Coming towards the end of the school holidays, it has been interesting to see how the numbers of families using the hotel and lodges has increased this year - is this the 'staycation' that the press have been telling us all about?

Perhaps it is, but perhaps it is because we have looked to make it simpler for families to stay at Rufflets - simpler pricing, better family facilities (although the beach boxes have not exactly had much use!) but the garden games have had more than a few airings.

So, we will be looking ahead to the October school holidays to be able to grow our family-friendly activities and facilities.

Rufflets exterior gets a facelift!

The north elevation of the building has just been given a smart new look with a fresh coat of cream paint, so that it now matches the new Garden Suite extension. The porch has been re-glazed and all the dark woodwork has been painted in a lovely soft shade of putty green, giving the front entrance a much lighter look. Andy, our head gardener, has filled the hanging baskets with trailing fuscias, which complete the new look. The gatehouse and staff cottages are due to be painted later this month to complete the facelift.

Our regular customers will have noticed that the ladies cloakroom was upgraded and redecorated at the start of the season, giving it a more contemporary look. We have received a lot of comments on the disappearance of the “pink pigs” wallpaper, which has been a talking point over the years, but they had to go! So many people have asked me for the name and manufacturer of that particular paper (Osborne & Little) which I renamed my ‘female chauvinist pigs’ wallpaper. I do hope that the replacement silver foil paper, silver Amtico floor tiles and polished concrete vanity top will prove just as controversial.

Two years ago we took the decision to move away from the old style Country House Hotel look, with chintzy curtains, swags and tails and bric-a-brac, to a more classic, uncluttered and contemporary look. This was kick- started by the interior design of the new Garden Suite, opened in December 2007, which has proved very popular with our customers and staff. Since then, all planned upgrading of bedrooms bathrooms and public rooms has been carried out in this vein.

We are always interested to have your feedback on the ongoing improvements and refurbishment as your comments help to shape our future decisions.

Back at the Desk....and a first-time blogger?

Having enjoyed a good two week break to France, it is strange to say that I am glad to be back!

A fortnight of good food and wine, in the wonderful company of the family, plus the fishing (caught half a dozen sea-bass!), the beaches and plenty of rest has helped re-charge the batteries. It was clear that there was much less UK traffic across in France this year, which does back up the fact that more people are doing the 'staycation' thing.

The hotel has thankfully been busy, but it is always re-assuring to know that Craig and Heather, along with the rest of the team, have been here to look after the guests as always.

It was good to come back to see the newly painted north-face of the building which had been in progress when I left, and what with all the topiary being trimmed in the gardens, everything is looking good.

So, back to the hard work for the rest of the summer, and ready to start looking ahead to finalising the plans for Christmas and Hogmanay.......

Every month we conduct an online guest survey. Below we share the feedback to the question “What areas could we improve on?” and provide some commentary where it might be of interest.

1. Menu was rather restricted - we would prefer good honest Scottish food such as Aberdeen Angus Sirloin/ Fillet or lovely fresh perfect fish - it doesn't need dressing up inbto a mish-mash of current culinary fashion. Also your vegetables are so fresh & delicious why try to improve on nature? Ditto fruit.

2. You upgraded us to the Tower Room which was lovely - thank you. We may not have been pressing the right buttons but think that the spa bath was not working as well as it should. One of the buttons produced an effect, the other not at all. As I say, it may be our mistake, but I think it should be checked. That did not effect our enjoyment of the room and our stay

3. Smaller key rings!

4. I ranked the Restaurant Service as Good instead of Excellent. This is because we had been promised your best table for our dinner on our wedding night but when we arrived at the restaurant the table had been given to someone else. This disappointed us (mostly my new wife) but we understood that mistakes sometimes happen. And your staff did their best to make up for the error and we appreciated that. Apart from this everything else was wonderful.

5. For reference the hot chocolate served in the tall glass was lukewarm. unlike the one in the cup the following day which was perfect.

6. leave wine on tables at dinner (or else have someone to pour it!)

7. If you are not going to leave the wine bottles on the table during dinner service you must ensure that you are much better at making sure diners' glasses do not run empty. This occurred on our table for both the starter and main course despite the restaurant being very quiet.
Comment: the two issues above relate to the same evening and this has been addressed.

8. i can honestly say we all had a perfect weekend.

9. dinner menu could be better, steak quality disappointing Comment: we only use the best Buccleuch Estate meat on the menu.

10. We stayed for 2 nights and the menu was the same - would have liked to see at least one different dish on the menu on the second night. Comment – we have an A La Carte Menu with 8 starter options and 8 main courses plus two steak options. The menu changes with the season depending on local produce and the produce from our own gardens.

11. Bar could do with refurbishment without destroying the character and charm of the property. Comment: we have a regular refurbishment programme, the gust surveys help wth our decision making

12. WiFi needs to reach the rooms. Very trying to make special trips to the downstairs to receive it. Comment: we do offer free WiFi in public areas, meeting rooms and most of the rooms in the main house. Due to the thick walls reception in all areas is not ideal, we are looking at options to improve this.

13. Yes - Smoked Haddock for Breakfast clear off (smelling strongly). Replaced with another choice but should not have happened in the first place.

14. We accidentally took a key home with us and will pop it in the mail soon...so sorry
Keep the comments coming. Comment: in reference to comment 3 above, they are obviously not too big!


Good to see some more good reviews on Trip Advisor this month.