Stonefield Castle Hotel Restaurant in Argyll & Bute

The hotel is in a great location on the edge of Loch Fyne and the hotel has a long road (around a quarter mile) leading up to the small castle. The view is great and from the outside, you can see the conservatory (breakfast & lunch is served there) looking out over the water. The outside of the castle walls are black in places and could do with a jet wash to brighten the stonework up like other exposed parts are. Inside, there’s a musty smell but it’s a castle after all, part of the character, right? I’m filled with fear when I’m asked what time I would be wanting breakfast, which usually means hotels can’t cope with large groups appearing randomly and guests need allocated a timeslot…never a good sign. Another bad sign is getting handed those types of keys with a long piece of wood attached (rather than a key card) which in my experience means a tired and outdated hotel. I’m led to my room up two flights of stairs (no elevator), I feel the place needs a little TLC and is tired and dimly lit. The room itself was OK but the loud creaking floorboards did annoy me a little. The bathroom has been refurbished and modern which was a relief. I go to the dimly lit conservatory and the tables, chairs, cutlery and dishes scream 1970’s but the view is lovely. Here's where it all falls apart. I order the chicken burger which strangely has cheese and bacon added (usually left for beef burgers)…never heard of it but let’s see. It arrives promptly (quicker than expected) and as I take my first few bits, I feel a jelly substance in my mouth at times and quickly stop to cut the chicken on plate to discover the chicken is not cooked! I stay overnight around 100 times per year, and I have never returned food but on this occasion, I alerted the waiter, showed him the uncooked areas and to his credit, offered to replace the burger. When he returned, he said the chef had stated that this was not the breast but the thigh as if this was some sort of explanation. It doesn’t matter if it’s the head of the chicken, it wasn’t cooked plain and simple. I felt like throwing up after taking a couple of bits as my appetite was now gone. Fortunately, I was OK, but this must be a huge red flag for the hotel…this could have been very serious.

Beautiful place . Cracking food definitely the place to go in tarbert. Great wee walk through the grounds after lunch with a few hidden spots

Well...... ...they DEFINITELY contributed to our moment!!! (I proposed to Emma before dinner and....... SHE SAID YESSS!!!!)

Lovely roast Sunday lunch. Ice starters. Pork belly for two of us and beef for the others. All excellent with the trimmings. I’m

This was an unexpected highlight of our trip to Scotland. The restaurant has huge glass windows overlooking the loch. The view is breathtaking during the day. We were a party of five who headed there for Sunday lunch The staff were friendly, approachable and worked hard to make sure we enjoyed our lunch. The food was very good and excellent value We walked down to the bay after lunch which is really worth doing.

Stayed over at the Stonefield Hotel. Very pleasant and relaxed from start to finnish breakfast was delicious grace our host was very attentive and we wanted for nothing..

Grossly overpriced for what we had. Portions were very small . Half an aubergine filled with tomato and feta and some leaves was £19 which was totally unreasonable . Breakfast was not replenished and only melon available for freshly cut fruit. Our meals here used to be a highlight of our stay but not any more.

Very disappointed. Dinner let this lovely location down so badly. £28 for lamb dish. Three tiny bits of overcooked lamb, two tiny sliced potatoes, one rotten right through, two burnt carrots and one slice of onion skin. Certainly won’t be back. Chicken dish also disappointment. Overcooked dry chicken and heated up fondant potato.

While we did not stay at the hotel, we were lucky enough to enjoy an afternoon drink on the patio and loved it and the staff so much that we came back for dinner. And what an great decision that was! Every dish was better than the last, and I don't think I've had such fresh seafood. The dining room itself is gorgeous and our server was so kind and helpful (I did not catch his name, but we were there towards the end of June and he had a wrist brace at the time - thank you!). I can't recommend the restaurant and bar enough and hope to come back for a proper stay in the hotel soon.