The Briardene Hotel & Restaurant — Hotel in Great Britain

I was looking for a hotel, close to where we attending a family celebration, that would allow us to take the dog. I came across the Briardene and booked it because (for the date we were looking at) it was cheaper than the Premier Inn. We arrived after a stressful journey to be greeted with a friendly smile. Reception was clean and welcoming. We went to our room, which was spotless. It was small but remarkably well equipped. There was enough room to walk around the (very comfy) bed, there was a dressing table and chair, 2 tub chairs, a TV, hairdryer, iron, ironing board, plenty of storage space if you were stopping for more than a few days. The ensuite shower room was also spotless although the lino was rather worn in front of the sink and had some large wrinkles in it. There was shower gel, shampoo and conditioner in the shower (handy because I had forgotten mine) but the water pressure in the shower was very low although the shower was lovely and hot. Every single member of staff was friendly and approachable and nothing was too much trouble. They even found me a charging lead for my phone, as I had also forgotten that. We went down to breakfast and discovered that our table had been chosen for us specifically so we could sit with the dog without impinging on any other guests (not everyone is a dog lover). When the waitress saw that we were alone she checked that we were happy with the table or if we would prefer to sit elsewhere. We were perfectly happy. There is a self service table of cold buffet breakfast items (fruit, juice, yogurts, cereal, preserves, honey etc). Hot items are table service (tea, coffee, cooked breakfast items). The breakfast (we has the 'hearty' breakfast. DO NOT order one unless you really do have a hearty appetite). It was beautifully cooked, nice sausages, proper bacon, lovely breakfast, however, the plates it was served on were cold. By the time we were halfway through breakfast was barely warm and by the time I was on my last rasher of bacon, it was cold. The waitress who served us wore gloves to carry the plates to the table as if she expected them to be hot, so I am not sure if the cold plates were an oversight. Despite the minor issues we had a brilliant stay mainly due to the attitude and helpfulness...

Positive|The gentleman at reception was very pleasant and welcoming. Everything was clean. There was plenty of parking. There was only one other guest in the hotel but they volunteered to open the bar if we wanted - however we were going out of the evening. They were very welcoming for our dog although there are no specific provisions such as mat/bed/treats but that's ok. Just outside reception there was a water fountain with cups and chilled water.|Neutral|Had a twin room (10) which I could only describe as compact - it had everything listed and you could manoeuvre yourself around with one of the twins against the wall. There was a kettle and selection of drinks. The beds were ok.|Negative|The showers were appalling. I spent 20 mins (literally) trying to get something other than freezing or scalding - tried all the instructions about running the sink taps etc. Finally had to give up and towel the soap off as we had to go out. They offered to change room but we didn't have time so asked for key to an empty room to shower in the morning. In the morning we used Room 11 (Double bed) actually rather nice and noticeably much more spacious. However, the shower was almost as useless as room 10, you could set a reasonable temperature but after 2-3 mins the pressure dropped to the point where it had trouble even producing separate jets and was just like a slow tap. |I don't like leaving critical reviews, and thank goodness we were only staying one night, but having read the reviews the shower problems have been on-going. For a hotel charging £115 a night it's just not acceptable to have an unreliable shower system.|So take the pros and cons from above and decide how important the shower is for you relative to any experience you may have of other hotels...

We went to the restaurant at The Briardene Hotel for a celebration dinner for my husband’s retirement. There were 15 of us total varying in age from 12 to 80. |We had the most amazing time. |The venue itself was spotless, modern and welcoming. |The lighting was perfect and along with the music set the mood and tone for the night. |We all felt relaxed and welcomed. |The staff simply couldn’t do enough for us. Nothing was too much trouble. |They were hanging around obviously hovering but as soon as you needed something they were there. |They were all clean, polite and very well presented. |The food was stunning !!! Our absolute compliments to the Chef and kitchen team. |It was so good we all had all 3 courses!! I’ve no idea where we put it all but it was so delicious we weren’t missing any course out! |Bat prices were surprisingly reasonable which meant we could enjoy extras with our food. |Courses weren’t rushed and we were made to feel totally at home. |I can’t thank the team enough for everything and maki g the night truly one to remember. |This is now our special place to go and we can’t wait to come back. |Thank you also to Laurie for making the booking etc...