Had a great Itison high tea with Prosecco here this week. We'll worth the deal and service and food excellent. A lovelyvplace to impress friends and the partner in your life.
A tired hotel that needs investment but location is excellent 30 mins from Edinburgh and 10 from Livingston retail outlet. The bed was super comfy and we did get good night's sleep. Arrived on the Thursday The lobby was the nicest part of the hotel and the Xmas decks were lovely and classy. On check in receptionist asked for payment in full straight away which is fine but in the past at hotels I've normally just given card details and settled at the end. On reflection maybe that was a red flag. We were not offered help to the room with our luggage and where we stayed was a room separate from the main hotel through the court yard There were steps leading down to the room that were not well lit but manageable. The corridors in this building were cold and hand sanitizer bottles empty. The carpet in the corridors was tired and frayed in parts and the walls were marked and wallpaper ripped. On entering the room it was again cold. But was of excellent size. The heater and TV were old fashioned. TV wasn't a smart TV. Not a massive bother to us but it's been nice where we have stayed of late to watch netflix. No casting options either. Heater was an old electric one. Just one to heat the whole room. This was left on our whole stay. The bathroom was tired and the vent didn't work. The paint on the ceiling of the bathroom was cracked. Bed was super comfortable and we did get a good night's sleep every night. We woke up to a cold shower there was no hot water. Went to reception they advised the boiler had broke the afternoon we checked in. So we had cold showers and the receptionist said "nothing worse than a cold shower on a cold day" no offer of a free hot drink to start the day or one later in the evening. Boiler was fixed had a hot shower Saturday morning. We ate in the restaurant saturday evening. Reservation was easy and the restaurant wasn't busy there were maybe 3 members of staff on. Food was excellent we had fish and chips and service was good. Only issue was one of the water glasses had lipstick on. Hot water again not working Sunday boiler again broken. I asked for a late checkout so I could use the spa facilities for the shower this was accommodated. On leaving we were not asked how our stay was but were assured the boiler would be fixed. I wasn't really bothered because we were leaving. Again there were apologies but no offer of compensation. Once home I emailed the manager asking for a 25% refund due to having no hot water for 2 of the three nights of the stay and the service sold being under what was sold for a 4* We only stay in 4 and 5* because I myself am autistic and pay the bit extra to ensure comfort away from home and this was not the experience I had. To be fair the manager came back to me pretty much instantly apologising and I have got the amount of refund I requested.
The spa is 10/10, absolutely amazing. The staff in the spa are incredible. The spa treatments were well done and with high quality products. The hotel… We got the feeling the hotel is either closing soon or the managing Hotel group are selling it. This was due to a general tired feeling, and lack of refurbishment/ investment. Some areas of the rooms/hallways (carpets in particular) are in need of a deep clean. Certain areas of the hotel were cold. The Christmas decorations were awesome. The food… The restaurant has an awful atmosphere, the voucher system for dinner/breakfast causes confusion (especially having to confirm this with the waiter 3 times and the voucher still not being added to the final bill.) The food was okay. Breakfast was in need of serious improvement; The lack of a cooked Scottish breakfast, what appeared to be deep fried in cold oil tattie scone (it had soaked up the oil.) (However the waitress at breakfast was incredible and we couldn’t thank her enough.) The room service… we ordered a ham sandwich from the room service menu. I am not even describing it, I attached a photo (bare in mind this is a 4 star hotel, the sandwich and room service fee was ment to be £16 in total. This was removed from the bill after I showed them the photo.) We had a general feeling that most of the staff were new or untrained. The room…. Felt like there was missing furniture (lots of empty space.) Tired bathroom, poor tv positioning in relation to the bed. Tv itself was old and slow. The shower did not work, raised with reception and it couldn’t be fixed in time for our check out. The location of the hotel is nice, the hotel has peaceful gardens and plenty of nice walks. It is clear that at one point this was an incredible hotel & spa that is perhaps in need of investment and significant training.
Business trip, great sized room. Lovely location, peaceful and safe. Good was first class - really calming atmosphere. Staff couldn't do enough for you, would definitely go back.
Nice old house but a bit tired. Window opened in the bedroom but the sill was absolutely rotten and fling apart. Did find the room lacking of touches expected for the price. Cobweb and daddy longs leg spider living in the bathroom, blown light bulb in lamp over vanity so was difficult to do my hair as no plug in the bathroom. Staff on the front desk weren't exactly friendly or helpful with bags that we were expected to carry up "a flight of stairs" we then find we were 3 floors up steep steps. Won't be back.
Therapist Gabby was lovely and I had a very good massage and facial. Afternoon tea could’ve been better, was very little food and service was pretty much non-existent. Pool is very nice.
A verdant tree lined drive opens up to the stunning white stucco walls of the hotel. A blazing fire drew us inside from the drizzling December afternoon. Bright smiles and greetings welcomed us warmly. Our room was beautifully appointed. Crisp fresh linens covered our very comfortable king sized bed. Christmas turkey dinner was scrumptious and the chef presented us with a free festive treat. As a chef myself, I was over the moon. What a lovely gift. The restaurant made us a delightful Christmas tea for two take away. We donned our paper crowns, popped our crackers, and feasted on delectable scones, jams, mince pies, tarts, bars, and finger sandwiches on the lawn of Blackness Castle. When we left at 5am the next morning, a beautifully wrapped gift box of Scottish treats lay on the tartan carpet outside our door. I’ve rarely been made to feel so very special by a hotel staff. Bravo! I need more stars!!!
Worth experience, personally we could only be there for a day, but the staff was awesome, kind and resolutive with everything, the bedroom was beautiful, luxurious and comfy. The food was also on point and we had a variety to choose, even some Scottish options to try. In general it was awesome and with a variety of things to do.
Macdonald Houstoun House is a wonderful wedding venue with beautiful grounds and amazing staff. From the first moment we got in touch with them, through to our wedding day itself, they couldn't do enough for us. Caroline (the Events Manager) and the rest of the staff took excellent care of us, answering all of our questions and helping us with every step of the planning process. Our wedding day went without a hitch and all of our guests agreed it was a perfect day. We can't wait to go back and visit for our first anniversary - if not sooner!
Macdonald Houstoun House is located at Uphall, Broxburn EH52 6JS, UK
You can contact Macdonald Houstoun House at +44 344 879 9043
You can find directions to Macdonald Houstoun House by following this map link