Customer Reviews by Destination - Dumfries & Galloway

We stayed one night only at the Gretna Hall Hotel en route to the Highlands booking the special dinner, bed and breakfast deal. All I can say is am glad we did! The 3 course evening meal was in a lovely restaurant, the hotel was in superb grounds and we were fascinated by the history behind the weddings of by-gone era's where young 16 year olds fled. You can visit the actual Blacksmith's (not the be confused with the more modern Blacksmith's where weddings take place nowadays) and the 'bridal' suite is still there too! Breakfast next day was all you could want - and more! Just had to try the haggis!!! Service and staff excellent. Would definitely recommend and will definitely return for one of the 'special' celidah weekends.

The Scottish Amateur Championships

We visited the Aston Hotel Dumfries for a 2-night break at the end of a very high-mileage trip combining business and visiting relatives. By the time we reached the hotel, we were feeling somewhat jaded. The welcome from the reception staff got us off to a good start, and although the restaurant was full (we hadn't booked in advance), the room service menu was excellent and we were still able to enjoy great food (the balmoral chicken was particularly tasty) without having to travel anywhere else that evening. The room was spotlessly clean and a good size, and although the modern extension doesn't look great from the outside, it's bright and airy on the inside. We found all of the staff we had dealings with to be very pleasant and helpful. On the 2nd night we ate in the restaurant, and again the food was terrific - pheasant for one of us and risotto for the other. The grounds of the hotel are extensive, and on both evenings we had a stroll around, enjoying the birdsong and the sunset. It is a very peaceful place. The area has so many nature reserves to visit that we had difficulty choosing, but decided on one of the nearest ones - the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust nature reserve at Caerlaverock. There were hundreds of barnacle geese feeding in the fields, and plenty of other wildlife to watch as well - we saw deer and a weasel as well as countless birds. The ospreys arrived back while we were there, although they weren't on the nest when we looked at the webcam in the shop. Another reason to go back again and see if we're lucky this time!

Visited outlet and Carlisle. Great shopping. Went to cinema in Carlisle. Hotel good and staff helpful. Great breakfast. Room was basic but clean and comfortable. Grounds of hotel kept tidy and Blacksmith cottage for marriages and shop in the grounds. More for couples than families I would think. Would recommend it. This was our second visit in 4 months.

We visited the world famous Blacksmith's and shop in the hotel grounds and went for a short walk in the grounds of the hotel.