Our accommodation
We have seven guest rooms to accommodate up to 12 guests. Four are on the first floor: two singles (Rms 3 and 4), a superior twin (Rm 1) and a superior double (Rm 2). The remaining three are on the second floor (12 further steps): a twin (Rm 5), a double (Rm 6) and a superior double (Rm 7).
With the improvements made during our 2010 winter closure, four rooms now have walk-in showers: Rm 1 (twin), Rm 2 (double), Rm 3 (single) and Rm 7 (double). Rm 4 (single) has a low-sided bath with overhead shower, Rm 5 (twin) and Rm 6 (double) have a bath with hand-held shower. Rm 7 also has a roll-top bath in what is a spacious bathroom, and while the bedroom is on the small size, this is partly compensated for by the lobby which connects the two rooms, and a narrow balcony (leading to the exterior emergency stairs) with views of neighbours' gardens and the hills beyond.
For couples staying with one child or another relative, the second floor double (Rm 6) becomes a family room: a small single room leads off the bedroom. Alternatively, the twin rooms, with the wider-than-usual beds, may suit a family with one or two small children, in which situation we make a modest extra charge depending on the breakfasts taken.
The stairs to the bedroom floors are narrow and quite steep: 14 to the first floor, a further 12 to the second. There are three steps to our front door and no wheelchair access. There are handrails for these steps, on both staircases, and grab handles in the bathrooms. If two flights of stairs would be too difficult, please request a first floor room. There are toilets on the ground floor.
Bedroom fittings & facilitiesAll the beds are luxury quality hotel range (Myers / Staples President). In the singles, the beds are metric width (3ft 3in); in the twins a small double (4ft wide); and in the doubles, king size (5ft wide). Unless requested otherwise in advance, the single and twin room beds are made with sheets and blankets, the doubles with new duck feather and down duvets. Bath sheets are standard. Superior rooms, when specifically booked, are made up with luxury linen, bathrobes and toiletries.
Each bedroom has a wall-mounted colour television (another new feature in 2010), radio/alarm clock, beverage-making facilities (vacuum flask of fresh milk on request), hairdryer (in the bathroom), socket for an electric shaver, a ceiling or wall-mounted fan for those hot (!) summer days, time-controlled electric convector heater, and heated towel rail and fan heater in the bathroom. All windows have secondary glazing, or are double glazed.
We are on broadband, and when requested, can provide Wi-Fi access in the bedrooms.
Cycle storage and wet clothing
Walkers and cyclists have access to our laundry room to dry wet clothing. Cycles can be stored overnight in our cellar, tandems in our back yard.
Breakfast
Breakfast is cooked to order: from the pan onto the plate and then to you. Our bacon and sausages are from an award-winning local baconry, Neuadd Fach. Our eggs are also local, from free-range hens. It is helpful to know at least a day or two in advance if you are vegetarian, no dairy or gluten-free, so that we can make sure we have suitable alternatives to offer. We ask what time you would like breakfast: the only restriction is not later than 9.30am to come down, and very early breakfasts may not be possible if we have had a series of late nights in the restaurant.
Arrival and departure
It is helpful to have some idea of your arrival time, to make sure your room is ready, or if it is to be late, not to be worrying over what might have delayed you. For practical reasons, we do ask guests to vacate their rooms at a reasonable time (noon at the latest).
The extra-wide beds in Rms 1 and 5 (twins) are an unusual feature, and typical of our efforts to provide what will be most comfortable for a good night’s sleep. Soon after we moved into Lloyds, we bought the beds, carpets and other furniture in these two rooms from the 5-star Edinburgh Sheraton. Now only the mirrors, headboards and table lamp remain (other items having been replaced), and the chairs which have been recovered.
The sepia print above the beds in Rm 5 was a 'rescue' from the National Archives in Harare (it had been ordered in this enlarged size but never collected).
The watercolour, 'The road to Zimbabwe', above the bed in Rm 7, is one of several we acquired from a local artist, Martin Russell (who passed away in 2009). He and his wife, Margot, used to spend most winters in South Africa. Their daughter, Jenny, is a columnist with 'The Guardian'.
Each bedroom has original art: the artist's print of Monet's garden in Rm 3, shown here, a gift from a dear friend, Muriel Paterson, who was housekeeper at the hotel school in Ross Hall when Roy was a student in Glasgow (1969-72).
Rm 4 (shown here) and Rm 3 have desks, helpful if you have business to attend to, as do Rms 2 and 7.
The (artist-signed) animal prints in Rm 5 are from Roy's last holiday in Zimbabwe with his mother (February 1999, she died in July that year).
Rm 6 looking towards the adjacent single (when it operates as a family room). Our website masthead shows the view of Rm 6 bathroom.
In our 2010 winter closure, we replaced the furniture in Rm 2 (shown here), installed a wall-mounted television, and fitted a new carpet (the masthead shows the wall-in shower in Rm 2). Rm 3 was also redecorated and a new carpet fitted, the television was moved to a better position and wall-mounted (this was also done in Rms 4 and 5), the bath taken out (cast iron, so this involved cutting it in half with an angle grinder: Roy did wear a mask and goggles) and a walk-in shower fitted (by Tom). New curtains were fitted in Rm 6.
The bathroom of Rm 7, with its Black Watch tartan carpet. Converted from a previous double room in 2005. This marked a significant step forward, with all our rooms en-suite. In the picture archive section of this website there is a photo of what this bathroom was previously: a double bedroom.
In our 2009 winter closure, we completely refurbished and refitted Rm 1 bathroom (the first floor twin), redecorated the bedroom and installed a wall-mounted television. New curtains were fitted in this and the second floor twin.
The table lamp in Rm1 is the original (ex Edinburgh Sheraton).
View to the rear of Lloyds, from the small balcony of Rm 7. The balcony was added in 2005, as part of the external emergency staircase.
We all most certainly enjoyed our weekend, your hospitality, entertainment and cooking were all up to their usual excellent standard!! We also now have four new comfortable pillows winging their way to us.
Your rooms are superb, the welcome warm and even the other guests seem to be of a high standard, and certainly much more friendly and talkative than I am used to in hotels …!
I have taken the liberty of recommending your hotel to the staff at my work. We always pass on the good ones as they are becoming increasingly hard to find these days.
