We have travelled up from devon to the pitlochry area at least once a year for the past 16 years and really love the area.
Having driven past the Atholl Palace so many times we decided to give it a try.
It is a beautiful looking imposing hotel set in really lovely grounds.
the website is lovely and so is the brochure you are sent.
all this means is they have a very good marketing company as unfortunately this is really where the loveleness ends.
So many little niggles that it ends up being a big annoyance.
No help with luggage.
waved to lift, no direction to room
one lift which takes a maximun of 4 people and is used by the staff ,maintenace crew and guests.
it might be new carpet and curtains through the common areas but the paint is chipped and peeling.
bedrooms, we had a family room for a weeks stay, our bed was the most uncomfortable that myself and my husband have ever slept in ever, you could feel every spring and it twanged as you turned,
it was so small that we both felt that we were going to fall out, my husband had such bad back ache by the third night that he could hardly move and was taking pain killers for the rest of our stay.
the bed was made so poorly that when i turned back the eiderdown the bottom sheet was still creased and rumpled from the previous night.
Ample tea and coffee with biscuits and chocolates.
one wardrobe between us and three small drawers on the desk, meant we had to pile our clothes on the floor and chairs.
The bathroom was large and as sparse as i have ever seen .one very small glass shelf for everything, no edging around the sink to put stuff at all, it looked more like you would imagine a prison bathroom to look not a 4 star hotel , everything completely white from floor to very high ceiling.
over the bath shower with the cheapest shower curtain available.
huge filthy paint splatered window with no curtain just bubble glass.
view from room windows though was truely lovely
And the hotel was extremely hot, so at least you wont be cold.
the furnishing in the bedroom also were awful, red check curtains, lime green carpet and gold bed spread.
bog standard tv channels.
The common areas of the hotel look much better and are really nice, big squashy armchairs and sofa's, lovely fires.
library with a playstation in and a large snooker table in its own room by the spa.
the food was overpriced and awful.
breakfast twice tasted of fish!!?? was swimming in grease to the extent that you could of wrung out the sausages, the scrambled eggs were wallowing in yellow water, the mushrooms in grey water.
Although all the staff were pleasent enough in the restaurant service was very hit or miss, people coming in 15 minutes after us were served tea and coffee whilst we still waited.
although there is a wide choice of cereals for breakfast, the continental side was a joke.
we did not eat in the restaurant at night, but we did have a bar snack one evening, there was only one order in front of us so why did it take an hour and 20 mins to arrive, it was okay though, not big portions or particulary nicely presented.And there are only 6 things on the bar snack menu
Room service is a joke , very very limited choice and the price!!!
ham sandwich with a bit of decorative salad and a few crisps £8.50
soup and a roll £6.00
pot of tea £4.00
bucket of ice £4.00
Afternoon tea at £9.00 a head is very nice though if you can get someone to take your order and their english is good enough to understand what you are asking for, so you don't end up with 11 cups of tea 5 cups of coffee and high tea for 4 when there were 6 of us.
the swimming pool was cold and it only needed 5 people in it to make it feel very crowded. the steam room didn't work for 5 of the days we were there, but the jacuzzi and sauna were fine but both were dirty.
We did ask to change rooms after the second night but were told we would have to wait for them to speak to the manager as he was busy, that evening we were told there was nothing else available, even though they had shut off half the restuarant as it was so quiet and the car park was almost empty.
I didn't realize quite how dissappointed i was until i started to write this, or really how much was wrong with it.The Atholl Palace should be the jewel in Pitlochrys crown with its hill top location ,beautiful grounds and stunning views, how the scottish tourist board could of awarded this a 4 star rating is beyond us.
we have stayed in hotels all over the world either 4 or 5 star, this is the worst by far.
It is extremely expensive for what it is, and we certainly wont be returning to this hotel.
General info.
Victorias restaurant in Pitlochry is amazingly good and well worth a visit for a special occasion.
Mckays pub is great for a bar snack
Edradour distillary is free with a great tour

My husband booked this through a travel agent for a suprise 50th birthday for me. We were in a family suite with my 2 children, 9 and 12.

You can see this hotel from the A9 and it looks like a fairytale palace. After reading some remarks about it I was worried as it stated it was'nt very suitable for the disabled. Wrong.

We parked in the disabled bay, one of 2, outside the front door. Although the rest of the car park was just as suitable. The ramp was at the side like most hotels. We were welcomed with a whisky liquer as we checked in. The staff were very friendly and although we were'nt offered help with the baggage, I'm certain if we'd asked there would have been no problem. The lift is small but big enough for the 4 of us, my electric scooter and 2 suitcases. We had a family suite which was on the 3rd floor and had fantastic views over Pitlocherie and the extensive gardens. The childrens beds were in the living area with a wardrobe, dresser, table and chairs and tv. You went through their room to get to ours and the bathroom. All in all the suite was a good size, larger than most hotels we'd stayed in.

There was plenty of tea, coffee, milk and sugar, with the usual biscuits and some complimentary chocolates.

The evening meal was excellent. There were childrens menus but they could also have half portions from the main menu. The meals, including starters, were extremely large, and the half portions were exactly the same size as ours.

Breakfasts were buffet although you could ask for porridge, kippers etc. if you wanted. There was a good selection of cooked produce and cereals as well as cold meats, fruit etc.

The staff throughout the hotel were very helpful and everyone said hello.

I found everywhere was accessible apart from the spa treatment area, which had 2 steps, although you could enter from outside if you went through the garden.

The bedrooms were very clean and the beds extremely comfortable. The furniture is a little dated but this all adds to the character of the hotel. It is'nt your usual run of the mill hotel, and even has its own museum in the basement showing how and when it was built and the history of it - worth a visit.

Booked for my partners birthday.......Hotel looked and sounded really good........Extremely disappointed by our experience......The main lounge with fires was very welcoming.....and quite nice......However the rooms are too small.....and are overfurnished.....we had to move the TV to get access to the wardrobe.......The tea maker etc.....were almost falling off the minute piece of wood they were placed on......The radiators had not been cleaned since last '' party'' .... there was dust on window etc.....extremely poor housekeeping job.......The food was just average.......and service not too good......The . 'white' t.owels were a pale grey colour......At breakfast ....the waiting time was unaceptable.....and the waiters had to fight their way through guests to serve other customers.....poor situation from kitchen area......The grounds were ok....and might have looked nice in summer..Overall the hotel is greatly overpriced for the service it offers.......I t may have been refurbished in past few years.....but only if you wish to visit spa or swimming pool.....Not a hotel I will be singing praises of.....The outside of hotel looks really good....unfortunately...the inside does not live up to it.....extreme lack of maintenance......only superficilal decor done to hotel......c'est la vie !!!!!!!

Great hotel in a great location. Easy parking, fabulous bedrooms and the whole hotel is lovely. Food was great, staff helpful. The spa was great - lots of "treatment" rooms and a nice pool, although a little on the small side. Defintely value for money.