Scotland Hotel Review: The Roman Camp Hotel, Callander

By billing itself as a country house hotel, The Roman Camp raises expectations and does itself no favors. With tired, worn furniture, a rather cold welcome, an in-town location, and a breakfast unworthy of a workingman's caff it is just about adequate for a stopover enroute to somewhere else.

The Roman Camp Hotel bills itself as a country house hotel, so I was surprised to see a small sign, on a wall within a five minute walk of the town center. Turning through the gates, I found myself on a smallish estate.

Inside, a fire burned in the hearth and the small lobby was lined with carved beams. It looked promising until I noticed the hideous pub carpeting and the absence of anyone serving on the front desk.

Sadly, it all went downhill from there. The standard room, equipped with twin beds, was small, dark and overstuffed with tired, characterless furniture - a stuffed armchair, a skirted table, an armoire, a desk, a few other bits and pieces. The over-soft bed wobbled and squeaked, the bedside lamp did not work, the tap on the bathroom sink barely cleared the edge of the sink. The carpeting was in need of cleaning or replacement. I've said more than enough about the room.

No points for breakfast

Breakfast was equally disappointing - cold scrambled eggs afloat in some kind of eggy liquid, tiny, shriveled sausages, cold toast made of the most pedestrian kind of bread.

One good test of a hotel in the north of the UK is how it feels to stay in wet weather. It's one thing to look good in pictures with a blue sky beyond. Quite another to make guests feel warm and welcome when the weather isn't - which, in autumn and winter can be often. I arrived at the Roman Camp Hotel on a cool, wet autumn day. The skies were grim and so was my stay. Even the extensive gardens seemed overgrown, dark and dank. I really could not wait to leave.

_{As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation for the purpose of reviewing. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.}