Portsonachan Hotel & Lodges - Dalmally

donnahC6554CC

We were made very welcome. Stayed in one of the lochside lodge apartments, the apartment was very clean with an oven, microwave, kettle, full-size fridge and dishwasher together with all utensils plates glasses cups etc. The view from the lodge was amazing, straight out onto the loch. This view was also scene from the upside bedroom and patio garden space was enjoyed by all three of us. The food was delicious and the service in the conservatory restaurant was brilliant. Our dog Buddy was made very welcome too. Huge shout out to Sam, Mick and Josh thank you three for looking after us three. Will hopefully stay again.

956malcolmb

After seeing all the negative reviews, we didn't know quite what to expect. However we had a lovely stay. Although the apartment we stayed in was quite dated and in need of some attention, the setting and views were stunning. The staff were always helpful and friendly even though very busy. Although the water was quite peaty, we always had hot water to hand so no complaints there. The breakfast was good but we didn't have any hot meals as we were out till quite late. The outstanding views really made it special for us.

Camilla G.

Paid for 4 days with an upgrade to a superior room and left after 2.
Staff work really hard but there are no cleaners, dust everywhere, extractor fan in bathroom doesn’t work, grouting in the shower was black, some bleach and polish would work wonders.
I did mention this at reception and asked to move to a lodge but that would have been another £50 per night on top of the £450 we had already paid. Such a shame as the location is lovely although extremely remote it’s a big old hotel run on a budget that needs a lot of money spending on it.
Would not return.

G6954JHemmaf

Our recent stay at Portsonachan Hotel & Lodges was an utter disaster, characterized by shocking disregard for guest comfort, safety, and frankly, abysmal staff treatment. What was advertised was a complete fiction.|The list of issues is extensive: no promised bottled water, body wash, or shower gel. Our property's door was insecure, and the bathroom had leftover toilet paper from a previous guest – disgusting! Outdoor facilities were unusable: a leaking, dirty BBQ, filthy table, and bird-dropping covered chairs. Maintenance was clearly neglected with a leaking gutter and a tree resting on the roof. The hot tub had gross orange residue and debris, which the manager, Gary Smith, dismissively blamed on "peat." Most alarmingly, the decking was dangerously covered in slippery moss, a serious safety hazard.|Beyond the physical deficiencies, the customer service was disgraceful. When we tried to report these issues, Gary Smith was defensive and unprofessional. Our calls were disconnected twice by an English gentleman who refused to identify himself, and who seemed to take offense when I politely asked him to stop speaking over me. This level of disrespect is simply unacceptable.|We were informed a refund would have to go through the owner and would take a month to process, adding insult to injury. This experience was a profound disappointment and completely unacceptable for any establishment, let alone one purporting to be a reputable hotel. Save yourself the frustration and look elsewhere.

tracyfD4606KN

Got our voucher at a show. Read the reviews after but very open minded.|We were booked into the coach house but on arrival we were told that they had managed to get us into the hotel. Only trouble was that it was 41 stair to negotiate.|We mentioned it to reception and were told that she would try to get us another room, however we decided to stay put .|The hotel is run down ,a lot of the windows in the conservatory are blown and hindered the beautiful views of the loch, furniture needs a bit of updating.|The staff are super helpful and cater to every request for water,teabags,toilet rolls etc and often bringing it up to the room for us.|Beds are very comfortable and best nights sleep in ages.|Breakfast was great , plenty of choices .|Location is remote but so peaceful and fantastic views.

broniam26

The log cablin we stayed in was just lovely, great kitchen to suit all self catering needs, cabin also had an iron and ironing board, a lovely bathtub and toilet off of the sauna as well as a shower and toilet at the other end of the cabin, loved the vibe of the log cabin with it's log Scottish countryside feel to it, the couches were comfy and the beds were great too. We really did enjoy ourselves here. To top it off the sauna and the hot tub helped to create that real luxurious feel to the holiday and a great way to relax after being out and about exploring the Highlands. ||We went to Portsonachan hotel for a couple of meals and drinks which was just amazing especially the Sunday roast and my son would not stop talking about how good the burgers were. All Staff were friendly and made a real effort. ||||Things to know that I would have found helpful before going... It is in the middle of nowhere which makes it ideal for pure relaxation and it's just gorgeous, however make sure you're well stocked up from shops before you go as there are none for miles around ... Same for bringing a petrol can with extra fuel as some of the stations close at 6pm or 10 and can be a drive to Oban away. You can't drink the water here but they do provide you with bottled water which was fabulous.||||All in all had a fabulous time and I would definitely be back whether that's to stay in the lodges again or the hotel itself.

Venture00612195794

After a 450 mile drive it was disapointing to see how the hotel had deteriorated since our previous visit in 2017. A severe lack of maintainance everywhere one looked. We had bought a 4 night voucher for a stay in the hotel itself but in order to get the required dates we had to "upgrade" to a lochside appartment at a cost of £200. This was duly done and we were asigned" Inch" and told by the receptionist to turn on a 13amp plug in the hall to turn on the hot water which we duly did. The shower then came on and would not turn off splashing water over te shower room floor. This resulted in a return to reception and a conversation with the manager who was not ahappy that I was complaining. We were then told to go sit in the bar while things were sorted. After a complementoy glass of wine we were moved to another appartment called Rhum. By now it was time to take up our resturant booking. Sad to say the meal was luke warm at best but no sign of management to bring this to his atention. Back to our appartment and time for a shower, alas we could not turn the shower on. It was repaired the following morning and worked for one shower and then would not turn off. The maintainance man came back and blanked off the shower so that it could not be used. This was not what we had paid for. A bath tub was available but not realy suitable but we had to make do. on the last evening approx half the appartment was plunged into darkness as the earth trip switch went off. a quick trip to reception resulted in our maitainance man being called out by the receptionist as the manager was not available. thankfuly he was able to restore power. when I talked to the manager the following morning his only comment was "I will look into it". I have emailed the management three times since we got home to see what their response was but have been ignored. anyone thinking of booking a holiday at Faulty towers BEWARE. This could be a lovely holiday spot but neads major investment and better management. My thanks go out to the staff who did a marvelous job under difficult conditions.||||||||||||||||.||.

Bella C.

Avoid Portsonachan Hotel – Unprofessional management, basic failings, and no accountability

We stayed at Portsonachan Hotel expecting a peaceful rural retreat. What we got was a freezing room, no hot water, an incorrect room assignment, and one of the most dismissive responses I’ve ever received from hotel management.

We had no hot water in our room — not ideal in the Highlands. Management later denied the issue entirely because it “wasn’t logged at reception,” essentially calling us liars instead of taking any responsibility.

We were also given the wrong room at check-in, and told it was a “rare system error.” They claimed we had been sent a confirmation months earlier of the room we were supposed to be in — we weren’t. No such email ever arrived.

To top it off, the tap water isn’t safe to drink or brush your teeth with, and this wasn’t made clear until we were already there. Apparently it’s in the “guest information folder” — not exactly upfront communication.

After flagging these issues, we received a cold, corporate-style response that made it clear they weren’t interested in feedback, had no intention of investigating our concerns, and would not be offering any kind of resolution.

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Tips if you’re still considering booking:
• Get all room details in writing and bring proof
• Bring bottled water — you’ll need it
• Don’t assume basic comforts like hot water are guaranteed
• If something goes wrong, document everything
• Read the recent 1–3 star reviews — they’re not exaggerating

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There are far better hotels in Scotland that treat guests with respect and take accountability when things go wrong. Sadly, Portsonachan Hotel is not one of