Givendale Guest House

The host was very friendly

A very tired and dated B&B when I booked breakfast was included my expectation was eating in a dining area and not eating in my room on the bed!!!! There was ample parking but not very good for motorcycles because of the slope although this is not the owners fault the picture doesn't show how steep it is being a solo rider this made it really difficult.

If you do not need luxury and just want the basics and a safe place to sleep, you'll be fine at Jurriaan's place. It is small and each room is down the same hallway. All the very basic-ness aside, Jurriaan was very nice, kind and accommodating. I Whatsapp'd him my preferred breakfast juice (got the opposite each day) and time and he rolled his cart down with my selections. You bring your tray inside, dine, and then back on the cart later.

When we parked up, we had to check if it was the same B&B as advertised online. It was but that picture must have been taken at least 10 years ago. There is alley right next to the front door with a discarded vodka bottle on the floor. It remained there the whole time we stayed. Basically, this is budget accommodation for a budget price and suitable for the traveller that wants to stay a night. During our travels we stayed in 6 other B&Bs. All served a Full English in a dining room or delivered to the room. We got the impression, and told Julian direct, that he is using COVID as an excuse not to serve what is advertised online. This is false advertising. He says that he provides a simple Continental BF but what you get is some toast, packet jams, a box of cereal, apple juice and 1 piece of fruit. He’s taking the p**s. If he served this abroad, they would laugh at him. The room had an clean en-suite although the shower itself was temperamental. The bedroom had a 4 socket extension hanging from a wall by 2 rawl plugs. The general bedroom decor and stairway needs a complete refurb. This B&B needs inves**ent and its services advertised correctly online. Location, view and free parking is good but you get what you pay for

I agree wholeheartedly with the comments made by NevardA. While we did actually briefly meet the host Jurriaan and he was very attentive by WhatsApp, it all felt very impersonal and following 7 nights in a self catering cottage, we were looking forward to a traditional Scottish cooked breakfast, so cereal & toast outside our door was a disappoin**ent. The room was clean and ideal for walkers or cyclists just looking for a place to sleep, but not a good option for people who wanted to feel like they were "on holiday". The linen & towels should be replaced and some basic maintenance tasks like making sure the toilet roll holder & towel hooks actually stay in the wall would make a difference. The guest house was approx 20 mins walk to the town centre for restaurants etc and I don't think this was made clear in the advert for the property