Cowlairs Vacations from $949

The hotel looks shabby and the rooms have seen better days and initially I was disappointed but actually it was clean and comfortable, tidied daily with a nice bathroom so it did what was needed. The breakfast was fresh cooked and very good and the staff were very friendly. Also location is good If you care what it looks like it's probably not for you but if you want clean comfortable and convenient on a budget go for it.

Breakfast offerings were not very good. Beans, toast and some fruit. The eggs were terrible. Lots of clutter throughout the place including giant televisions and a fridge, as well as lots of boxes and general stuff. Overall it was clean and quiet but could use some upkeep in terms of the food and also tidying up and removing clutter.

The room was clean and well stocked. The staff were excellent and very helpful. The location is good for walking to the train station, the bus station and to shops. However, there are many stairs to enter into the building. The staff assisted with the luggage on check-in and check out. The noise in the alley late at night and all through the night was extreme. I guess we were unlucky to get one of the rooms that the windows faced the alley. As the air conditioning was not working, our window was open so it was really loud from outside. The staff did supply a fan but it was too warm when the windows were closed. We were told that there were parts coming to fix the air conditioning. The remote control was missing from the bedroom TV. Also, we could not get hot water from the tap, only room temperature.

We booked this place on the understanding all accom would be of a high standard but on arrival we were relegated to rooms off the carpark which felt no better than a road side inn. It was very expensive for the level of accom we were given. None of the opulence of the castle accom was included in the rooms we were given. The whole point of staying in a place like this is for the history and the grandeur, none of which the carpark rooms offer. We asked the check-in clerk if we could be moved and expressed our displeasure with the accom. We were offered a refund which is helpful late on a Friday night after a full day of travel. At no point did anyone offer a way to turn such a negative experience into a positive one. When I said how much I had paid I was told I was lucky as it can be even more expensive! Also don’t book when a wedding is on as they take priority over all of the spaces. It was not possible to use a common area without the wedding party occupying it, including photos in the carpark! When we returned from dinner we were greeted with vomit through the carpark from the wedding guests. Perfect way to sum our stay up here. Never again!!