The Lovat Hotel & Restaurant

The only reason it's not 5 ***** is the loft room was a little disappointing. It was immaculately clean with good facilities, but the decor was very plain and a little drab. |Our evening meal in the restaurant was outstanding. |We had the Table d'hote menu. Every morsle was delicious, and worth the £75, it really was a gastronomic delight. All the serving staff were lovely. I have to give a special mention to the sommelier. Caitlin was outstanding. She encouraged us to try something different, a white english wine, Bucchus. We were given two to sample. Absolutely delicious. (I've ordered 6 bottles online). Special mention also to Maia, our superb waitress. As I said ever member of the staff were excellent, dinner and breakfast staff.|Definitely the best meal of our holiday. (Went to Three Chimneys the night before, 2**, but that's another story) |Will definitely be back to the Lovat. |

What a wonderful hidden gem. Whether you are here for the location (breathtaking), the food (way beyond anything we’ve ever eaten in taste, presentation, innovation) a good nights sleep (bed so comfy you could stay in all night and day and so quiet ), Scottish hospitality (you start as guests and leave as friends), this unique hotel has it all and more. The care and attention to detail, the professionalism and friendliness of every single member of staff, the stunning food, innovative and carefully crafted drinks, we felt welcome and valued and would thoroughly recommend. Everything from the warm welcome to the spotlessly clean rooms and attention to detail feels as if it is managed from the perspective of the guests. Just wonderful!

Amazing hotel. Lovely warm welcome with a hot toddy and friendly staff. All throughout our stay the staff were extremely helpful and friendly and are a true credit to the hotel. Room 21 was well appointed with a large bathroom. Lovely views down to the loch and across the canal ,|Breakfast was so lovely and the haggis was amazing. It's a real short stroll into the village centre |Cannot praise the staff highly enough. |Loved every second of our stay

Restaurant review: a good meal but simply not worth the price. The service was great, the food was good. Nothing was mind blowing, just well cooked, local ingredients. Where they lost us, the portions and the price. If not for the large portion of bread and butter they served, you would leave here very hungry. The portion of lamb was literally 2 bites. Seriously, maybe a 1 oz piece of lamb, for £135 (they add service fees) I need to at leave full. Every dish was like a little bite sized version. Also they didn’t accommodate a shellfish allergy very well. Literally just didn’t add the shellfish element to my dish, but I still paid full price. We spent £300 for 2 people, left hungry and I didn’t get all the food my wife did. The dessert was very weak. The main dessert should have been the small palate cleanser it was a light milk mousse, and rhubarb. Delicious, refreshing little dessert, not how you end a meal. The chef needs to make the meal more satisfying for the price.

Nice stay in Fort Augustus. The hotel is a great option in this charming town with views of Loch Ness. Rooms are clean and spacious. Book the B&B rate, breakfast was delicious. Continental fare @ 7:30am and full breakfast menu @ 8am. The hotel is well run and the staff is efficient. No a/c and the windows do not have screens. It was not a problem, as the nights were cool enough but just a notation as it might be different than expectations. Walk to restaurants, shops and the canal. It is fun to watch how boats move through the locks. The Lovat bar doesn't offer any food, so be sure to have a plan. In general we found it difficult to find food late afternoon until dinner time during our time in Scotland. The Lock Inn is a local pub and had good food and some nice seating outside along the canal. We enjoyed our stay and exploring the area. About an hour to Eilean Donan Castle, 30 mins to Fort William, less to Urquart Castle.

Upon entering the hotel, we didn't expect much due to its eco-conscious nature, but we were pleasantly surprised! Every service we needed, including a table fan and a hair diffuser, was available and top-notch. A special thanks to Miss Molly, the receptionist, who took care of our every need to ensure a comfortable and welcoming stay. The hotel's location was incredibly convenient, right next to the port with the canals just a minute's walk away. The breakfast had a good variety but could be improved. Overall, this hotel was one of the best I stayed at this summer in Scotland. I will definitely come back on my next visit.

Extremely comfortable hotel with luxurious beds and bathrooms. Delightful kind staff. |Mor tasting menu was superb and worth every penny. Delicious breakfasts both Scottish and continental. |We loved our stay and would recommend it highly.

The Lovat has an enviable reputation and we made a reservation here based on many excellent reviews.|Sadly we would not return based on a couple of issues that we had with our stay.|Firstly the room booked is categorised as a “Garden room” . It is , in reality, a very compact room which overlooks the car park . It had the feel of an American motel room.|The main issue, however, is related to the fact that we were travelling with a dog.|The hotel accepts dogs but when the receptionist was asked where we would be invited to take breakfast she looked surprised and informed us that she would have to go and ask . We waited and we waited for the big decision….|Finally we were told that they would set a table up for us in the bar. At this point we already felt like the hotel were doing us an enormous favour.|We were fully aware that dogs are not welcome in the restaurant, which we totally understand, but if dogs are accepted to stay in a room on a bed and breakfast room rate then surely there should be a seamless answer to a simple question as to where we were allowed to go?|An absolutely charming member of the team then showed us to our room and , explained that dogs are welcome everywhere in the hotel apart from the restaurant.|I clarified that it meant that we could go in either the bar or one of the two fabulous and extremely spacious ,lounges.||Affirmative was the reply.||We unpacked and went for an evening stroll. Upon return we decided to have a drink and as the first lounge had several people in it enjoying a drink we carried on to the second lounge.|We ordered drinks which were delivered by a lovely team member who was super friendly.|We were then asked to leave by the same receptionist stating that the lounge was not dog friendly and that we had been given incorrect information.|She explained that it was all to do with protecting other guests from allergic reactions ( our dog is non shedding and bred as a therapy dog for people who suffer from allergies but I understand that most dogs are not )|We felt embarrassed, unwelcome and very uncomfortable.|The lovely bar tender admitted that she had no idea either that we were sitting in a dog free zone.|The most ridiculous aspect of the entire farce was our breakfast was actually served in the hallowed restaurant and not the bar and I didn’t notice any advisory notes to warn non dog owning guests that a dog may have visited the first lounge.|Great hospitality is so much more than the provision of great food and a comfortable bed. We consider it to be about the warmth of the welcome and all guests being treated with the same level of hosting and respect.||Full transparency the management did refund the £10 dog charge and acknowledged that their team member had told us incorrect information .||The complexity of hospitality makes it difficult to define exactly, but it always includes exceptional customer service, empathy for guests, and creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.||Epic fail

What a positive and wonderful dinning experience for my birthday. The Lovat strategically situated next to the Loch Ness is a real culinary destination. The Station Road restaurant to their Afternoon Teas are inspired with the beauty that each season brings. Fresh flavors, delightful aromas and colours, and fresh ingredients grown in the Lovat kitchen gardens. You can enjoy a real farm to table experience! The service was very attentive and courteous. They offered me a glass of champagne for the birthday. The ambiance was glassy and country chic with a great attention to details. The portions are on the small side as the emphasis is placed on design and presentation of the dish. The lamb was absolutely exquisite.

We came to town in a smallish tour bus and our guide recommended about every restaurant in town except this one. Our best guess is that this is due to Lovat not paying for the advertising. This restaurant is definitely a notch above the rest- especially for lunch where the other restaurants serve a very abridged menu that is sort of like stadium food. The setting is lovely-around the corner and up a hill. When we were there they had a little farmers market on the property. The restaurant has a greenhouse alongside where perhaps the grow vegetables for the kitchen? We didn't ask but it looked that way. The service was kind and attentive. I am not sure why another reviewer complained about it. The dining room was very busy while we were there and we had no trouble at all with service. The greatness of this place is certainly the food which was superb! The bread was delicious and warm with choice of butter or a pesto olive oil. We also had the fillet of salmon, and the hot smoked salmon sandwich with a salad. It was all yummy and perfectly done. The fillet of salmon also came with a roasted root vegetable we had never had or heard before: salsify. It is in the dandelion family and tastes like a mild parsnip. The hot smoked salmon is served cold in a mayo-type salad. It is called "hot smoked" because of the technique used to smoke it, rather than because it is served hot. The salad 'mixed leaves' was perfect- lots of different baby lettuces with perfectly toasted pumpkin seeds! Yummy all around.

Worse stay of our 39 day trip. Reception was extremely cold and unfriendly. The "garden" room was barely big enough for the bed and a small desk. We had the one on the end and you listen to cars on the street. The rain shower was difficult to make sure you rinsed off enough, and the bathroom was so slippery my mom had difficulty getting out of the shower. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, and I will be making sure to let others I know traveling in the area to steer clear. There are many other options to stay in the area.

Wow! I expected nothing but salmon, venison pie, and fish & chips this far from civilization. But here we found the Lovat, an amazing first-rate restaurant. And remarkably cheap for the quality. We paid about $200 to buy four people all starters, main courses, and desserts. Plus two glasses of wine. That was highly reasonable I felt. I ordered the celeriac "cappuccino" which proved to be cream-of-celeriac soup. Good but not amazing. My wife had beet, watermelon, and feta salad and was blown away. Our companions were equally stunned. For my entree, I had "featherblade" which was a lean cut of beef shoulder, along with horseradish, lentils, and more celeriac. Dessert may have been the best of all. Mango panna cotta. It came inside little candies balls! Then there was fresh Scotch strawberries and sorrel sherbet. Amazing. My wife wouldn't give me a single bite of her rhubarb & strawberry mousse dessert despite my pathetic whining. Humph.

This homey hotel was my favorite of our 2 week trip. Room was comfortable and color scheme matched the area. Beautiful quiet park on grounds with rabbits often nibbling around the benches. It is a quaint town all in 10 minute walk. Plenty of nice eating places. A place you really want on your trip!!

Fantastic hotel for a break in Loch Ness. The food in the brasserie is delicious, the venison burger particularly. The breakfast is made to order so the scrambled eggs are fresh and fluffy as opposed to the watery version you often get in hotels. The staff are also wonderful. We travelled with a baby and the staff couldn't have been more accommodating. Highly recommended.

Tasty food made from high quality local ingredients. One of our better meals in Scotland and probably the best in this area of the Highlands.

Chose the Lovat to its proximity to Loch Ness and Skye. Did not expect the level of service at both the hotel and restaurant. We ate at the brasserie. Having a severe shellfish allergy, I am always impressed with restaurants that ask immediately if there are any food allergies they need to be aware of. For starters we had the house cured salmon with salted puréed cucumber and salmon remoulade which was fantastic. Dinner was a stuffed leek with mushrooms and potato dumplings in a blue murder cheese sauce, once again fantastic. Husband had the halibut in mussel broth with kale and potatoes. His plate was cleared before my second bite -guess he liked his as well. The portions are just enough to save room for desert which for me was a carrot cake. This was not your expected carrot cake, but so much better with an addition of hazelnut ice cream. Do not think twice about staying or dining here.