Stopped in at Brambles for a spot of lunch and wasn't disappointed. Steak baguette with a mug of…read moresoup was the order of today. Absolutely beautiful. The sourdough bread sublime. Decided to have a scone instead of the usual dessert menu. Best scones on the island by far.

We ate at Brambles (the seafood restaurant) on our final night in Arran, and it was probably the…read moremeal I was most excited for. I love seafood, and I was interested to see what Auchrannie was like. We walked from Brodick - it's a bit of a strange walk and you'll probably feel like you took the wrong turn off as the road is very residential (I expected it to be estate grounds) but then you'll arrive at the resort. Brambles is a very Scottish, cosy restaurant with a fireplace and lots of tartan. I liked the decor although it was a little bit too dark in the restaurant. No bother. We were greeted at the door and asked if we wanted to hang up our own coats on the rack (there's a first, most restaurants will at least take your coat for you) and then shown to our table. We were the first table in the restaurant, and then they seated another table of two right next to us. In a completely empty restaurant. So frustrating! Why do they do that? It it so awkward. Anyway. We were told the specials of the day and looked over the menu. Another waiter was then telling the table next to us the specials and couldn't remember them or read the specials board from where he was standing. I have to say, for a restaurant that obviously wants you to feel like you're eating somewhere expensive and fancy, the service really let it down. They were awkwardly formal and stilted. I had the Scottish brown crab soup to start (tomato and fennel bisque, white crab meat with lemon and cracked pepper croutons) and then grilled fillet of garlic scented sea bass for main (with west coast crab and coriander fritters, buttered spinach with chorizo and chickpea salsa). I really expected a lot from the food - after all, they say they're the finest seafood restaurant on Arran but I was really disappointed. The soup was pretty bland - no distinct taste of crab and just an "ok" soup overall. I was hoping for better from the main but again, I really wasn't very impressed with the food - the fritters were nearly burnt and the sea bass was fine but really lacked flavour. The nicest part of the meal was the side of mustard mash. We decided not to get dessert as Graeme wasn't really impressed with his food either. We just got the bill and headed home. It was pretty expensive too - I think around £80 including a bottle of wine. For them boasting about being such a great seafood restaurant I have to say I was disappointed and really didn't think the food was impressive. I much preferred the Drift Inn in Lamlash.

Great bed and breakfast…read more Room: spacious, homely, comfortable; with great bed (I like my sleep), and sink and great view. Location: if you like travelling and like your highlands, islands, and scenery, this is a must. Great location, easy to find. Gorgeous. Breakfast: WOW. Loved it. Quality and Quantity -- had both. Also the girlfriend had choice of fruits and cereals -- I went for full English. Landlords: great bunch, very friendly; welcoming and talkative, but also understand that as soon as you are in you want a shower and a cup of tea. We travelled by car -- plenty of spaces. Had loads of pubs and restaurants (I like my food). Landlord recommended great places for walks and leisure for girlfriend. Great trip. Great B+B.

A very nice place to stay that is warm and cozy. Reminds you of your home and the people are…read moreextremely friendly and helpful! Our family was really welcome and we enjoyed ourselves. Great food Great accommodation Great people Can't wait to return

This was the setting for my sisters 50th birthday meal, and what a great setting it was…read more We arrived a little early to deck out the table and area with a couple of balloons and banner, the staff couldn't have been more helpful allowing us to sort it all out before the guest of honour arrived. This done we waited on the rest of the party in the residents lounge, where there were plenty of comfy seats and tables in the conservatory with a well stocked bar (a plethora of whiskeys on offer as befits a bar not far from the ferry terminal over to Islay and Jura) just off it with craft beers etc. On the arrival of the rest of the party while we sorted out drinks in the lounge the waitress dished out menus and after a suitable time perusing, took the order for the meal, allowing us a little time to catch up before informing us that the starters were ready and allowing us to decant to the table in the other end of the conservatory. Bright and spacious surroundings in the restaurant and comfortable seating make this a pleasant place to be. The food was superb starters consisted of scallops which were seared to perfection on black pudding, pulled pork on a black pudding with a poached egg on top and all cooked perfectly. Mains were Fish and chips with a healthy bit of fish and chunky cut chips, rump frites again a perfectly seared and not insubstantial lump of rump and skinny fries, mac and cheese with the option of spicy sausage through it, creamy and delicious, rib eye steak again juicy, beautifully prepared and with sides of mushrooms and vine tomatoes. Deserts were rather good as well, all in all a fantastic unrushed night and great company in clean, comfortable surroundings.

We were looking for a place to stay around 6pm and found this BnB on google. It was very hard to…read morelocate without the house number visible due to a tall stone fence, and without a normal BnB sign on the outside. There is, however, a small metal sign by the driveway entrance that says "Carlton." Alas, we were there. And there was one room available. And it was rather affordable (65 on a Friday evening, with breakfast). The place is grand and beautiful on the outside, and quaint on the inside. The large gardens have an exit to the beach, which we took advantage of to walk to the Waterside for dinner. Avril, our host, knows a lot about the history of the area and we had interesting conversations with her. The rooms are all antique and historical, with old tvs and radios, antique photos (mostly people in military uniform, I guess family since she inherited the house from her father), and trinkets from other times. We found it characterful and charming, all of it...until we got into the small double bed and our feet hit the footboard. We moved the mattress to the floor to sleep comfortably- we are both tall, 5'10 and 6'1. So that was interesting, but gave us a good giggle.The bathroom is shared, it's the first time I've had that experience, though it would have been fine we didn't shower. Breakfast was good; she asked what we wanted, but I felt rather like I was imposing on her so I just asked for eggs. She didn't have any gf food, so I had eggs and coffee. My fault, except if given options I would have chosen one or two more things. Overall really nice experience.

A useful place to stop off after a walk along the Greenock Cut, the Kelly Cut, or to Loch Thom and…read morethe reservoirs. However, I think the facilities in the Visitor Centre are a bit disappointing for the size of the place. The cafe is quite large with lots of wooden tables and chairs, and it's clean and tidy, but there's little in the way of refreshments, just coffee/tea and a small selection of cakes and biscuits. The one lady serving could have been friendlier too. Apart from that, it's a nice building and shelter from the elements (!) with useful leaflets about the area, and some children's toys for sale. A big car park, and it's free too.

Ormidale Estate has 4 different homes to rent for a holiday or special occassion. It's in a…read morebeautifully rural part of Scotland that's only over 1 hour and a half away from Glasgow. If you really want to get away from the hustle and bustle, this is the place you want to go. I stayed in the Mill House which is next to the Old Barn. There is a large open plan kitchen that leads on to the living room with three big comfy sofas, a large tv and real fireplace. Off the livingroom, there's a utility room with another fridge, a washing machine and tumble dryer. Next door, there's a games room with plenty of games, books and DVDs to occupy kids. Upstairs, there's a sauna and 9 bedrooms for 22 people to stay. Some of the rooms have double beds and others have bunk beds with a double bed at the bottom. There's no ensuites but there are a total of 4 bathrooms. The bedrooms are quite small but there are storage spaces underneath the bed. There's another seating area next to the bedrooms that leads out onto the outdoor area that's got a hot tub and trampoline. There's plenty of seating for 22 people and the garden area was placed away from the Old Barn's outdoor area which gave us more privacy. What I Liked: * Plenty of space to roam around the estate and cars are parked away from the house. * The house had two dishwashers so we always had enough cutlery. * The house was decorated nicely and had a cosy feel, it felt lived in (in a good way). * Although it's self catering, they had just about everything you needed for cooking and dining. Ormidale Estate is near Kames, a lovely part of Scotland that gets a lot of sun with views to the Isle of Bute. I'd go back again as even with a house of 22 people, it never felt overcrowded.

Stayed as a guest of Fraser Dallas for a brilliant birthday weekend. Everyone had a brilliant time,…read morethe place was big and beautiful and brilliantly equipped. The hot tub, like the swimming pool was a big hit and the on-site catering second to none.

Recently renamed Menzies hotel, the former Thistle hotel is the only local 4 star hotel in Irvine…read moreoffering a wide and varied selection from a la carte menu to plain fayre if desired.Function suites are available all year round catering for events as diverse as childrens birthday parties to banquets.Encorporated within the bulding is an indoor leisure pool.Outside it boasts a 9 hole golf course which is frequented by both patrons and public alike.Truly a hotel which embraces itself to the community as more than just a high class establishment for wining and dining.

Friendly, helpful people in the interesting Visitor Centre and the gift shop was handy for some…read moresmall gifts to take home. We quite liked the cafe too and sat outside to have a snack at the wooden picnic tables, but under cover as it was unfortunately very wet that day. (There's a big enclosed courtyard) Plenty of free parking in the big car park.

Eglinton Country park Centre is a great wee place to visit with the kids. The park itself is vast…read moreand offers great walks and play areas. There is lots of wildlife to see aswell. I am doing the Race for Life here next month and really looking forward to it.