Rocpool Reserve Hotel

I purchased my two day break expecting to indulge my wife who is recovering from a stroke. But having paid an eye-watering £870 for two nights, you have to apparently pay even more to be ‘indulged’. At this price you only get bed, and if you are gluten free, a pretty miserable breakfast. They do have gf bread but I wasn’t offered on the first day nuts, berries or fruit; let alone gf cereal. The offered cheese omelette was small. Anyone who enjoys this establishment is clearly seeing the emperor’s clothes and has more money than sense. We stayed days ago at the luxury Intercontinental hotel in central Edinburgh and had a better room, friendlier service and a wholesome gf breakfast for half the room price. All hotels, and even B&Bs, I’ve stayed in have provided decaffeinated coffee in the room and restocked the tea and coffee each day. Even budget hotels provide this, but not at Rocpool luxury boutique hotel! I expect if we had asked, or complained, our tea and coffee would have been restocked daily but in a self-proclaimed luxury boutique hotel serving the customers’ needs should be a proactive mission. Towels were hard and did not have luxury softness. My overall conclusion is that this is primarily a money making concern with a shallow veneer of pretension. Spend your money more wisely.

We recently stayed at Rocpool Reserve Hotel for two nights and were deeply underwhelmed, especially given the steep price and its advertised 5-star rating. In truth, this property aligns more closely with a 2-star standard by most measures.||There is nothing particularly luxurious or memorable about the rooms, the service, or the amenities. These shortcomings are hard to ignore, and the 5-star designation feels entirely MISLEADING. Additionally, the photos on the hotel’s website do not accurately reflect the actual condition of the rooms, which in fact are worn, dated, and the decore mismatched and lacking any cohesive design.||While the staff was welcoming and helpful, particularly in assisting with a tour arrangement and taxi booking, the accommodations themselves were disappointing. ||Overall, it falls far short of what one would expect from a truly high-end property. It lacks charm, refinement, and the attention to detail that defines a genuine luxury experience

Just returned from a fantastic stay in this little gem of a hotel. The staff are fantastic and the bedroom was spotlessly clean. We stayed on the indulgence package and the afternoon tea was amazing in the bar, we had the tasting spoons with a cocktail and didn’t want to leave! We will be back again very soon.

We had an amazing stay at Rocpool Reserve – the perfect spot for a romantic Highland escape. Our room was seriously luxurious, with all the little extras that made it feel really special.||The Indulgent Package was a real treat – afternoon tea was delicious, and the tasting spoons were such a fun and tasty twist! We felt totally spoiled.||The hotel has a relaxed, boutique vibe and is a great base for exploring Inverness and the Highlands. Staff were lovely and super helpful with local tips.||Highly recommend for a couple’s getaway – we left feeling relaxed and pampered!

Not sure how this hotel qualifies as a five-star property. Overall, the rooms felt dingy, and the carpet was worn and in need of replacement—hardwood floors would be a major improvement. The hotel’s aesthetic was visually unappealing, with clashing colors, mismatched artwork, and an overall confusing vibe. The photos online did not match the actual room we were given, which was a major disappointment. I will attempt to include photos for reference. We had looked forward to breakfast based on the reviews, but it left much to be desired. The manager was kind, but appeared disheveled and overwhelmed, seemingly juggling too many roles at once. Our bathroom had hair on the shower walls and in the drawers upon arrival. In the bedroom, there was a mess left behind by previous guests—clearly, housekeeping hadn’t bothered to check the drawers. Even after informing staff the next morning, it was not addressed and remained untouched for the rest of our stay. The placement of the air conditioner was particularly uncomfortable—it was mounted just two feet above the bed, blowing directly down on us. Since the room required cooling, there was no way to avoid it, which made it difficult to rest comfortably. Another important note: there is no elevator, which made carrying luggage up to our room quite inconvenient—especially for guests with mobility concerns or those expecting a more accommodating experience. When we went to check out, there was no one at the front desk, and we had to walk into the kitchen to find someone to return our keys after 30 minutes of searching for a staff member. We expected much more from this hotel, especially since we were here for our honeymoon. Very disappointing.

Rocpool Reserve was truly one of the best experiences we had during our time in Scotland. The atmosphere was warm, elegant, and perfect for a relaxing family getaway.||A special mention goes to Steve, who went above and beyond to make our family stay truly memorable.||The rooms were beautifully designed, the service was top-notch, and the overall experience was nothing short of exceptional. We can't wait to return and would highly recommend Rocpool Reserve to anyone visiting Inverness.

I have no idea how in the world the hotel has such a high rating. The rooms are large and the bed looked comfortable, but the design and colour scheme was atrocious. It DID NOT look like the pictures. It was almost entirely brown or muted greens and just very ugly unless you're a major fan of brown. The food was excellent. I did consider staying for the chef alone. That said, they're bad. I'm intersex and was super excited to see the gender neutral title of Mx. on their hotel reservation website thinking that they were accepting and welcoming. They're not. The staff completely ignored my preferences and called me "Madam" or "Ma'am" the entire time. I ended up not staying the night. NOT WORTH IT.

We’ve been traveling all over Scotland, started in Glasgow and went to Oban and then Portree. I wasn’t expecting Inverness to be one of my favorites, but it is the cutest urban city that’s also quiet despite having a lot going on. This hotel was one of my favorites as well, so put together, making you feel very special. It feels like home while also being a very nice hotel with great rooms. Located just a few minutes off the main river walk made it easy to walk around. I’d definitely come back here.

Here with friends - delightful boutique hotel. Loved the check in process-- David was so personable, helpful, warm, smart - our room was perfect. The jacuzzi on the patio was a nice surprise. Hotel centrally located with an easy walk into town and the river Breakfast was delicious with many options -

Probably the most luxurious hotel in the neighborhood. Great experience here we had the room with the hot tub in the balcony. Check in was extremely easy - the person that greeted us helped us towing our luggage and took us to our room. Upon check in we walked out to the town for a bite to eat (Number 27) - had the small fish and chips and was delish. Anyways, dinner back at the hotel (Chez Roux) was great. The signature dish of baked cheese soufflé was a must try. Rabbit was really well prepared and the produce screamed farm to table. The peas and the asparagus were just to die for. After dinner we walked back to the bar in town and sat outside with a beautiful view of the castle. Ordered a few whiskey there to finish off the night. Overall, the location is great if you want to visit some distilleries and enjoy a quiet night. The down side was the rooms were on the small side for being $500+ a night. :-)

I am not sure where the 5 star reviews come from, it was not our experience at all. First, they claim it's a luxury stay. We don't consider it luxury when the plumbing doesn't work, the bed isn't comfortable, and the room is dark and dreary all day long. We always request a feather-free room due to allergies, but the room was not made up that way upon arrival. When they changed it, they only have old, flattened fiber pillows that are compressed and hard as bricks. When I questioned those dead pillows, I get the response "that's all we have for nonallergenic", which means they bought a few pillows some years ago and won't ever change them, even though they are flattened and past their useable lifespan. The mattress had a definite dip where too many people have slept before, and it creaks a lot. There is also one step up to the bed, which is a trip hazard and dangerous. There are only two tiny windows in the room, and since we were in a basement, the room was never bright, even when the sun was up. The plumbing backed up on day 3 and although they said it was fixed, the toilet never worked properly again and we had to go upstairs to use the toilet in the lobby area. Ridiculous! I asked for an adjustment of my very high bill because of these flaws, and was given the blank stare: oh, the manager will call you. Nope. No contact. For all this, we were charged some $600 per night. Give me a break. Not luxury. Not enjoyable, but certainly overpriced. I would never recommend this place.

I can't put it into words how absolutely amazing this place is. I don't think I've ever been in a nicer restaurant in my life! It is a bit out of the way, especially if you don't really know Inverness - if you don't then get a taxi. When you pull up it doesn't look like anything special... But climb the stairs and you're in heaven. You'll know what I mean. Once you're inside, you're led to a small waiting room or a bar - whichever you prefer - before being led through to the restaurant. At this point you're given toasted soft, delicious bread. Best bread ever. The menu is brilliant too, they change it regularly so I can't recommend anything other than what I had before. When I've been i've had a balmoral- style chicken which just melted in my mouth and pork belly, again melted in my mouth. The best part abou rocpool is the place itself. It's so trendy! Their bar is ultra chic and ultra classy. Although their martinis aren't so hot - but their mojitos are smoking!! In all seriousness I think I'll get married here....

Rocpool Reserve is possibly the most luxurious hotel in Inverness. It is probably the cleanest place I've ever been to, and this includes operating rooms in hospitals. The staff is very friendly and helpful and you will feel like you're someone special when you stay here. It's not perfect because it's a rather sterile and cold environment. They try very hard to be cool and trendy, and sometimes it feels like they tried a little too hard. Whenever I walked through the lobby in my finest tourist garb, I found myself wondering if I should be wearing all black and ignoring my surroundings. Nothing was a simple as I would have liked. There were issues with the phone system, the lights, and then there was the clear bathroom door. What was described as frosted crystal was really a partial decal on glass. If the view into the bathroom was a view of the shower, I'd be okay with it. But it's a view of the toilet. Really. Go to the web site and look at the panorama for room 6. Picture yourself sitting in the comfy yellow chair. Now move the view to the bathroom. That's the view whether the door is open or closed. That's romance? I dwell on that because there wasn't much else to criticize. It's a beautiful hotel which tries very hard to be the best. It's a treat, but not in that laid-back and comfortable way that I like best. More in the trendy cutting edge way that I can only tolerate for a few days. But it succeeds at what it's trying to do and I don't hesitate to give it four stars.

If I could I would give this hotel more than 5 stars. We weren't sure from the outside but once we were inside we were pleasantly surprise. There is nothing to criticize about this quaint hotel. We want to give a shout out to the wonderful staff, but a special mention to Gary, Hamish and Catalina. The staff works hard doing multiple task and always have a smile. The restaurant Chez Rouz was outstanding and if you are going to the Highlands in Scotland this is the place to stay.