Culloden Estate & Spa

Such a beautiful hotel for a break away. Myself and my husband visited at the end of January and it did not disappoint. From the lovely welcome at reception to the stunning room we had it was exactly what we needed for a perfect break. We had dinner the first night in the Cultra Inn and it was a lovely evening. We both had a delicious dinner and the service was so good. We had breakfast both mornings in the hotel and thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent our Friday afternoon chilling in the spa which was so relaxing. We look forward to visiting Culloden again soon.

Have stayed in the Culloden many many times and always had a wonderful experience. This time there were a couple of things that irked us. When I checked in I asked if there were any upgrades available and was told the hotel was fully booked. However when I looked online I could see rooms available Had coffee and scones in the bar. The scones were very poor quality not what you would expect in a 5 star hotel, more like something you would get in a petrol station. Very dry and very expensive at £7 each. At breakfast, there were 4 of us at the table and we were only given 4 triangles of toast between us. The supply of eggs was v low and only 2 slices of brown bread available. This was at 9,30 in the morning. The food selection was very varied and very tasty. There was no real butter at the table. It was a margarine spread which was disappointing. The service in the bar on Saturday evening was v slow. We tried to order at the bar but were told to sit down and someone would come and take our order. We were waiting a good 20 mins. On a positive, the rooms are amazing. Beds very comfy and bathroom super with lovely products. We hope next time we visit we will have an experience that we have always had up until this most recent visit.

Now I will hold my hands up and say that maybe our expectations were high. But this is the revered 5 star Culloden hotel. So I feel that anyone spending the money to stay here has a right to high expectations. I've also stayed in a couple of the Hastings group hotels and got married in one, none of which were 5 star so I thought this would blow my mind. There was a mix of fab and not so fab. It can't be denied that the grounds and the hotel itself are both stunning. Opulent, elegant, tasteful. Everything is heavy and expensive. Even the throw on the bottom of the bed weighed a ton. Comfy bed, good shower, nice welcome treat for my friend for her birthday, beautiful wine glasses supplied in room and lovely toiletries for use. Robes and slippers for the spa were a bonus. Friendly staff throughout, polite and professional. Everything that we seen spoke to class and style. However..... On arrival when I mentioned I booked dinner in the Cultra Inn I was not informed that concierge could take us there nor told which path to follow so we set off in heels and went the wrong way. Only when we seen the Hastings van did we realise we could get a lift. The deputy manager was a lovely man, brought us down and back. I had also tried to call reception to ask for the dinner to be pushed back a half hour as you can't get through to Cultra Inn on the telephone. I called reception 5 times and waited for an age to be answered then when we arrived my name wasn't booked, even though I originally booked online and had the email as proof. On arrival I also requested a fridge. An hour later still no fridge, but when my friend arrived a lovely guy called Henry brought her to our room and went to hand carry a small fridge to our room for us. The pelmet on the windows was black with what looked like mould that someone had tried to clean off. And the duvet on the large bed didn't fit the whole width so at 2 am my friend called reception 3 times for another duvet and waited 40 min in total then had one delivered with a cover for her to put on herself. We lost sleep waiting on this. We went to the Lough bar on 2 occasions and despite lots of staff milling around (the first time there was only a handful of guests) we waited and waited to order. Even after requesting to order staff walked away and didn't come for nearly 10 min. The 'jazz' singer was monotone and a bit boring. Kept taking the mic away from his mouth and could have sang with more pizazz. I realise this is very fussy, I just love live music and he fell short. The jacuzzi / hot tub in the spa had something red in the bubbles that looked like blood so we got out and didn't go back in. Food was really good in Cultra Inn but again more waiting. A girl with short hair and tattoos greeted us and she was lovely. After our mains we waited 30 mins and had to request that plates be taken and to see dessert menu. We didn't take dessert in the end so asked for the bill. Cheapest bottle of wine was £38. A short of gin £9.40. A cocktail roughly £15 plus. Expensive stay!

"We treated ourselves to a 5-star birthday breakfast at the Culloden this morning. From the moment we arrived, the venue exuded elegance and charm, with a warm, welcoming log fire in the reception area—absolutely perfect for a crisp winter's morning. The breakfast itself was very enjoyable, exactly what you’d expect from a hotel of this calibre. The staff were friendly, and genuinely committed to making our experience special. A thoroughly memorable start to the day. Highly recommended!" (Perhaps this is no surprise as the Cultra Inn also boasts amazing food and staff!!)

The hotel was stunning and staff were so attentive. The room was so comfortable. Excellent pillows and the robes looked brand new. The breakfast was delicious and we really enjoyed the spa. Will definitely be back. Jenny at the Cultra Inn was so helpful.