Our stay at Dalhousie Castle was extremely disappointing from start to finish. Despite booking a suite months in advance, we were downgraded on arrival due to a maintenance issue and given little choice but to accept a basic room far below what we had paid for. The alternative offered was a modern lodge suite that resembled an add-on conservatory, hot, lacking privacy, and completely at odds with the castle experience we had booked. While a credit against dinner was offered at the time as compensation, I later established that this was substantially less than the actual difference in room rates. The room we ended up in was also missing basic amenities, including a mirror in the bedroom, meaning I had to use my iPad as a makeshift mirror to dry my hair. Service throughout the stay was disorganised and unprofessional: reception was often unmanned, staff could not locate room service menus, and we were asked to return with our own order written down. Breakfast was poorly managed, with long waits, insufficient staff, and even basic items such as plates, fruit juice, preserves, and peppermint tea unavailable. While there were a few bright spots, particularly the quality of the dinner and service in the restaurant, the overall experience fell far below expectations and did not reflect the standards or value advertised.