We've visited Gleneagles on several occasions in the past 10 years or so, and always enjoyed ourselves, but were disappointed by our most recent stay, and left with the overall impression of a hotel resting on its laurels.

The decor in the public spaces in the hotel, particularly the Club Restaurant, and the pool area, is beginning to look really dated, with the floor around the pool, and in the changing rooms being particularly grubby. Thank God for the antibacterial spray next to the showers as you enter the pool! I'm not usually obsessive about cleanliness, but found myself seized by a sudden compulsion to use this facility on a frequent basis!

The pools (even the lap pool, which was supposedly for "serious" swimmers) were overrun with children when we were there, which lent the whole place a rather Butlinsesque atmosphere, and didn't really provide the romantic honeymoon ambience we had been seeking. However, to be fair, it was still the Christmas holidays, and this has never been a problem on other occasions we have visited.

Most disappointing was the Spa. We went to book treatments as soon as we arrived and were informed that none were available until the day we were leaving. Although of course this was not her fault, the receptionist was particularly ungracious and did not offer any apology whatsoever for the unavailability of appointments. We would have been less disgruntled if she had displayed a more "can do" type attitude - for instance, volunteering to take our room number and contact us if there were any cancellations. There's an obvious need for more therapists and treatment rooms, but I think this is soon to be addressed, and that the Spa is to be upgraded in the next couple of months.

When we did finally have our treatments (after checking out), mine was average to say the least. The therapist, although efficient, was rather brusque, and did not seem particularly well-informed about the treatment. I asked her what herbs were used in my wrap, and was informed that they were exotic Ayurvedic herbs, which I had kind of already surmised from the fact that the treatment was described as an Ayurvedic wrap! However, to give a balanced view, I have to admit that my husband really enjoyed his massage, so perhaps it was just dependent on the therapist (or on being a man, and being given a massage by an attractive brunette!).

Our room was in the newer Braid House wing, and although we loved the contemporary but cosy style of the decor, we had a few criticisms of the functional aspects: the remote control for the curtains, fire etc. didn't work properly, and nor did the volume control in the bathroom for the television . We had remembered under-floor heating in the bathrooms from previous stays, but this was either non-existent or non-functioning in our room. These were all very minor niggles by themselves, but cumulatively we felt they detracted from the expected 5-star experience.

Even our dog was less than impressed by the pancake-like flatness of his Snoozee-dog bed (thoughtfully provided for canines by the management), and he eyed up our king-size very wistfully. He obviously remembered the first time he stayed at Braid House, when the Snoozee-dogs were brand new and about two feet off the ground!

However, the provision of a "Be aware of the dog" sign to hang outside the door was very sensible!

Very irritating was the lack of written information in the room about the hotel's services and meal times. There is information provided via the television, but this part of the service wasn't working on the first day of our stay. Even when we did manage to access the information, it wasn't particularly helpful. Most frustrating was the complete failure to specify prices for any activities (eg falconry, riding etc). Surely not everyone who stays here is so wealthy that the price of anything becomes immaterial!

Because noone told us when breakfast ended, we managed to miss it on our first morning (well, we were on our honeymoon!). Maybe we are just spectacularly indolent, but we felt that for service to end at 10am was just a little early - part of the enjoyment of being on holiday is not to have to rush in the morning.

To end on a positive note, we had dinner in the Strathearn Restaurant on a couple of occasions, and the service was absolutely first class: attentive without being intrusive. The food was pretty good too, although it was a shame that the menu didn't change from evening to evening.

Altogether, Gleneagles fell short of expectations - the only thing about it which will always remain 5 star is its stunning location, and the wonderful fresh Perthshire air.

We have just returned from our first stay at the Gleneagles. The hotel is in fantasic surroundings and we upgraded to a supereior room as this was for my partners birthday. We decided to stay here as we wanted to try Andrew Fairlie's magnificent restaurant. The room was really nice with great views and balcony, we loved the remote controlled lights curtains and even fire. The bar was really relaxing and the decor was beautiful, however nothing prepared us for the fantasic gastronmic delights that is Andew Fairlie's restaurant. It was absoutley wonderful and we loved it.

We will certainly be back both to Gleneagles and to Andrew Fairlies.

This was our second stay at Gleneagles. We were there on business last December, and enjoyed it enough to return with our two teenagers.

The facilities are superb. On the whole the staff were excellent, particularly Gordon - the concierge - who certainly went the extra mile for us.

There were however one or two disappointments on our recent visit. Our room overlooked the swimming pool, and the view was anything but inspirational! The room was overheated, and housekeeping were unable to do anything to reduce the heat, which meant keeping the windows open all day and night. We were continually listening to the fountain (irritating rather than relaxing after a while), and were woken at 7am by guests using the outdoor pool.

Our meal in the Strathearn was excellent last December - on this visit it was very disappointing. The smoked salmon was prepared for my son and myself, and then sat on a side table for 25 minutes, whilst we waited for the melon starter ordered by other members of our party. Our service was incredibly slow, although other tables were being served much more quickly. Whilst I was assured it was not, the dessert tasted 'bought in'. We raised it with the Restaurant Manager, but to be honest, he was really not interested in our complaint.

I am sure we shall return at some point, but will be much more picky about our room, and dining choices.

We often stop at the hotel for a cup of tea on business trips between Aberdeen and Glasgow. We were on a 2 night winter break. My husband had stayed previously and had raved about the place. Had I been a foreign visitor or had not visited previous the check in could have been a disaster. The girl checking us in was very professional and helpful with a cheerie smile. However her 'product' knowledge was not up to scratch! She actually gave us some wrong information about golf, which her colleague in rather condescending and upptie manner corrected in a an awful tone of voice. This really irrated me and put me on the the side of the new employee who really just required a little more training. The young lady in question showed us to our room and was helpful and charming.

We had 2 beautiful hours of autumn sunshine playing on the wee course .

Evening dinner in the Strathern Restaurant on the first night was superb. The staff were initially very slow taking our drink and food order. However they then stepped up to the Mark and delivered first class service for the rest of the evening. My Monkfish was one of the best I have had ever and my husbands beef was truly first class. This is a delightful restaurant with great atmosphere. It was very busy the night we were there. The breakfast is also lovely with plenty of choice.

I had some treatments in the spa and although on the pricey side, I was impressed with the young lady Alyson who delivered my treatments. The relaxation room is truly relaxing. Having visited many spas both in the UK and overseas , the gleneagles spa lacks a little something in its decor . It needs to be a bit more of an oasis of tranqulity.

On the second evening we had dinner in Andrew Fairlie's beautiful , classy Michellin restaurant. The welcome was excellent , the staff were nice, the food was ok, however it lacked the Wow factor. I personally found the Modern Jazz background music , too loud and really irrating.

The location is outstanding, the setting relaxing and tranquil. Golfers haven. Its a little piece of Scottish Magic. Worth a visit but don't pay the Rack rate!