Mingary Castle — Restaurant in Scotland

There are so many wonderful things to say about this hotel it’s hard to know where to begin. It combines pure luxury with a wonderful home from home experience against a wild and unspoilt Scottish Highland backdrop. Every detail of your stay has been so carefully thought out and planned and after travelling to many hotels in different parts of the world over many years, I can honestly say this is one of the best places I have ever stayed. We stayed for 3 nights in the stunning Mingarry suite and our friend stayed in the Moidart room. Both had balconies with the most stunning views and everything from the furnishings and beautifully soft and luxurious carpet, to the towels, bathrobes and bedding was of exceptional quality, softness and comfort. There are so many thoughtful details such as the light switch for the bedside light thoughtfully adhered to the side of the bedside cabinet so you’re not fumbling down the side of the bed to find it, the most amazingly powerful hairdryer i have ever had in a hotel anywhere and something I have never ever seen - hair straighteners! We loved the book detailing the story of how Emma and John have thoughtfully and carefully made the family inherited Mingarry Park the place it is today, whilst also bringing up a young family. What a tremendous achievement and Nicola and her wonderful wandering ducks are a fabulous addition to the family atmosphere. A special mention also to our young breakfast waitress of Scottish / Italian heritage who clearly loves the place as much as the family does and gave us wonderful recommendations for our walks each day, which proved to be the absolute correct choice for the weather conditions (and were just as stunning as she described). The food was also a highlight, with a carefully thought out and creative menu of the highest quality local ingredients. |Thank you Emma and your wonderful team for making our stay so memorable in every way. All the hard work and thought you have lovingly put into Mingarry Park is so very much...

We have stayed in many Scottish hotels over last decade (I could write a book) & most fit into a mid-range of barely acceptable to pleasant, a few were utterly dire, & even fewer have been exceptional. Mingary is exceptional. ||Location: it’s remote, but worth the trek. Ardnamurchan is exquisitely beautiful, & one of the last truly wild places left in UK. Oak woodlands, hills, burns, & beaches. The castle is perched on a dramatic shoreline on Sound of Mull, has been restored to a luxurious standard whilst retaining its properly historic atmosphere, & you can feel it whilst standing on the battlements with panoramic views in all directions. ||Food: seriously good - thoughtful use of local ingredients, good combos, beautifully presented, with changing daily menu. It’s great value for a serious Tasting menu, where you feel both chef & front of house share in a mission to achieve highest standards. ||Accommodation: highest quality fittings used throughout, so no nasty surprises in bedroom or bathroom. We loved that there was no TV in our grand Georgian suite, but a high speed internet so we could relax using our own devices. (Often missing!) Design element throughout was very high in all areas: carefully chosen antique furniture, expertly crafted oak panelling in all bedrooms & public rooms as part of recent renovation, interesting quality art on walls, including current exhibition by Scottish artist, comfy & welcoming public sitting room & bar, & lovely lighting throughout. At long last a hotel that delivers a serious experience to rival Fife Arms (but, just to add, substantially cheaper!) & without becoming a tartan theme...

We went for the tasting menu, and honestly it was a bit hit and miss. I felt the meal was not worth the price, don't get me wrong there were some dishes that were up to scratch but 2/3 definitely let them down. The chiefs snacks were very nice, the oyster was delicious but the pâté was a bit too liver-y and rich for me but I understand that's just a preference. The bread and butter was lovely, I especially enjoyed the potato focaccia and the milk bread. Other than those the other stand out dishes were there Isle of Wight tomatoes and the Isle of Mull cheddar fondue. The other dishes were a but of a mixed bag, the ravioli tasted okay but the pasta was way too thick and maybe undercooked because it was tough to eat. The mingary apple castle was the worse dish of all, there was hardly any apple, the white chocolate mousse was runny and there was way too much of it, the white chocolate coating was very thick and honestly just wasn't nice chocolate, the sorbet was nice though. That dish as a whole was sickly it kind of ruined the meal, it was so sweet and definitely put us off our petit fours. We got the wine pairing with our meal, I thought they were paired nicely but were a bit small in terms of portions, I understand wine pairings aren't full glasses but for some courses we only got a sip of wine with them and for the extra £50 I didn't think it was worth it. All in all, the food was just okay, for the money it's hard for me to recommend this meal but if you are going for a celebration or an occasion it is probably the only place near kilchoan you can get a tasting menu. The service was good and the...