Crossbasket Castle, Hotel & Restaurant

Thank goodness my employers were paying the £200+ room rate. Room was small, bed was ‘ok’. I’ve had much better in a Travelodge, no hot chocolate option with room beverages, no green or matcha tea (nespresso coffee and bottle of milk was good though). The bath plug leaked and gurgled loudly making a long relaxing soak impossible despite the nice bath salts! I couldn’t get the room temperature to reduce. The so-called ‘garden view’ was a huge excavated area with random piles pallets and ground work machinery lying around.
Breakfast was meh!!! Tea was brought instead of the coffee I’d ordered. The replacement coffee was bitter and had clearly been lying around and the requested replacement pot was marginally less ‘old’ but hotter! The coffee pots clearly need scouring! Ayrshire bacon wasn’t! And was dry and overcooked. I suspect the sausage, black pudding, tattie scone , mushrooms and haggis had also been hanging around - but not, perhaps, for so long. The poached eggs were perfect. On the whole, a very disappointing and overly expensive experience.

Easy to find. Comfortable room well equipped.

Lovely setting, helpful people and the food was reasonable. Great bedding

Although we were not staying in the castle, the neighbouring modern art deco style hotel was outstanding. Don’t be disappointed that you are not staying in the castle.

Everything, it was absolutely stunning

We had a lovely warm greeting as we entered the reception at the hotel from Ester. The room was beautifully designed and had all the modern emenities. The food in the restaurant was delightful and the service was impeccable.

The staff were so welcoming. Food was delicious.

We were very impressed with the warm welcome from Lucy and Esther. This was our first visit to celebrate our special silver anniversary.

The rooms were beautiful and we had a lovely balcony. Our bed was very comfortable. Loved the Nespresso coffee machine and selection of speciality teas. We also liked the large bathroom with separate bath and shower and all the luxury toiletries.

We spent a hour or so walking round the grounds and we enjoyed a drink in the castle. To the right of the castle entrance there are some stairs and if you go down there is a lovely little river with beautiful views of the castle if you look back.

We opted for dinner at Foveran’s restaurant. The food was amazing! The star of the show was the lamb for mains and baked Alaska for dessert. Special thanks to Lisa the restaurant manager, who was friendly and very attentive. We all were very impressed with the bar which was shaped like a pineapple and the lovely decor and theme of this restaurant. Ot had a nice ambience and relaxing feel.

We also enjoyed a fabulous breakfast the next morning. The choice was unbelievable. Nice touch to also be able to enjoy salmon, charcuterie, breads, smoothies, Prosecco, Bloody Mary, pastries and the cappuccinos from the bean to coffee machine were fab. I had the full cooked breakfast and it didn’t disappoint.

All in all we had a wonderful stay and it was incredible to find such luxury in Blantyre. After some building works and the SPA is complete it will be perfect. The staff were brilliant and we will definitely return. Well done!

Level of detail was exceptional throughout the hotel

My family and I stayed in the gate house on the castle property. What a wonderful experience! It had every amenity possible. Two bed two bath, a sitting room, a sun room, we'll appointed kitchen, a steamroom, sauna shower and giant bath tub as well as a garden with a hot tub. I highly recommend getting a massage. Jo Ann came to us and set up in the large bedroom. It was the best massage and facial I've ever experienced.
The staff were very accommodating, even changing our dinner reservations for us as we lost track of time exploring
Staying at Crossbasket exceded all my expectations.

I recently booked a one night stay to celebrate my wife’s 60th. We had previously stayed in March 2026 and apart from a few minor issues which were rectified swiftly our stay was very enjoyable and we were excited and really looking forward to return to celebrate my wife’s 60th birthday.

Check in was quick and friendly and as Hilton Diamond members we were upgraded to a king deluxe room 205 which was the exact same room we were assigned the last time we visited so we were really pleased as we loved the room the last time around.

When we arrived at our room none of the electronic key cards would open the door. We had the very same issue the last time so this is clearly an issue that needs looked into in more detailI. As I have atheist in both my hips and knees,my wife went back down to reception to get both key cards re-programmed whilst I had an uncomfortable 5 minute wait standing outside our room door.

We had booked a dinner reservation at Foveran’s for 7 pm as Trocadero’s was not open on a Wednesday. We had dined at Trocadero’s during our last visit and it was sensational. We both like to look at the food choices ahead of any food reservations and looking at the hotel website we noticed that Foveran’s had a Spring Dinner Menu advertised. The menu listed a number of starters, mains and deserts along with a Market Menu which was available between 6 - 9 pm and offered a limited menu of 2 or 3 courses for a set price. After looking through all the options we both preferred the choices on the Market Menu as they suited our palate better.

When we arrived at Foveran’s for our reservation we were greeted by one of the waiting staff who ushered us to our table. The table we were assigned was just off the bar which normally wouldn’t be a problem but there were a group of around 8 other guests having a drink at the bar before their dinner and we felt they were virtually standing over us and intruding into our space. After sitting uncomfortable for around 5 minutes we asked one of the waiting staff if we could be assigned another table. He said that we had been assigned that table for a reason but reluctantly agreed to move us to a quieter part of the restaurant. I would have expected anyone that works in the hospitality industry to have noticed the issue with crowding at the bar and assign us a seat elsewhere as It was obvious this was the only table in the restaurant that was affected by crowding at the bar. The restaurant had plenty of free tables available so not sure what the issue was.

When we were sat at our new table we looked at the menu and noticed that the Market Menu was not available on the menu. We spoke to one of the other waiting staff and we were informed that that was the only menu they had available. I informed the lady that the Market Menu was listed on the hotel website. She said she would go and check. She came back a few minutes later and said the menu we had was the only one available. I reiterated why is it listed as a Spring Menu on the hotel website if it’s not available. She said I will go and speak to a manager. As we had previously picked out what we were going to order and felt like our opinion was being dismissed I said to the lady that we would just not bother eating in the restaurant. She had already went away once and not sure who she spoke to but there is clearly a disjoint between what is advertised and what is available.

We both felt that the attitude of the waiting staff between the seating arrangements and the menu mix up made us feel we were not valued as guests. This compounded with us not really fancying anything else on the menu and we had both lost our appetite by this time so we left.

Before heading back to our room we swung by reception to register a complaint. The lady at reception was very apologetic and took note of our issues.

Around 10 minutes after we arrived back in our room we received a phone call from the duty manager who was very apologetic and offered to honour the Market Menu and would compensate us with a glass of champagne each as an apology. She explained that the website was misleading and should not have displayed this menu. I found this quite disingenuous as it clearly stated Spring Menu on the website so why go to the bother of creating a Spring Menu with a Market Menu (see photo attached) and then say it was a mistake. I would expect a hotel of this stature to keep their website up to date with accurate information. For clarity the menu was still advertised on their website 2 days after our visit but has since been taken down.

We decided to decline the offer to eat in the restaurant as we had already changed out of our evening attire and with everything that had went on we had lost our appetite. Furthermore, my wife was extremely upset that her 60th birthday meal had been ruined in such a way.

A short time later the duty manager came to our door and hand delivered 2 glasses of champagne and a small cake on a plate with a happy birthday message written in chocolate for my wife. Although this gesture was very appreciated it did not fully compensate for what had incurred earlier.

After having an exceptional experience during our last visit we had high expectations this time around especially as we were here to celebrate my wife’s 60th birthday. Sadly, the restaurant experience has left a bitter taste in our mouths resulting in a very disappointing experience for us both. Although the duty manager did try and rectify the situation the damage had already been done.

This hotel and venue has the potential to be an exceptional 5 star facility however, they need to address the service issues first. Since our visit I’ve noticed similar comments and complaints on reviews regarding poor service which needs to be addressed. Service staff need to be able to read the room, address and resolve issues as they happen and value their customers. This will only happen through proper training and engagement with their customers along with an experienced Maître d'hôtel to pull it all together.

I emailed the General Manger on the day we checked out of the hotel but he didn’t even afford me the courtesy of a reply so it is highly unlikely we would stay here again.

Beautiful setting with lovely gardens, such a contrast between the castle and modern sleek extension.

It was just superb on every level

Everything!

It seemed far away from the hustle and bustle

Super modern and clean grounds were beautiful