The Brander Lodge Hotel & Bistro in Argyll & Bute

Quite place to chill and refresh, had a lovely weekend, staff were outstanding and couldn’t do enough for their customers. Breakfast was freshly made to order. Lovely coffee, fresh juices and a selection of cheeses, hams, pastries, fruit, cereals. Dinner on the first night was ok, dinner on the second night was excellent. The rooms, while a bit out of date, were spotless. Bed and pillows were excellent and much better some places were been. The views are amazing and come the summer, once the good weather comes around, it will be beautiful to sit outside. We went for a lovely walk along the river to the campsite and back - after taking pictures of the deer that came over to visit.

Visiting here for the first time and certainly the last. Rooms tired and in desperate need of a refurb, to reflect the description on website. Making the most of things we decided to go for a nice meal in the restaurant - which could only be described like entering the Marie Celeste. Decided to play things safe by ordering a pizza 🍕… resulting in an uncooked base topped by cheddar cheese. The highlight of the meal was the side of fries to cleanse my pallet, from the pizza which started off with an after taste! Unfortunately wouldn’t recommend 😔 Breakfast - poor, cold coffee and extremely under staffed. My partner asked for a side of beans with his cooked breakfast to be told, “ the chef doesn’t serve beans as we serve mushrooms instead” 🤷🏻‍♀️ Things to do - website misleading, train station to Oban 15 minutes drive not a 6 minute walk as described.

Fuimos a cenar recomendado por la estación de servicio cercana y saboreamos un excelente fish and chips de merluza, uno de los mejores que he probado jamás, además de salmón escocés al estilo japonés. Un gran trato, entorno agradable y tranquilo y una excelente relación calidad precio.

This delightful hotel serves an amazing Sunday lunch which was real treat and excellent value. Friendly staff and cozy bar as well and not one to be missed if you’re in the area.

We hadn’t been in the Brander since it reopened under new management, and decided to give it a try on our way home from a trip to Glasgow. On arrival we were offered our choice of the bar or restaurant, and opted for the latter as it gave us lovely views in the bright modern restaurant area. It was such a lovely evening that the door to the outside patio area was open. We weren’t initially offered the set menu, but when our server Lesley spotted we didn’t have it she brought it immediately and was very helpful with comments on our choices. The menu (£17.95 for three courses) includes three choices for each course. We opted for soused fish and haggis as our starters, followed by the Sunday roast and the spaghetti with chicken and crispy bacon. For dessert we both had the lemon curd and raspberry WhimWham ( like Elton Mess, but better)! Everything was freshly cooked, excellent quality and large portions. Extremely good value, backed up by cheerful, friendly and efficient service. Will definitely return.

My partner and I have just spent 4 days in Scotland near Loch Awe and drove past this lovely bistro/hotel for three days before passing by today, Sunday 5th June 22 and deciding to drop in to see if we could grab some lunch. What a great decision on our part! Made to feel instantly welcome, drinks outside on a beautiful terrace before a stunning three course Sunday lunch. Exceptional food in brilliant surroundings and excellent staff! Jane and Lesley looked after us beautifully! We will be back and cannot wait!

I've used this restaurant over many years and it was disappointing to see standards drop in recent years and this has reflected in reviews I have read. It was therefore pleasing to see that things have greatly improved with the new team. The service was excellent the food was good and I will certainly return and support them in their efforts to return to the superb reputation the used to enjoy

The staff were amazing and so was the food, we were there for our mothers 70th birthday. The staff couldn't do enough for us and everyone was so friendly and helpful. Fantastic night had by all

Photos are very deceiving! Far too expensive for what it is… room smelt like vomit and wasn’t very nice at all… you can stay at 5* hotels for the same price

We stayed here last weekend and would not do so again. We had an issue with our evening meal which was addressed at the time. However it was our further experience at breakfast which prompted us to write to the owner about our overall visit. The buffet table had many empty plates and we enquired if the buffet would be replenished, the response to us was: “when it’s gone, it’s gone”. I'm not in the habit of placing bad reviews which is why I wrote directly to the hotel in the first instance. I was surprised to receive the attached reply. As you can see from my letter, I stated that I appreciated the gesture of the discount off the evening meal, but was questioning the lack of apology or interest from the Management or staff. I was at no time threatening, in fact why would I first go to the bother of writing to the hotel directly rather than simply place a poor review. It is the reply I received (attached) which has prompted me to post this review. It would seem that this hotel does not appreciate constructive feedback.

My husband and I spent 2 nights here at a friend’s wedding. Nice bright hotel with comfy beds and good sized en-suites. The bar area is very nice and there’s lovely gardens to sit out in. Beautiful area down by the river where you can totally relax. The main asset, imho, are the staff, who were so helpful and pleasant.

Hidden out of the way close to Taynuilt is the beautiful setting of the Brander Lodge. Staying at the local holiday park we walked here to find ourselves in a lovely breakfast room overlooking the garden. It was a shame that it was raining as a seat outside would have been lovely! We sat down to an excellent lunch with well presented food, lovely soup and sandwich combinations and plenty of choice across the menu. While it wasn't cheap, it was excellent and the staff could not have been nicer or more helpful in suggesting a trip down to the waterside. I'd venture back here again.

We were a bit sceptical since this place is out in the countryside on its own - but oh, it was so good! The owners have obviously decided exactly how to upgrade well and it was great on so many levels. Beautiful room with patio. Excellent bathroom and fabulous shower (never had one as powerful ANYWHERE). Beds were dreamy - so warm, cosy and comfortable. The staf were all really great, eager to please and lovely to chat to. The bar, dining room and breakfast rooms are only decorated in modern style and everything is pleasing to the eye. Whilst menu seemed poor for dinner - it improved when we were told about the specials - it might be worth making more of a statement online about this. I had both specials - the crab then salmon and they were excellent. Breakfast was none the worse for a standard menu and it was very good food. Hadn't room for a danish pastry though (more's the pity). Really wished we had been staying longer. Certainly be a fabulous place for a wedding.