The Golden Larches Cafe and B&B — Restaurant in Scotland

My experience had 2 phases... negative and then, well, abusive.

I stopped for coffee. While parking, I bumped a short stone wall, so was frustrated with myself for my silly mistake which left a small scratch on my car. I went in and used the toilet before ordering. While in the loo, Andrea knocked and asked if everything was OK... I was washing my hands, a little irritated at being rushed. When I came out she asked if I bumped the wall. When I said yes, she asked if I was going to report it. She was worried about her wall (which wasn't damaged), I was worried about my car. It never crossed my mind that the wall was damaged and it wasn't. She persisted, obviously irritated - "I don't know how you missed it, it's so obvious." This irritated me so I said "I don't want to buy my coffee here anymore" and started to leave. This would normally be the end. But not in this case... things really kicked off. Andrea complained about my attitude and then her partner Tim entered the fray. At no point had I been even slightly aggressive or insulting. I thought the issue was still a concern with the wall, so suggested we go look at the wall. Tim said fine and we started walking out. I now know he just wanted to go outside so he could give me a piece of his mind away from other customers - because he let on he had already checked the wall and knew it was fine. His gripe was me using the toilet and not buying anything (pointing out the signs prohibiting this). I reiterated that I had intended to buy coffee when I used the toilet. This was irrelevant in his view. Once at my car he started verbally abusing me, even swearing at me. I didn't react, I merely got in my car realising engaging with him would risk escalating things - but Tim wasn't finished, so he held my door while he continued running off his mouth, preventing me from closing it twice. I asked him to let my door go, he did and I drove off... in complete shock at how I had been treated by Tim. I see from a few other reviews they're quite precious about things like their toilet. Apparently, they're actually quite nice if you don't trip one of their hair triggers. You'll have to take someone else's...

Disappointing Experience at "The Golden Larches" Cafe

During our visit to Scotland, my family and I had the unfortunate experience of dining at "The Golden Larches" cafe. While our overall experiences in Scotland have been amazing, this particular encounter left us feeling disappointed.

Upon entering the cafe, we ordered two coffees to go and decided to sit down briefly while the kids used the restrooms. However, we were met with a surprising level of rudeness from the owner, and it made us question whether the color of our skin played a role in her behavior.

The owner lady informed us that since we ordered the coffee to go, we were not allowed to sit in the seating area. She even went as far as opening the door for us to make it clear that we should leave. Politely, we asked if we could sit for just a couple of minutes, explaining that our kids needed to use the restroom. Unfortunately, she flatly refused our request.

This encounter was deeply disheartening, as we have been welcomed warmly by the people of Scotland throughout our trip. It is essential for businesses to treat all customers with respect and fairness, regardless of their background or how they choose to enjoy their coffee.

While we cannot deny the beautiful surroundings and the potential the cafe might have, we cannot overlook the disappointing experience we had at "The Golden Larches." We hope that the owners take this feedback constructively and work towards creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for...

We stayed here on the way up to Skye and also on the way back. From the second we arrived, our experience could not have been better. The owners, Tim and Andrea were the perfect hosts and we were made to feel as welcome as friends (which we now are!). Nothing was too much trouble and they went the extra mile at every step of the way to make sure we had everything we could possibly need. They were helpful, attentive and friendly to us the whole time. They let us choose our room and it was immaculate, clean, comfortable, well-appointed and spacious with attention paid to every little detail. We seriously could not fault the quality of the accommodation. There was a good choice of food in the dining area, which was always freshly prepared and Andrea made every effort to cater for our requirements, which she did admirably. Tim is making several major improvements to the property externally and it is already looking really good and after talking to him about his vision for the place, it is definitely going to be even better than it already is going forward. It also has some really neat USPs, including the shark themed toilet! It is conveniently located on the road we were on for our journey with woods and fields to the rear, visiting deer and a short distance from stunning scenery around Loch Earn. We will 100% be staying there again and would recommend it to...