Macdonald Pittodrie House

Only stay here if every other hotel in the area has burnt down

This Hotel is worthy of a comedy programme. On arrival we were directed to a room at the opposite side of the hotel up and down stairs with no assistance with suitcases. Whilst trying to find our room we came across other lost guests also totally bemused by the lack of help. Dinner was Fawty Towers plus. Our warm white wine finally arrived half way through main course. No water was offered. All the tables around were waitng up to an hour before being served.All the scottish guests were curiously apologetic to us. One couple got up and left. Breakfast was as bad. No fruit, yoghurt,bread, compote, no ham and the juices had run out by 9.The menu came from Narnia.Even the waiters were embarrassed. We were forced to drive 20 mins to eat out in evening (Eat on the Green; excellent). Our last breakfast had the delight of porridge which was like concrete and cold. The waitress said she had lots of complaints but the chef declined to make any more. It is only by glossy advertising that a hotel this bad can stay open. The locals gave up on it a long time ago.

Traveller's tip on dining

A great hotel for anorexics and recovering alcoholics who like carrying heavy weights up interminable stairs.

Spoil the ship for an ’hapeth of tar

For very personal reasons I look upon Pittodrie House as my very favourite hotel in the world and I stay often. I travel all over the world on business and took the opportunity to bring my business partner to stay at Pittodrie when we were working in Aberdeen. Although the local staff were brilliant, the food marvellous, best beef we have ever eaten, the rooms lovely and the walled garden a dream some things spoilt our stay. Low energy light bulbs in the bedroom and bathrooms. my bathroom was dreadful, too dark to see to put my make up on, and in the end I was dragging a standard lamp in to the bathroom to see what I was doing., I have these bulbs at home, but not in places where you need to see what you are doing. My partner said it was a pity my room is so gloomy. But worse, the manager and receptionist were on the rude side of off-hand, we had to argue to get a meal, no-one offered to help me carry two heavy bags up and down two flights of difficult stairs, even when they watched me struggling. I asked for a better light in the bathroom and was told I could not have one as it was company policy. My stay the previous week at another MacDonald hotel in Aberdeen was not spoilt by this ’policy’, And the bill was so wrong it was laughable in a hurry we spent ages trying to justify every item on it and get a copy. Please get a grip, this is a fabulous hotel and senior management i need to get it back in line.

Take your own light bulbs and a calculator. Ask for a room with access by a lift.