideal world, our room could have been a little bigger and the bathroom could have been finished to a higher standard, but these things didn't affect our excellent stay.

We stayed in one of the rooms in the extension at the back on the ground floor as we had our dog with us. It was very dog friendly, the staff were very welcoming and the pizzas in the bar are excellent. Bed was comfy and the room was quiet. Great selection of whisky in the bar, including some of their own local whiskies by Thompson Brothers who (I think) own the hotel.

The only downside was that sometimes they did not want you to walk through the building with your dog and you had to go outside from the the bar to your room. And the off road car park is small.

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.

Our room overlooked the gardens and was bright and airy. The shower was lovely and hot. Staff were very friendly Bed was comfortable and helped with a good nights sleep. Showed to our room by the receptionist which was a nice touch. On site restaurant. Local area is very nice and definitely worth a visit.

I think the only disappointment was the menu for the evening and breakfast. There was also very little gluten free options, and while the food was fine, I would expect more at a hotel of this calibre.