Achray House

Apr 27th, 2023

Booked for two nights for my birthday along with dog Harris. We requested a loch view room . We had a very friendly welcome from Claire and our room was comfortable , warm , very new en-suite and of course the beautiful view of Loch Earn. We chose to have dinner in the conservatory on first night in case we decided to bring Harris( as it turned out he was exhausted after his walks) so we dined alone. The view over the Loch was breathtaking and our meal was excellent . I had made a bit of a fuss about being vegetarian and feeling let down ( even in high class joints) by bland risottos /pasta etc; the easy way out to provide a vegetarian option . Neither do I like being forced to eat vegan with no butter/ cream etc. In response the chef had made me a couple of courses I can only describe as outstanding - pea veloute to start and turnip pithivier ( sounds weird but it was amazing , salt baked and incorporating various leaves , lovely pastry ) . My husband loved his two seafood courses from the a la carte menu . The following night we were in the dining room ( quirky decor and lovely natural wood) I went with the endive tart ( brilliant ) and the standard mushroom gnocchi ( which was anything but standard as it was made from scratch) Im still not a fan of Italian type dishes in fine dining as I find a bowl too monotonous to get through , but this gnocchi was different. If my humble opinion matters at all, I would say that the chef demonstrated flair for vegetarian dishes and he should add another to the main course choice. Non veggies might go for it too. Again we were too full to try the desserts which sounded lovely . Laura , the owner , runs a very efficient ship indeed. The staffing problems nowadays in more remote locations must be horrendous but she has gathered a very good team . Claire, the manager is a gem , dealing with demanding vegetarians like me , showing a great knowledge of her product and both ladies absolutely doing their best to provide a first rate experience in trying times post covid. Dinner was not fast food , neither should it be so and we were so happy to take in the view and enjoy our drinks. If I was to make a suggestion, an unexpected , complimentary amuse bouche would really please the diners and your chef is clearly creative enough to produce this ( the pea veloute he made for me in a glass/ cup would be perfect ) Well done to the whole team . Breakfast was also lovely . We witnessed a misunderstanding with other guests on our first night. When expectations exceed reality , its always going to be difficult to address and people deal with things in different ways . Hiccups occur in the most prestigious establishments and in these trying times we find its always better to find the funny side of things and have empathy with the hospitality staff .. even better when they give you free stuff as an apology Well be back as will the vast majority of your guests . Thanks for a lovely break! Vegetarian options: Ive said it all above!
Apr 30th, 2023

We responded to a Facebook post offering free B&B if ordering a 3 course meal costing anywhere from 60-100+. The room was small but clean and catered to our needs. The reason for the 1-star rating is down to our experience at dinner. To begin with, the starter took over 40 minutes to arrive, and the beer that was ordered was forgotten about. The main course, the roast beef, was passable. When it came to ordering the dessert we made our choices, ordered and waited. Around 20 minutes later Claire (GM) came to apologise for this delay and explained the chef was unhappy with the souffls and they were being redone. After another 15 minutes or so we were then informed that the chef had decided to take the souffls off the menu, as the trainee chef was not making good enough souffls. At this stage it was feeling a little bit farcical for a top notch establishment serving fine dining French cuisine but Claire was very apologetic and offered us any other desserts we wanted free of charge, and a free beer. This, although a strange experience, we would have been happy with and everything satisfactorily resolved. Or so we thought. No more than 2 minutes later, Laura (the owner, we understand) arrived with our original dessert order. Clearly confused by this we queried how this was possible as all the reasons for the delay and subsequent pulling of the souffls from the menu had been fully explained, and yet here we had before us a perfectly good looking souffl. At this point we had been seated for 2 hours and 15 minutes. The response to our questioning both the souffl appearing and the overall time that everything was taking was defensive in the extreme, bordering on rude, that we would question either of these things. And this flew in face of Claires earlier explanation of things. It was absolutely the feeling that the right hand does not communicate with the left. The encounter that evening with Laura was unpleasant, unwelcome and unexpected. In the morning we came down for breakfast to be advised by Laura that 1. We would not be charged for anything. 2. We were not welcome to stay for breakfast. You can imagine the overall impression we are left with. The service, organisation and customer treatment has been appalling and we would not be able to recommend Achray House Hotel to anyone.
Apr 29th, 2023

Just thoroughly enjoyed a two night stay at Achray House. Beautiful location, fantastic food and drink, really comfortable bed/bedding and very friendly and accommodating staff. Highly recommended. Food & drinks: Everything we were served, both breakfasts and dinners, was beautifully presented and delicious. Special 'munchions' for the souffls!
Apr 25th, 2023

(Translated by Google) Exceptional!!!! You have to go there urgently and appreciate the setting, the service and the very high quality restaurant!!! (Original) Exceptionnel!!!! Il faut y aller de toute urgence et apprcier le cadre, le service et le restaurant de trs grande qualit !!!
Apr 20th, 2023