Kingsmills - Highland

Once again, it was a pleasure to have lunch in the conservatory. The food was consistently excellent and the staff were lovely and polite. It is always nice to end the meal with tea in the lounge. I am never disappointed when I visit this restaurant. It was a great overall experience. Thank you to everyone once again.

I was in desperate need of a weekend away child free just me and my dog Maggie. The kingsmills is a few hours distance from my home but I have been staying there a fair amount this year. I was hooked after my first stay last April. It is home away from home with MANY bonuses. The initial reception I have received the last 9 times on 12 months has never suffered. There are happy faces to greet me every time, they always make my little boy I usually don’t get away to this particular hotel without him feel so relaxed and at ease and cater to his every need before he even realised he needs it! One by one the staff will sneak over to the seating area whilst we sit with a coffee and make a fuss of my dog whilst doing it on my dogs terms! They never make her nervous nor uncomfortable and the rascals take turns bringing her biscuits and a bowl of water on a tray just for her arrival! We had minor issues with the boiler during a power cut 8 weeks ago and the concierge was right on hand, with an unnecessary amount of extra blankets, robes and a handy man to sort the problem out first thing in the am. Whilst having hot chocolate delivered to our room to cheer my son Noah up! I have ashamed to admit it several times made errors with my booking in regards to pet friendly rooms. Well, this is no problem as Pam at reception along with the beautiful 3 young ladies armed with grins and helpful hands came to my rescue! Not only did they resolve the issue I made, they did it in such an efficient and helpful way that they charged me their best rates whilst juggling other bookings around which gave the bar staff their turn to come let the dog and managed to pop me in an even better room with a private patio for my little spaniel! When they figure out I’ve made the bookings now, they automatically try and put me in the same two rooms they know are perfectly situated and accommodating for both my spaniel and my 10 year old! And this is not even something I ever asked for they just remembered from previous stays how much we enjoyed said rooms. This weekend however mummy went solo child free just me and my furry friend. And so, they armed me with a complimentary cocktail whilst again adjusting the error of booking that I myself made every time I swear and when I decided to add an extra night to my 2night turned 3 night stay, and they didn’t have my same room available, Pam was on hand to get me an unbelievable rate with breakfast for myself on maggie. I particularly enjoyed over hearing the receptionist Pam chatting to an elderly lady who’s husband was the doorman for 27 years, and had from what I gathered recently passed. Pam I’m sure was her name armed with a beautiful smile and a heart of pure gold bragged to the lady of how huge a mark her husband had made on the hotel and the staff as well as guests, and how incredibly missed he will be. It was really quite a beautiful moment to become a part of when she had seen the lady chatting to me and had bragged of the ladies husband to me as a guest and let the lady know what a man he was indeed. He sounded like quite the character! She then sent me on my way to a beautiful upgrade which she had chosen tailor made to my dogs needs again without me even asking or thinking about it to be honest! I dined in the restaurant for 2 nights and enjoyed a rare steak dinner with cocktails on tap so to speak the bar staff were incredible and although there was a bit of a wait for orders to be taken and food delivered nothing too bad they had 2 functions on at the same time whilst attending to all of us guests and they still managed to ace it! I asked the bar man if he had a specific cocktail I was looking for and it was not on the menu I wasn’t fazed however that’s no problem for him, he insisted he could make it up for me as they had all the ingredients anyway! I was then gifted with a pina colada to keep me going whilst I awaited my steak dinner dinner and French martini! My steak was a little disappointing on this one 9 occasions pretty great odds for an incredibley busy restaurant however it was still tasty and the service and cocktails were so great that it really didn’t phase me anyway! Now for breakfast, where to even begin. I simply can’t. Make sure you have yourself the Scottish and continental breakfast. You can thank me later. Actually,potentially the highlight of my stay! The leisure club. This was my first time using it. In all honesty it’s a little outdated and the windows could do with being replaced cleanliness was 10 out of 10 though I sat there at 7am with the pool to myself and watched the sunrise from the incredible hot tub. What a way to begin the Day! I have already pre booked two more separate stays and am counting down the days! If you are a parent who just needs some time to recuperate, this is the place for you! If your husband or wife need a pick me up, get them in there and this place will have them leaving 10 tonne lighter. They will literally take the weight of the world from your shoulders and carry it for you, from the second you walk in the door. I have stayed in hotels all over the uk and Europe. All 5 star I’m a hotel snob ok? but nothing has ever compared to the kingsmills hotel in Inverness. I went there this particular week feeling drained and exhausted and mentally overwhelmed. I left one hour ago ready to take on whatever is coming my way this week. I’m a happier, lively mummy today after my 3 day stay. I can not thank them enough. If you made it this far, then you’ve already left this review and are ready to press confirm booking. Otherwise, your insane. Treat yourself. You just make the booking. They do all the looking after you. What more could you possibly ask for? Enjoy your stay folks. I know you will!

We had the most excellent dinner in the Conservatory Restaurant. From the Restaurant Host to the waiting staff who looked after us so well there is a clear commitment to ensuring everyone enjoys their time in the restaurant. The service was excellent and so well paced. It was always attentive but never overbearing. The food and wines were just excellent. My wife has a number of food allergies which were all so well accommodated. Overall it was one of our best eating out experiences in a very long time. We loved the relaxed and comfortable surroundings making the restaurant a perfect choice for all occasions. Thank you to all the so very good staff who made our evening.

Afternoon tea I would say it was average to good. What we had was lovely, but there was only 1 savoury option (sandwiches only). A lot of the afternoon teas I’ve had always have a 50/50 selection of sweet and savoury to cater for different preferences. What was on the stand was lovely don’t get me wrong but the overall experience wasn’t that special. My friend had to wave someone over to ask for a top up of hot drinks and it seemed to take quite a while to bring the food out which I find odd when it wasn’t overall busy and it’s pre booked. Nobody came in the couple hours we were sat there and asked if the food was ok, so was a bit of a let down service wise. It’s a pity as I’ve had lunch here before and it was quite nice. I’ve been here 3 times now and each time I experience something else. I do like the mix of a semi formal to a causal dining environment though between choice of table/chairs and couches. Would I recommend, I’m not entirely convinced.

Every member of the restaurant staff was so very friendly and helpful, our breakfast and evening meals were really enjoyable. I highly recommend this restaurant and the hotel...a great experience all round.