Hillhead Farm Lets

Having read a few negative reviews on Tripadvisor I was a little worried about our stay here. Absolutely no need to have worried. Elaine greeted us and she was so friendly and helpful having noticed I was on crutches. Room was clean, warm and comfortable. All round very good experience

We stayed in room 4 at the Hillhead Farm Lets. Check in was very easy. Room was spacious and clean. Tea & Coffee facilities provided. Beds weren’t too comfy, but ideal for a stop over. We ate at the pub across the main road, which was reasonably priced. Downside was that these are situated in the middle of a building site. Houses are nearly finished, so they will be situated in the middle of a housing estate, so no view. I would return here, but only for a stop over when travelling further north.

Lots of construction activity at neighbouring properties. There was a very bright construction light shining in through the window. Car park very small and difficult to manoeuvre a large car or van. Poorly equipped room - no hooks or other storage in bathroom. No toiletries. Bath towels were small. On arrival all the windows were open, so the room temperature was close to the 2C outside temperature, and no effective way to heat room, as the only heater was a storage heater and did not work. The bed consisted of two single beds pushed together and a layer of thin foam layed over the top. The foam was larger than the mattress meaning that there was an overhang of foam with no mattress underneath it. Worse still, the mattress was completely burst open along the entire length of one side, the springs and insulation were exposed and there was little support on that side of the mattress. The owner must have known as they would have noticed the mattress had a gaping hole when changing the sheets. Duvet wasn't wide enough for the bed, unless you are flat Stanley. Window blind was broken so did not fully close. The room was not very clean. There were stains on the bed frame and also on the cushions. The bedside units were worn and tired. The shower worked, but the flow was poor. Had booked for three nights but only stayed for one - getting a decent night's sleep is a fundamental requirement, and it was well short of that standard given the terrible bed. We have been let down and ripped off.

To go to this accommodation it is necessary to have a car. Public transport is a single bus per hour or a taxi (8 -10 pounds). Development Housing is being built around the place, so there was noise from machinery/trucks from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day. The room was very bright. The owner is not very kind and unfriendly.

We booked this hotel 4 months ago, and 3 days before our trip they cancelled our booking because they have a wedding and decided to give our room to the bride to put make up on. They offered to provide me with an alternative option, which is inferior to their standards, and refuse to pay for a similar accommodation. I found them rude, disrespectful, inconsiderate and with lack of customer care. I strongly advice everyone to avoid booking with them, since they wouldn't hesitate to ditch you if something better comes up.

Never actually stayed as the booking was cancelled by the host with less than 48 hours notice. (recurring theme here). We had booked many months in advance. We were informed this was an administrative error. When I asked how the refund would be arranged I was sent an illegible Pay Pal receipt and given a new excuse for the cancellation (cited as a brawl between previous guests that had made the accommodation unusable). Having booked and paid through a booking agency, I contacted this agency. It was made clear that the hosts had not informed the agency of the cancellation and the refund could not be processed until the cancellation was confirmed. The refund matter was resolved by the booking agency, though the reason for cancellation reverted to 'administrative error'. The reviews show that this problem has occurred for other travellers over many years. This property is either very poorly run or there is some questionable business practice taking place.

Spent 1 night here with my friend. The room was spotless and also very cosy. We met Elaine and she was lovely. Would highly recommend and would definitely stay here again if I was through in Stirling/Bannockburn area. My friend and I ate at Thistle Arms and it was delicious.