Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Spa

2 night stay. First room had view of car park and a large stain on carpet. We were moved to a room with a lovely view of golf course. Breakfast was nice but our main complaint is to Hotels.com for not advising us that the pool was closed for a few weeks.

Loved the Spa, 18 metre swimming pool, sauna and steam room.

Friendly staff and very comfy bed. Room seemed a little dated. Breakfast lovely. Disappointing that pool was closed but overall nice stay

The deluxe room overlooking the golf course with opening patio doors was excellent and made our stay memorable. Leisure facilities such as swimming pool, steam room and sauna were good and the spa staff wonderful. On arrival, Bob on reception made us feel welcome and was brilliant. Dining in the restaurant in the evening was pleasant and with good menu options however breakfast service disorganised with being asked to wait while a table was made available which was annoying as never experienced this before at other hotels we have stayed at. The hotel is perfectly located for hiking and beautiful views so scenic. We couldnt fault any of the staff they were all wonderful and polite. We will certainly be visiting again as one of the best hotels we have stayed in.

Lovely hotel great pool and spa

Excellent stay all in all. We was planning to attend the Edinburgh Xmas markets but didn’t want to stay in the hustle and bustle of the city center. We wanted a hotel with a pool so this hotel fit the bill exactly! It’s about 45 minute (very scenic) drive from Edinburgh and better still there’s a bus literally on the doorstop to the city center. We checked in at approx 10pm and found the hotel and its staff to be warm and inviting. The room was very spacious with all the amenities you’d expect (coffee/tea equipment, iron, ironing board, hair drier) and even a branded luxury was kit included! The bathroom was spacious with hot water and good water pressure. The main king size bed was very comfortable and the bedding pristine and warm. Our daughter’s sofa type bed was less comfortable and the mattress was a bit thin and flimsy but she said it was ok to sleep on. We had the full English breakfast which was cooked to perfection but wasn’t the biggest breakfast. I’d have liked hash brown, beans and more mushrooms but couldn’t knock the quality. We used the pool which was lovely (but a little cold) the steam room and hot rock sauna were fantastic. Better still they allow children over 8 into the saunas which my daughter loved. Areas of the hotel are a little tired and need a bit of a touch up but all in all a very nice stay. Thanks to the staff who were very helpful and made it a really pleasant stay.

Could do with some improvement, carpet in rooms very worn and stained. Same with upholstery, sofa in room had holes in the upholstery and appeard dirty. Beds comfortable, ensuite clean and nice shower with Elemis products. Reception staff very helpful. Pool, sauna and spa unavailable for use but we werent informed either before our stay or at check in.

Spa facilities were basic and not very clean, a bit disappointing. Room was a good size and bed very comfortable

Have stayed here many times A good location for walking and quite Needs to be refreshed, parts of the hotel are currently being redecorated but furnishings in the bedroom starting to show their age! Spa and pool facilities good and staff there very accommodating and friendly

Lovely hotel, pool, sauna, steam room and a great breakfast

Overall impression was of a dated, dirty hotel in serious need of updating, maintenance and investment. Some staff clearly need training.

Terrible experience I got into bed after a long day to find a dirty sock in the bedding the sheets were not fresh at all when I let staff no checking out all they said was sorry Awful experience

We booked a rare overnight stay to celebrate my birthday, having arranged childcare for our two young children — but the experience was incredibly disappointing from start to finish. Upon arrival, there was no one at reception and we waited nearly 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged us. Our room was dirty: the safe didn’t work, there was no fridge, visible mould in the bathroom, and a stained headboard that left us uneasy. When we complained, we were told no other rooms were available and the only solution offered was a re-clean. The hotel felt run-down. The lifts were out of service, the pool area was unclean, the steam room didn't function, and the spa itself was in poor condition. My massage was interrupted by scratched, skipping CD music and noise from an adjacent waiting area. Worst of all, the therapist ignored my request for lighter pressure, leaving me in pain. Staff at Spikes Bar were rude when we asked about food, replying simply “not today.” We ended up paying £10 for four dry, stale chicken wings at the main restaurant — a total rip-off. In the morning, the kettle in our room was full of mouldy water and the mugs were dirty. This was meant to be a relaxing birthday treat, but instead it was a stressful, unhygienic and disappointing experience. I am requesting a full refund and hope the hotel takes serious steps to improve. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone based on our stay.

I booked the superior room and it was anything but. Dirty linen, holes in the divan, shelving was battered, bathroom panels in a terrible state, no leather left on headboard, chairs were in a right state and a dusty smell to boot. I asked to change rooms and was taken to the only other superior room which was in just as bad state. The hotel worker even commented on how bad the smell was. Had to downgrade my room to find one that was clean enough to stay in. The surrounding area is beautiful but this hotel needs a major refurbishment it’s tired and dated and I wouldn’t waste my money staying at another Macdonald any time soon.

There was a pungent smell in our room as you opened the door maybe the fabric chairs need washed tv is out of date as no Bluetooth facilities the bed in our room was two singles bases joined together the latch that should lock them together was not fixed so the beds were splitting apart when we were about to use them bathroom nice and large clean food in restaurant is overpriced Indian section bland tasteless service in restaurant great manager and waiting team location is beautiful where to hotel is chefs need to be trained better carpets in rooms need washed so that rooms feel fresh

The rooms were so dirty and outdated no staff available at night.

A lovely hotel even if tiles in the entrance are strange as they look like mucky footprints . Evening dinner menu was limited and food awful . Don’t order Chicken tikka ! Room was lively but things like the muck round the soap dispenser were a bit concerning as to when it was last cleaned or filled . Breakfast choice and quality of food lovely but the areas around the Bain Marie’s were littered with spoiled food and clogged serving spoons and the food was always cold and even on our two week days busy from 9 am so had to wait over twenty minutes for a table .

For a 4* hotel the building, in a lot of places, was tatty. In my room there was a lot of paint which had flaked off the windowsill, one of the windows didn’t close, there were chips on both the shower tray and sink, and the radiator was covered in rust. Some areas of carpet in communal areas was fraid. There was a very limited amount of tv channels and the lift didn’t work the whole time I stayed. The receptionist originally directed me to the lift. I was up two flights of stairs, I am an OAP but there was no offer to help me with my luggage on arrival or departure. I was asked during my stay to give feedback from the company and did. I got no response. For the price I paid I was extremely disappointed.

Such a shame McDonald Hotels are not investing any money into their properties. They should be ashamed of themselves. We visited here in 2021 and found it to be charming. Such a beautiful location and service as a 4 star hotel should be. We returned for another 1 night stop over this week and were so disappointed to find the hotel tired and grimey with dreadful carpets and faded drapes, cracked tiles and even a hand towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door from the previous guests! The reception staff were pleasant and welcoming but the prices in the bar and restaurant were terrible. Breakfast was £24 Person if you didn’t book it with the room, but then also they had a £6 supplement for certain dishes like avocado on toast, eggs Benedict and eggs royale etc and the moment I ordered one of these dishes I was immediately asked if I realised this incurred a £6 surcharge. Obviously being able to read I could see this and said yes, and to my amazement, instead of adding it to the room bill for checkout, the card machine was whipped straight out and we had to pay there and then before breakfast was even cooking. Having then tasted the poor excuse for this dish with hard poached eggs, a measly amount of hollandaise sauce, a far from fresh muffin with very strange textured salmon, I could then understand why, as frankly I wouldn’t have paid £15 for such a sub standard offering let alone £30. Thank god we were only there for one night. We won’t be returning again as frankly I be

The images are deceiving. The property is extremely dated, dirty and smells terrible. Our bedding literally smelt like putrid sweat. The property is not in a remote setting, it is in fact on a busy main road. When we arrived, we were placed in what felt like the basement with windows that were feet away from the busy road, certainly not worth what we paid, which was exorbitant! After complaining, we were put on the golf side of the building, and on the first floor, where our bedding and hallways smelt awful. There was mould growing in the bathroom on the walls and ceiling, some sort of cream or gel from the previous occupants had not even been wiped off the walls, nor their hair vacuumed or wiped off the sink. This is the worst misrepresentation of a hotel I have ever seen in my numerous years of using Expedia and travelling to numerous countries. To see images, find my Google review.

Nice spacious room though a bit tired. Comfortable and clean. Nice atmosphere in the hotel. Evening meal not so so in parts. Lovely setting and decent golf course.

We arrived late after a long drive. Reception was indifferent Room was fine if a little tired . Comfortable bed

Rooms are tired, now also cashless

The WiFi was poor and kept loosing signal. Not as bad after moving rooms.

Functionality for connecting to WIFI is user unfriendly, I was the third person having to return to Reception to have it enabled. Room cold on arrival, room heater functionality complex, no instructions availability. Toilet cracked, bathroom tiles cracked, rust on the handles for people with limited mobility. Everything about the Cadrona indicates faded glory with petty efforts to squeeze further savings out of running costs

Cant believe no wifi in room and patchy unusable in most areas. Restaurant staff are not that engaging. Massage was awsome. Food was nice. If ur not into Golf would stay somewhere else.

Could do with some improvement, carpet in rooms very worn and stained. Same with upholstery, sofa in room had holes in the upholstery and appeard dirty. Beds comfortable, ensuite clean and nice shower with Elemis products. Reception staff very helpful. Pool, sauna and spa unavailable for use but we werent informed either before our stay or at check in.

Only thing wrong was poor internet signal

Excellent stay . Spacious room . Good shower , very comfortable bed . Blissfully quiet & beautiful view .

There was nobody at reception to check me in and I had to wait a while but the staff were friendly. Ordered room service which was not great as dish was slightly cold and I was charged quite heavily for the convenience! Room was quite noisy as above the area of the bar where people could sit outside.

Lovely 3day break. Food was lovely, serviing was very helpful, staff were excellent willing to go the extra mile. Really nigh time with no hassles recommend it to anyone.

The facilities were very good and we were very comfortable. The restaurant experience was poor - long waiting times to be served, had to ask more than once for water, menus etc. Customer focus was missing. Seemed like the restaurant staff needed more training & supervision.

Room was excellent and clean .. staff were helpful Food was amazing ..

Even though it was a little dated, the hotel was nice and comfortable. It’s a beautiful location and we did lots of walking and enjoyed the pool and steam room. However the service was poor at best. Breakfast was pure comedy. On the night of stay, I was frustrated to have to wait 15 mins plus to order a drink and then despite sitting patiently at the bar for 15 mins, the bar served someone who arrived behind me. We waited so long to be served we went to another local pub for more drinks. Breakfast was hilarious. We waited 30 mins to be seated in a queue, whilst looking at at least 10 empty tables. The food was quite nice but the service was so slow to clear tables that other hotel guests started clearing and cleaning tables to help get the queue moving. Never seen anything like a child cleaning tables at a hotel his parents paid for. Some young lass was literally telling staff what to do. Then to top it off one of the candle heaters under the food somehow grew to an actual fire. Another guest in a strong Scottish accent shouted ‘Fire. There’s a fire. Is there a fire extinguisher or a blanket’ to which no staff responded. Some guy put out the fire and everyone cheered. Breakfast was funny and quite tasty.

Breakfast was terrible but the staff are outstanding

Lovely location with good countryside views. We found the waiting staff and one night male receptionist were not very welcoming with a smile 🙁 Daytime female receptionist was jolly and chatty and helpful 😀. The bed maker made the quilt cover too short and didn’t reach our shoulders. Following morning we pulled the excess quilt cover out of the bottom of the bed and had a better warm night sleep. Very good breakfast.

Staff were insular and not helpful. We were not aware checkout was at 11 am and they actually opened our door and yells at us to get out.

Beautiful views.Plenty parking and excellent service .Staff more than helpful at reception and food first class.

Reception welcome was very good . Room was very good ,nice and comfortable. Restaurant for dinner was very pleasant. Breakfast was shocking ,we were seated, waiter wanted our hot drinks order and hot food order ( we had only sat down and haven't even seen the menu). We waited a long time for our hot order to be taken ,in fact 2 clients stopped the waitress to give there order .We went for fruit and cereal, while awaiting our hot order. Hot order came and our finished cold food plates were still on the table we had to move them ,because the waiter only has 2 hands !!!!. No supervision of tables ,tables left with dirty plates and cutlery. I went to get bread to toast ,,no tongs to lift any bread or pastries . Nobody came to ask if everything was okay . I wouldn't class the breakfast as busy ,,just not enough helpful staff that know what they are doing . Very disappointing.. Im glad the breakfast price was included in the room price because £24 per person is very expensive.

There was nobody at reception to check me in and I had to wait a while but the staff were friendly. Ordered room service which was not great as dish was slightly cold and I was charged quite heavily for the convenience! Room was quite noisy as above the area of the bar where people could sit outside.

Nice spacious room though a bit tired. Comfortable and clean. Nice atmosphere in the hotel. Evening meal not so so in parts. Lovely setting and decent golf course.

Country club feel, with lovely surroundings.

Loved the location. Very spacious room with comfortable bed. Enjoyed the swimming pool.

Hotels pretty run down, our room was a good size but curtains were ripped and carpet stained. Most of the staff were great but the breakfast staff with the exception of the manager all just walked around aimlessly. Almost every table was covered in dirty plates and they just walked past them back into the kitchen at snails pace. Pool is a good addition and hotel is a great position to access peebles if yiu have a car as about 5 min drive

Lovely hotel in beautiful surroundings.

Location of outstanding beautt

Excellent stay all in all. We was planning to attend the Edinburgh Xmas markets but didn’t want to stay in the hustle and bustle of the city center. We wanted a hotel with a pool so this hotel fit the bill exactly! It’s about 45 minute (very scenic) drive from Edinburgh and better still there’s a bus literally on the doorstop to the city center. We checked in at approx 10pm and found the hotel and its staff to be warm and inviting. The room was very spacious with all the amenities you’d expect (coffee/tea equipment, iron, ironing board, hair drier) and even a branded luxury was kit included! The bathroom was spacious with hot water and good water pressure. The main king size bed was very comfortable and the bedding pristine and warm. Our daughter’s sofa type bed was less comfortable and the mattress was a bit thin and flimsy but she said it was ok to sleep on. We had the full English breakfast which was cooked to perfection but wasn’t the biggest breakfast. I’d have liked hash brown, beans and more mushrooms but couldn’t knock the quality. We used the pool which was lovely (but a little cold) the steam room and hot rock sauna were fantastic. Better still they allow children over 8 into the saunas which my daughter loved. Areas of the hotel are a little tired and need a bit of a touch up but all in all a very nice stay. Thanks to the staff who were very helpful and made it a really pleasant stay.

Stunning location with rolling hills , lots of walks and cycle paths Property was constantly getting cleaned and the rooms were very spacious The breakfast was delicious and the staff very friendly Will definitely be booking again , and passing on how great the hotel is to family and friends.

Beautiful views.Plenty parking and excellent service .Staff more than helpful at reception and food first class.

The hotel is in a brilliant location

The facilities were very good and we were very comfortable. The restaurant experience was poor - long waiting times to be served, had to ask more than once for water, menus etc. Customer focus was missing. Seemed like the restaurant staff needed more training & supervision.

Stayed here for one night with my partner, room was nice, basic and clean. Comfortable bed. Horrible shower that went really hot and really cold intermittently. Quite expensive food and drink wise. The breakfast was awful… so so bad. Nice pool. Nice Surroundings. Friendly staff.

Breakfast was terrible but the staff are outstanding

1. The shower temperature kept fluctuating. Reported twice but not fixed. 2. Cooked breakfast was appalling! Kept in large “dome” vessels but all tasted “rubbery”. Was pointed out to Management who did try to improve it the following morning.

The only complaint we had was the expensive meals inc b’fast and dinner,

A lovely hotel even if tiles in the entrance are strange as they look like mucky footprints . Evening dinner menu was limited and food awful . Don’t order Chicken tikka ! Room was lively but things like the muck round the soap dispenser were a bit concerning as to when it was last cleaned or filled . Breakfast choice and quality of food lovely but the areas around the Bain Marie’s were littered with spoiled food and clogged serving spoons and the food was always cold and even on our two week days busy from 9 am so had to wait over twenty minutes for a table .

The food was excellent. The room was comfortable and spacious. The staff were excellent in every area of our stay could not fault them. I would highly recommend the Cardrona to anyone

Outstanding venue, location, staff and facilities but the sad part was the food which was very very expensive and so disappointing.

There was nobody at reception to check me in and I had to wait a while but the staff were friendly. Ordered room service which was not great as dish was slightly cold and I was charged quite heavily for the convenience! Room was quite noisy as above the area of the bar where people could sit outside.

The overall feel of the hotel is quite dated but for the price we paid it was good value. The staff at reception were very welcoming and efficient. The room was huge, loads of space for family of 4 and it was clean and comfortable. We used the swimming pool which was a good facility, the whole pool is 1.2m deep, slightly too deep for small kids but we made do. Next was dinner, most importantly the food was pretty good and we enjoyed the meal. Service was organised but perhaps a bit rushed at times and I have to admit I did a double take at the bill, while happy with the meal we felt the prices are high for what you get. We got a good nights sleep, all the beds were comfortable and breakfast the next morning was also good, plenty of choice between continental and cooked options. The hotel is in lovely scenery with plenty of options for walking, cycling, museums etc nearby. Overall felt the bed and breakfast rate was excellent value but this was offset by the cost of the evening meal!