The Balmoral

What a fantastic stay following our 8 day hike on the West Highland Way! The rooms are absolutely gorgeous, the Spa was PHENOMENAL (a huge thank you to Lola!), and the food was absolutely perfect. Breakfast each morning provided a huge variety of fresh fruit, pastries, and cereals as well as the ability to order certain selections from the menu. Dinner was lovely and the service staff was amazing. Great cocktails from the bar and we HIGHLY recommend the oysters! The location is so close to anything you could possibly want to shop for or see, we absolutely loved our short but incredibly restful stay here.

Overall great stay, in particular the staff all amazing. Room very nice but slightly tired and definitely need better black out blinds. Breakfast excellent but food in Balmoral Prince Bar (lunch) was average. Can definitely get a higher five star experience for price, however, understand are paying for location and amazing building/history.

We stayed at The Balmoral for four nights, and unfortunately our stay ended on a particularly disappointing note. On the day of our departure, we specifically asked the hotel several hours in advance to arrange a taxi for us, precisely because we needed to leave on time for the airport. Despite planning ahead, when the agreed time came, there was no taxi. We were left waiting with very little time to spare before our flight, causing completely unnecessary stress. What was even more disappointing was the attitude of the staff when faced with the situation: a remarkable lack of urgency, concern and consideration, despite the fact that we were clearly worried about reaching the airport on time. The contrast between arrival and departure was particularly striking. When you arrive to spend four nights at the hotel, everyone is extremely welcoming, attentive and helpful. Once the stay has been paid for and you are on your way out, however, the level of care suddenly seems very different. For a hotel of this reputation, standing and price point, we expected impeccable service until the very last minute of our stay, not simply when welcoming guests through the door. After spending four nights here, ending our stay stressed and worried about missing our flight because of something as basic as a pre-arranged taxi was frankly unacceptable. A luxury hotel should not be judged only by its beautiful surroundings or the welcome guests receive on arrival, but by how they are treated right up until the moment they leave. Sadly, this left us with a very disappointing final impression of The Balmoral.