Best Western Argyll Hotel

While attending Doon the Watter, we popped into the Argyll Hotel for supper. The prawn cocktail arrived looking magnificent: a great pink Matterhorn of prawns, apparently requiring its own structural engineer. Dig a little deeper, however, and you discover that much of the glass is occupied by a dense but perfectly tasty onion salad, presumably installed to prevent the prawns subsiding into the foundations. Still, at £6.75, one can hardly demand geological surveys. The scampi and chips were similarly straightforward. I suspect the scampi had enjoyed rather more time in the local Iceland than in the local loch, and its closest encounter with the Clyde may have been looking at it through the delivery van window. Perfectly edible, generously served and reasonably priced, although I would happily have paid a little more for something a little better. Value, after all, is a function of both price and taste. Where the Argyll really did excel was the service. Polite, courteous, efficient and genuinely attentive. The dining room itself is also rather lovely: high ceilings, ornate plasterwork, tartan carpet and enough old-fashioned Scottish hotel charm to make you forgive quite a lot on the plate. So: pleasant, inexpensive and welcoming, but adjust your culinary expectations accordingly. Come for the handsome room and excellent service; stay for the prawns, just don’t investigate what they’re standing on.

My husband and I stayed in the Argyll for one night, it was a last minute booking having only booked it that morning. We were checked in by a very friendly polite young man who went over various pieces of information about the hotel such as breakfast times, where certain things were etc. Our double room was spacious, had a lovely view over the water and was very clean. Tea and coffee facilities were available and a very spacious bathroom too, no complaints whatsoever. We had lunch outside on the terrace in the afternoon sunshine which was lovely then later that evening when we returned to the hotel we had a drink in the lounge. Looking forward to returning one day.

Stay away Awful place to stay. The housekeeping team were always cheery and happy. Very bad customer service. So much noise during the night. No one was at reception. Hotel dated and needs attention. Staff stand at front door smoking. Don’t run a hotel if it’s going to be like this. Will never return.