Advocate Arms

A mixed review as the communication with the hotel before hand was appalling. They never replied to emails, the menu isn't on the website and when we phoned to ask for it to be sent they said they would send it, then never did! The room was a nice size and we found the bed comfy and had a nice quiet nights sleep. However the room is tired round the edges and some quick fixes could make it a lot better, for example giving the tiles a good clean in the shower (they could easily be cleaned!), mending the remote control or getting a new one so it works properly, putting an air freshener in the room so it doesn't smell of bleach etc. The food in the restaurant was really good though, so I would recommend eating there!

Only stayed for one night, and was very pleased with my room. Spacious, good bathroom and a comfortable bed. Couldn't fault it. Didn't eat here so couldn't offer any opinion on the food quality, but the restaurant area was attractive. Hotel looks a bit shabby from the outside, but I liked it once I stepped through the front door.

We paid £170 bed & breakfast for 2 nights. The breakfast bit was good. The bed bit wasn’t… After being led up two flights of smelly, carpeted stairs, we entered room 9 and my heart sank. Not only was it a dark and gloomy room, but when I did my usual first-time-in-a-hotel-room checks (pillow-smelling and toilet-cleanliness), I was disappointed and disgusted to find somebody else’s urine on the toilet rim. My husband went down to tell reception, who suggested the yellow liquid was toilet cleaner. It wasn’t, and I know this because I could see little dried crystals in it and I also smelt it. It was definitely urine. Anyway, we were offered room 7 (also on the second floor) but we could not sleep in there as it smelt like it had had wet dogs drying in there. The overpowering musky, damp smell was unbearable. This time, I went down to reception and the lady informed me there were not any other rooms available. I explained that I didn’t want a room that had someone else’s urine on the toilet rim - and that it was definitely urine as I had smelt it- and as if by magic, room 3 was available. Room 3 was bigger, less smelly and less drab that rooms 9 and 7. The cleanliness of the toilet still left a lot to be desired – splashes of faeces at the back and ingrained dirt around the toilet lid fixings. Still, it was getting late and we'd travelled 2 hours, so with little other choice, we took the room and I cleaned the toilet with my make-up wipes. According to their website, the Advocate Arms’ “luxurious hotel rooms have been awarded 5 stars by the AA, offering the ultimate in comfort and relaxation”. This is incorrect as the rooms are not luxurious, and after conducting some online checks, I could not find 5 stars awarded to them by the AA or anyone else, for that matter. I think the Advocate Arms would benefit from learning how to deal with disgruntled customers. Customers who have to check out two rooms before they find a third one that is suitable for sleeping in are not happy customers – nobody wants to start their weekend away by feeling the need to examine the cleanliness of the bedroom and bathroom. We were not offered any compensation for the inconvenience - even a drink in the bar would have sufficed – to make up for the palaver we’d faced, and upon check-out, we were not asked about our stay. I would not return to the Advocate Arms.