This was our 4th stay at the Stirling Highland over the last 9 years, and sadly it will be the…read morelast. Check In: Arrived early and waited in the lobby. Not sure if room was ready before 4:00, as no one let us know. Had to ask for a second key, when there were obviously two of us. Headed back to the desk for assistance with radiator; however, no one could explain how it worked. The Room: Nothing has been updated. Had to crawl behind a chair to plug in the phone, when they could have just replaced the wall lamps with ones with USB ports. Things also haven't been maintained (huge crack in bathroom floor tile, mold on ceiling molding, and missing and dirty caulk). The Restaurant/Bar: No food being served to hotel guests because of a private event Thursday evening with no notice at all. Had 2 bags of chips from the bar for dinner. Breakfast was passing at best (no scrambled eggs one morning and hard and gross the next). Filthy carpet, with stains and black stuff stuck to it. Lack of upkeep, and not too appetizing either. Finally: Our first night, we were treated to a small dog running down the hallway barking all the way, twice (about 2:00 a.m.). We were just a few rooms down the hall from Reception, so no idea why staff didn't address it. Then there was the dog in the hotel bar off leash that kept escaping out the door. If you're wondering if we have anything against dogs, we are the ones who kept an eye on her and put her back in the room and closed the door multiple times, so she wouldn't wander off. Dogs at hotel, fine; guidelines and staff follow through, needed. Would have loved to give this feedback to the hotel directly, but at the end of a 2-week trip, the Stirling Highland was the only business that didn't reach out for feedback. Is the Stirling Highland afraid of what people will say, or do they already know?

This has to be by far one of the most underwhelming stays I've ever experienced…read more We paid quite a decent price for this hotel and expected an actual 4 star hotel. Now I don't know what you need to get 4 stars in Scotland but I think the hotel would have a tough time even competing with 3 star hotels. The rooms are extremely outdated and definitely not what I would expect for that price. In the bathroom, the fake marble counter tops are not completely glued together anymore, so it feels like the bathroom is actually falling apart. It honestly feels like the newest thing in the bathroom is the shower curtain that appears to have been put there years ago. The bed also seems to have aged quite a bit - the mattress doesn't even lie flat on the bed anymore. That being said, the bed sheets fall off at every single movement as they're not fitted anymore... The hotel rooms had extremely thin walls and you were able to hear everything that was going on in the hallway and every single step people were taking. Additionally, the floors felt like they were going to break every second. BUT the biggest disappointment was BY FAR the breakfast. First of all, you have to wait quite a while for a staff member to check you in so you can get to the buffet style breakfast. We paid extra for the breakfast but should've rather went to a local café. Almost everything was out of stock at 9am (breakfast lasts until 10:30 on Sundays) and when asking the staff members for things such as more toast, they gave an annoyed look and came back with about 10 slices of bread that were gone in seconds. Not to mention that there is no such thing as cheese or salami or anything. The Nutella was empty too. The worst thing was the coffee which tasted like a mix of instant coffee and chlorine. There also was no juice left and all the staff was doing was standing literally right next to the juice containers and not filling them up but rather appeared to have private conversations. When entering the hotel, you are greeted with a nice smell of moisture combined with mold. Only good thing was the view which was nice and the size of the rooms which sadly doesn't make up for all the negative aspects of this hotel. Honestly would never come back to this so called 4 star hotel.

Good beer, Australian themed. Special thanks to Archie, he gave great tips for us things to do…read more Cheers Archie!

A group of friends of mine get together once a month and this is the venue of their choosing as you…read morecan reserve the big room upstairs. I'm not a fan. Being able to reserve the room is about the only thing I like about this place...oh and street parking. It is a completely over the top "Aussie" themed bar. Themed as in it has all the terribly tacky, tourist ideas of Australia. The toilets are named Blokes and Sheilas, there is swamp/beach style decor, and not a single aussie accent on the staff, which I'm actually quite pleased they weren't required to imitate an Australian accent. It's fairly priced, and the food, although I didn't get any this time, is...adequate. The upstairs room has it's own bar, but they have never had it staffed when we've been. It gets quite busy and loud in the main bar area, and is honestly somewhere I'd rather avoid.

Just minutes from Stirling castle, Cowane's Hospital's been around since the 17th Century and is…read morefilled to the brim with Scots history. I'm no historian but a swift Google search had me clued me in. I do like going to Cowane's Hospital for events and feeling all regal and fancy. - It certainly calls for some pearls and your best shoes. Portraits of important-looking people, beautiful architecture and some wonderful stained glass windows surround you in Cowane's Hospital. It's a stunning place to spend the evening and luckily enough, the hospital is becoming quite the cultural hot-spot with an increasing number of events taking place within the building. I'd previously been to a string quartet performance during the Stirling Fringe last year and most recently attended, local foodie favourite, Loving Food's first pop-up restaurant. The large seated balcony area upstairs is great for performances, whilst the bottom area is good for more informal social events. Just perfect for the pop-up restaurant. I do hope that the hospital continues to be used in this way, as it's just perfect for smaller-scale events and it certainly makes for a unique, hearty venue.

I went for dinner here with a friend as part of Lovin Food's pop up event, and I will be performing…read morehere in September with my folk band. A very unusual venue, this has played host to the Stirling Fringe Festival, and will do so again this year. It is truly beautiful, with period features intact. It has atmosphere and presence. A unique location and a hidden gem of a venue.

The Cowane Centre is so near to me and yet, four years in Stirling, I'd yet to have entered its…read moredoors. That changed recently when local theatre group Stirling On Stage performed their most recent play here. It's simple as community halls tend to be but it did the job and is definitely a venue I enjoyed visiting. It's more than just your standard community hall. With a flowing red curtain and tiered seating, it's definitely the place for local theatre and I'd love to see more of that here. It's certainly got the facilities to become quite the local hub and I'd be inclined to seek out more events in the Cowane Centre. I have no personal experience of hiring the centre but I did hear, from a friend in the theatre group, that is rather expensive and for a short period of time at that. So much so that the first time they performed there was on the night! Regardless, it's perfect for intimate local theatre! And I heard they operate as a cafe during the afternoon daily and that you can buy a mean pack of organic vegetables here over the winter months! Lovely!

My band supported Three Blind Wolves at the Tolbooth last year and the venue holds itself really…read morewell as Stirling's main music and arts venue. Aside from it being a really great place for a gig, the bar area has a really nice vibe. It's relaxed and friendly and I don't remember it being too expensive. I like that the band have to walk past the crowd to get to the stage and although the main hall seems rather small, it is just the perfect sort of cosey for an intimate gig. It's versatile too. - I went to see the comedian Daniel Sloss and the main hall had been rearranged to suit the night. I felt like I was in a different venue! Tolbooth doesn't match the size of venues to be found in Glasgow or Edinburgh, but it sure does pack a punch.

The Tolbooth is a venue for music in the arts in the heart of Stirling's Old Town…read more I've been frequenting here about as long as I've been alive - when I was a child and a young fiddle player my parents would take me to see people like Alasdair Fraser. I've learned fiddle tunes, songs, creative writing, and discovered that I love free jazz in this building. Highlights of my adult years have included Treacherous Orchestra, Lau, The Weekend jazz/alt music festival (sadly discontinued), Distil Showcase of new compositions, Jenna Reid Band and The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc. As long as I live in the central belt I'll be happy to support this trad venue, with its fantastic sound engineers and everything it does for traditional music. It's one of few venues outside the big cities that brings Scotland's best trad musicians to the masses, and continues to host both the beset of up-and-coming artists and established names like Breabach and Dick Gaughan. Nothing but praise for this noble wee venue that punches well above its weight.

If you have seen Outlander then you may recognize that many scenes were filmed here. More important…read morethis is a very important historical place and former Royal Palace. After all Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here. I joined one of the free tours offered (they do deserve a great tip!) and got about 50 minutes you get a great introduction and a lot of history. Some people chose self-guided tours but I preferred the opportunity to ask our guide questions. We enjoyed a nice sunny day and although it was a winter day, it was also nice to explore their gardens. A place worth visiting!

This was one of the last castles that my mother and I stopped at when we went to Scotland earlier…read morethis year and it didn't disappoint. The signage all over was good and informational. The employees that were working were very helpful. The mini museums across the castle were really cool and informational as well. This is one of the coolest castles that we saw in Scotland and I would definitely go back.

I'm sorry, Peak, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for my last review?…read more So we didn't get off to a great start but that's okay! I paid a second visit in the form of the Cannie Gingers versus the Parma Violents Roller Derby match. (GO, BRIONY, GO!) This time round, I can honestly say that as a sporting venue, it's fabulous for events. The main hall was a really good size, perfect for the various Roller Derby team stalls and the spectators were treated to bleachers, meaning you could get a great view of the action from wherever you were seated. (I really loved this, it made me feel like I was at an All-American game!) The hall's size meant minimal queuing so we really were in in no time! Whilst I can't comment on the ticketing and organisation side of things, as that was all done by Roller Derby, (They did a really good job!) the venue really did feel suited to the day and made for an all-round great experience. I can't say I'm completely enamoured by the Peak just yet since there was a leak just above my spot which meant avoiding the drips during the game! (Eek!) But in all fairness, I do think that it deserves some props for managing to host bigger scale events, similar to those held in larger cities. I may well come and try that ice rink. I'm holding out on you, Peak!

Visited here for a roller derby bout so this review might not have a lot of relevance if you're…read moreconsidering it as a gym or climbing venue! We were in the main hall which has banked seating at one end for a crowd which was good although normally a crowd would sit along the long side of the track rather than the bend. The floor itself is a normal basketball court and was very good for skating on. The changing rooms we used were very clean and fit in about 20 of us while we got ready for the game. The staff made sure to lock the room while we were playing so we didn't have to worry about our valuables which was appreciated. There was a good amount of toilet facilities which meant there weren't any queues at halftime. In the foyer area there's a shop as well as a cafe and a climbing wall which I didn't notice until we were on our way out (clearly I was too focused on the game). The car park was large enough that we got a spot easily and didn't have to wait ages to leave the car park again at the end, and it was easy to get to from Glasgow. All round, an impressive venue.

I've been to the Albert Halls on serveral occasions, most recently playing a private event as a…read moreband in the lesser hall upstairs.The venue itself is extremely versatile and, in the past, I'd attended several wedding fairs for work and left impressed with just how well the building suited the event and how lovely staff were.There's the large, main hall downstairs and the adaquately-sezed lesser hall upstairs. Whilst it's not the sort of place I'd find myself in for a night of music, as it mainly caters to tribute acts, there's occasionally some great acts booked that aren't quie suited to the Tolbooth music venue in town. When we found out we were going to be fed at the private event, we had no idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised when the in-house Henderson's Bistro served up delicious offerings of Balmoral Chicken for main course. Delightful! Whilst Albert Halls doesn't quite have the personality or quaintness of other venues in town, it's certainly a good size and is extremely versatile. And you can't go wrong if you need a catered event!

I have only been to this venue to see a live music performance and to be honest it's not very well…read moresuited for the job. The sound didn't carry particularly well. There was no proper bar, a folding table with a limited choice of drinks was all that was on offer. There were no drinks allowed in the main hall so you couldn't enjoy a drink while watching the band which was a bit of an inconvenience. However, the venue was quite nice in itself and would maybe be better suited to another type of performance.

I confess that I have not stayed in a Youth Hostel for many years - about the same length of time…read moresince I last considered myself to inhabit the 'youth' category in fact - but in looking for venues to host a small conference, I came across the Stirling hostel, which turned out to be the perfect solution. Located just down from the castle in the heart of the town, the hostel was built in 1994 behind the façade of an 1826 church, so the facilities are in reasonably good order throughout. They have a good selection of private en-suite rooms (mostly twins), and a licensed kitchen where you can pre-order breakfast and evening meals. There's a good DIY kitchen area too, and common areas to chill out in, with TV and free Wi-Fi (although I could never get that to work). The location is just dripping with history - a huge monument out front marks the site of the original church and the grave of Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, leader of the Secessionist movement in 1733 that split from the Church of Scotland and eventually became the Presbyterian Church. The grounds still have plenty of interesting gravestones around, and I suspect that some of these denizens may still inhabit the darker corners of the hostel..! The conference room accommodates up to 30 people and comes with tables, chairs, a screen and flip-boards (you'll need to provide your own projector); we had exclusive use of this room and were able to lock it when not in use so our equipment was secure. It's a hostel, so you can't expect hotel standards of accommodation of course; however it's a lot better than many student halls that I've stayed in at other conferences, and very reasonably priced too, even if you're not a member of SYHA.