This place is one of the many highlights of Govan. It's a multi-functional, friendly and beautiful…read morebuilding. This really is a tourist attraction and a must see on your travels of Govan. The building is more commonly or affectionately known as the PI. It is in the heart of the community and has been since 1906. I've been to so many various events, conferences, meetings and even a theatre production. I first started coming here to do teaching and train young unemployed volunteers about television operation. We had fun using the building as a film location for the many script ideas the young people came up with. On that note you may notice on the odd occassion a line of Arnold Clark vans lined up outside, then you know there's a film being shot inside. The PI has been used for many big budget films, proving it's such a great building. It has many rooms for office space and larger rooms/theatres split on three levels. The PI recently underwent some renovation work, especially for the return of the ship, which sits neatly at the top of the building outside. The MacLeod Hall is the largest hall, where I have arranged and attended many events and ceilidhs. It really is beautiful and a great space. I remember when setting up for an event elsewhere in the building the hall was being prepped for a wedding reception. I did say it was multi-functional. It has a lovely cafe called the Cafe Pearce, this tends to be seasonal so can close during summer and winter holidays. The staff are always pleasant and accomodating, as I have also arranged many events in there as well as it is also a suitable large room. I have also used the Lithgow Theatre for rehearsal space for singing and dancing. Back in December I went along to see a pantomine, The Govan Cat, which was brilliant. Although not a conventional theatre it worked really well with the balcony from the MacLeod Hall allowing for a dressing room for the cast. Many charities and businesses base themself from this building. There's also numerous organisations which use it from the Govan and Craigton Intergration Network to dance and karate classes for young children. It's a vibrant and active centre and it's wonderful to see how a tremendous amount of ventures and activity still occurs on a daily basis. The PI is always listed on the Doors Open Day, so if you want more of a look around I would definitely go along. Or why not just stop by for lunch for a wee cup of tea and bowl of soup.

Friends had got married here so we headed back for the full tour. The grounds are gorgeous and it…read morehelped the weather had started to turn so we were being indulged in Scotland's second week of summer (the first being March). The house itself is impressive with gorgeous tapestries, architecture and design details and is worth a visit. Like Kay L. our guide was a bit 'nippy' - and although passionate about the house, when you are paying to view somewhere like this, you do want to stop and note some of the extra details, not be rushed through like the school trip crocodile. We were lucky with the weather, but, it costs £11 to see the house and the grounds. The tour of the house takes just over an hour but if the weather was lousy, how much loitering of the grounds would you be willing to do in the dreech, miserable Scottish weather and a rushed tour would seem less value for money....

In reality, we were looking to waste some time while we waited for check in at our hotel, but once…read morewe got here, we realised our trip here would be so much more than that. From the ferry port, the bus ride to get here is cheap and is about an 10-15 minutes and the bus runs regularly throughout the opening hours of Mount Stuart. We lucked out as we walked off the ferry, the bus basically pulled up and we joined the massive queue of other tourists looking to check out Mount Stuart. Upon arrival, we're greeted by a lovely garden and kids play area. The day was gorgeous, so we were really happy to be here. We all walked in to the Welcome Centre and because there was only one lady working the desk, it took a bit to get tickets to walk the grounds and tour the house. Once purchased, we were free to wander the grounds and the house (you can buy tickets just to walk the grounds for a lower amount). We hurried along to avoid getting caught in with all the other people who arrived with us. I was absolutely in love with the gorgeous sunny day and it couldn't have been more perfect. There was a slight breeze and the grounds are immaculate. I felt almost as though I was home in the states, the smells of the water and the forests just brought back really happy memories of always living and exploring the forests where I've lived. I told my guy that I needed a button to push that said "It's so beautiful here" because I think I said it about a million times. The grounds really are so beautiful. We passed the kitchen garden (but circled back around later) and headed up the road to the house. Wow, what a gorgeous house. Apparently, it's still used for weddings and such. There are so many rooms in this house, it's easy to get lost. We used the map we were given in the Welcome Centre and made our way around. Every room was furnished with gorgeous couches and beds (depending on the room) and the bathrooms were locked in the time they were built but really pretty. There is a huge library and a sun room off one of the bedrooms. There is also an indoor swimming pool. If you have any questions while you're walking around, there are staff members in many of the rooms to chat about the art work, the architecture or the history of the rooms and house. This house is really gorgeous and on a large piece of land. There are various trails to walk around the grounds- one of which goes right down and along the water. We chose that walk and it was just lovely. I can imagine the walks being a bit gloomy if the weather is rainy, but we lucked out the day we were here and everything was just gorgeous. There is a bit of land where there are log seats set up around a fire pit, which can be used for a bbq. When we arrived there were loads of people enjoying their lunches around a fire. All along the land as well, they are planting new trees which was really nice to see. I went a bit picture mad and of course the uploaded all out of order, but you can get an idea of what there is to see and the grounds and how lovely they are. If you're going to the Isle of Bute, make it a point to visit here, you surely won't be sorry. We weren't expecting to stay very long but we spent a good 3 hours here wandering about and checking out every inch of the property. Well worth it and a great part of exploring Bute!

There was a decision to make, we'd got to the jetty too early. I phoned the hotel and was told the…read moreferry wouldn't be turning a propeller for another hour. Do we swim? Do we hire a boat? Do we charter the seaplane? We decided just to wait and play spot the tiny fish for the next 60 minutes. The boat turned up and off we set for the UKs largest freshwater island, Inchmurrin in Loch Lomond. The trip across is pretty pleasant, there's a nice view of the Ben and of the island, and of all those lucky people larking around in their expensive boats. It is the only hotel on the islands of the loch and as such is visited by some of the crème de la crème of UK establishment. That is why it is a little disappointing when you see the building, it's not exactly beautiful. The sundeck is pretty small too, so I made sure I high-tailed it and sat down on a seat, right in a wee puddle. Then it started raining. Damn! We sat in the bright restaurant part instead - again a nice view of the water, both of the stuff falling in sheets from the sky and contained within the loch. The choice of beers was a bit uninspiring, your basic Guinness, Best and Tennent's, and the food was a very standard bar menu. I opted for the leek and potato soup, and fish and chips. The service was very amiable, if a bit forgetful - both cutlery and condiments. The soup, well it was nice, but a bit bland, but the fish and chips were really pretty good. Very crisp and light batter. I think this would be a good stop if you have a boat, I wouldn't wait an hour for the ferry to get there again though!

This is a review of the bar rather than the hotel itself (although the hotel looks sumptious!) The…read morebar is lovely. I first heard about it as my boyfriend recalled being taken here as a youngster by his mum for a cup of tea after visits to the orthodontists next door. The food is lovely and it is all reasonably priced - from sandwiches to heftier meals. They do a pre-theatre menu of 2 courses for £9.95 which is excellent value because the food here is good quality and genuinely nice. The bar in the middle also ensures a pleasant atmosphere.

With a lovely outdoor seating area, as soon as any sunshine hits Glasgow you can be sure that this…read morepub will be packed with people. This pub is also a hotel with 8 rooms and was where my parents stayed when they visited Glasgow recently. I checked out their room when they arrived and was really impressed - clean, slick and modern. A double room is £80 a night and includes breakfast. We ate in the hotel restaurant on a Sunday evening and got a booking for a table pretty easily - mind you, there was a football match on so take that into account if you are going to book ahead as the bar and restaurant were packed with people. We had a booth table booked for us and the staff even offered to move us to a quieter space if the football got too rowdy which I thought was nice. They have a private dining area at the front of the hotel which I think they only use for breakfast for the hotel guests. I wasn't overly hungry as we'd had a big lunch, so I ordered two starters - one from the pre-theatre (house) menu and one from the a la carte. I wasn't sure whether this would be an issue but the staff weren't phased at all. I got a bowl of Cullen skink and garlic mushrooms in a filo pastry basket. The wait wasn't long and I was impressed with the presentation of both the dishes. The portion sizes were really generous and I really couldn't fault either of the dishes - the mushrooms were lovely and creamy, and the soup had just the right amount of flavour and wasn't too hot. The food is really decent pub food, and for that I really recommend this place. The prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and the atmosphere was totally buzzing while we were there. I always forget to go here when we're looking for a local meal, but I'll try harder to remember what a wee gem the OP is in future.

My guy and I ventured to Paisley Town Hall to see Admiral Fallow. A great band from Glasgow. We…read morewere really excited for the night and what a building to see a concert in. This place is gorgeous and quite grand and the acoustics were great! There were two bar areas to get a drink or ten and they were pretty reasonable for what you got. I was quite full from dinner and drinks before the show, so I let my belly settle for a while and let my guy do the drinking. The show was great and any staff we ran in to were helpful and friendly. It looked like there was balcony seating, but since this was a standing room only gig, we were down near the stage like a bunch of super fans. I'd come back for sure the next time there's a band playing that we like!

I was at the Paisley Town Hall last night for my kid sisters Spring Concert. She has been playing…read morethe violin for a couple of years now and it was really nice to go and see her play. I'm not going to lie; her and the other kids were pretty awful. Thirty 12 year olds playing stringed instruments badly is a bit of an assault on your ears! My sister was playing in the main theatre of the town hall and it is a nice theatre with the usual red velveteen seats and a lovely ornate ceiling with massive chandeliers and of course there is a stage. The town hall is a popular venue for weddings and I recently got to see some of the function rooms on a tour with a friend of mine who is getting married next year. Her fiancé wasn't able to go with her so apparently my bridesmaid duties include being a surrogate husband to be! All of the function rooms are lovely with the similar beautiful coloured ceiling as the theatre and gorgeous elaborate arches over the doors and windows. One room has big French windows which lead out onto a long balcony with stunning views off the Paisley Abbey and its grounds. From the outside the town hall is a very nice looking building too and was built during Victorian times and appears to have changed little from how it would have looked then. Certain parts of the town hall are looking a little bit worn but all in all I think this is a venue definitely worth considering if your ever having some sort of function or event.

Although denounced as an expensive white elephant when it first opened, I'm glad that Glasgow has a…read morevenue like the Concert Hall. It's definitely the best large-hall environment for classical music, and it's also pretty good for rock or other amplified concerts too; although it can't compete with the likes of the SECC or the Hydro in staging the larger acts. I think they sometimes over-stretch themselves when trying to stage large ballet productions and the like, as the stage isn't designed to hold a lot of scenery and they just don't have the technical infrastructure that a normal theatre does, but I have to give them full marks for some of the more innovative shows that they have put on here. The biggest and best has to be Celtic Connections, which has grown from a small traditional music gathering intended to bring a bit of relief to dark January winter days, to the world's largest traditional music festival, a truly global phenomenon and a real feather in Scotland's (and Glasgow's) cap. They also use the smaller Strathclyde Suite for smaller shows, events and functions, and often you will find exhibitions or craft fairs taking over the foyers on quiet weekends - the regular Mind, Body & Spirit fairs are popular for example. The architecture of the building is nothing to write home about and is probably best described as 'functional'. Inside it seems very easy to get lost as there are so many different levels and areas to wander about in. It seems very spacious, but when a full house is trying to exit at the end of a performance, suddenly it feels very cramped. Good points - the foyer bar is nice and long so it doesn't get too mobbed. Bad points - There never seems to be enough loos at larger concerts and the interval queues can be lengthy.

I was 100% sure I'd already written this review but there you go, I think I have review amnesia…read more After reading Scott C's review I went back to read what I'd written and *boom* - there was nothing there. Anyway, I'm here now to tell you all about why I think this is a great venue. Mainly, seating. I love sitting down. Too much, if the news has taught me anything. Sitting down is going to kill me, but now I'm the other side of 30 it's my second favourite position after laying down. We went to see Ben Folds perform here and aside from the fact the gig was exceptional, the seats were comfy, well spaced out and generally amazing. We had good seats too - in the main section along the side, and had a great view. The rest of the building is worth a visit, even if you're not going to a performance there. It's a great space, well laid out and easy to navigate. This was my first visit, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the upcoming shows now that I know what a great space it is.

Yesterday I took my 1st trip on the Govan Ferry and you know one of the best things about it? It's…read moreabsolutely FREE! Yes, you pay nowt, nada, zilch, not a penny to ride across the Clyde River from Govan to the Riverside Museum/Tallship. Most excellent indeed my friends! I managed to catch one of the last rides across from Govan to the RM at about 5:50pm & it's so handy if you want to walk-ferry-walk home or even cycle-ferry-cycle home as the ferry allows (a few) cycles on board. Double whoop! You can catch the ferry either from down at Water Row pontoon or at the Riverside Museum harbour. It runs from 8am - 6pm Mon-Fri and at the weekends 9:45am - 5:30pm. Those times midweek are pretty darn handy for you if you happen to work in Govan (as I do) or if you live in Govan and work in Partick or Yoker area. Yesterday evening was lovely & sunny so taking a cheeky wee boat across the river just felt like a wee extravagant, luxurious way to commute home from work. I imagine this must be what Beyonce feels like...stepping onto a ferry (or rather MASSIVE yacht/speedboat) to travel homewards to her 'crib'...oh yeeaahhh...Rollin' with the homies indeed. Then I was rudely awoken by a GIANT seagull (or Glasgull as I call them) screaming in my face and I was back in the room/on the Clyde *sigh* Even though I may not be a millionaire singer superstar I did feel a *wee* bit like one stepping onto a boat and not having to cross the pirates/captains palm with silver (or more likely indestructible plastic notes these days), travelling for free is always nice. You want to know the other cool thing about the Govan Ferry? Apparently if they get enough folk using it then they can build up a good argument for putting in place a proper bridge across this part of the water, which I think would be ace. Also SUPER handy for those now working/travelling to the new SUPER hospital in Govan. Jah. So, good people of Glasgow I urge you to make use of this glorious FREE service whilst you can as the only drawback here is this ferry unfortunately only runs from early July until mid August :-( I'm not sure why it's only for about a month? Answers on a postcard please. Like boats? Like rivers? Like museums of transport or really tall ships? Like the wonder of Govan? Like free things? Then what are you waiting for?! Ride the Govan Ferry like Marc Bolan did a white swan. La-la-laaaaa....*hums sea shanty*

For an overnight stay, it did the trick. We're back in Scotland and heading to another town early…read moremorning. So it would be easier to just stay next door. It's one the hotel that's right across from airport. A couple minutes walk through the parking lot and you're at the front steps of hotel. Check in was pretty easy. It's three floors and only two elevators. While only one was operating. It's quite small even though it has a minimum limit of people, there was no way that it seemed legit . So it was always a wait trying to get on. The room was decent, but really cold when we checked in. We got inside after 10pm so after being freezing outside, it was a shock entering the cold room. Restroom is pretty decent in size with a stand in shower. If you don't know, there's no outlet allowed in the uk bathrooms which is a common thing. Only thing available was for the shavers. Iron and ironing board, blow dryer also available. There's a small seating area next to bed. Bed, it's probably a full size which was comfortable. Outlets were on the side of the headboard with the adjustable light. The room itself was ok. You also needed your key card to operate the room. To warm up the room, we left one of the key in while we went down to the lobby for a drink. There's a bar next to front desk which operated late. We did wanted some food but only limited items available for late night dining. Your basic pizzas and some sandwiches were available. I believe it's a full bar but we just stuck to beers. Food wise, ended up ordering a margarita pizza and bbq chicken toasties sandwich. Pizza was ok but it didn't have the basil as it should. Toasties were ok as well and served with some potatoes chips. Service was ok, even though they asked if we wanted anything else, they never brought it. The silverware and extra sauces that they offered but never brought. The hotel offers continental breakfast with our stay until 9:30am. You have your traditional Scottish breakfast with bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, fried tomatoes, baked beans, hash browns and different breads and pastries. Granola, fruits and cereal also available. Full coffee machine and tea but their juices were so watered down. Orange juice and apple was like drinking water with flavors. The food selection was good with a lot to choose from. It was good as it comes with the stay. Overall, it was nice. Easy walk over from the airport. Bar and restaurant inside. Downfall, only one elevator working. There was also a vending machine for all your essential if you forgot them.

I just stayed at this hotel on June 25 due to an early 7am flight the next morning. What a BIG…read moremistake. They are very family unfriendly and the hotel staff was extremely rude during our stay. After a very long day that included a delay due to a flat tire, we arrived late at night. While my wife went to check in and I and my 2 daughters returned the rental car and carried the luggage back. After getting into the room we discovered that the 2nd bed in the room was actually a very small pull out sofa bed that had no sheets. When I went to the front desk to request them, the lady there told me that we only had 2 people on our hotels.com reservation and that we were not 'authorized' for more than that in the room and that my 2 daughters must immediately leave the premises and find other lodging for the night unless I pay them $180GB ($220 USD) on the spot for the 2 additional guests in the room. It was midnight at the time and we had to leave to check into our flight in 5 hrs. I went back to the room and a short time later she was banging on our door demanding the money or for 2 people to leave the room. Regrettably I had to pay (now up to over $450 USD for one night) due to lack of time to find alternative lodging. But it would have been much cheaper to stay in town and use UBER than to stay at this hotel. After paying I overheard them talking about 'freeloading Americans' due to my only putting 2 people in the hotels.com reservation instead of saying it was a family of 4 and it seems (after looking into it later) that this hotel charges by the occupant, not by the room. If she had just politely explained things I am sure something could have been worked out.