Just back from 2 nights at the Marine and we had a lovely time. We were upgraded to a deluxe corner room on the 3rd floor which had windows on 4 sides overloooking the sea and 2 golf courses. Lovely. the room was huge but slightly strange arrangement with the batjhroom in that the toilet was in a separate cubicle on the other side of the room! All in all a good choice.

My colleague booked this hotel for an overnight business stay. I then went to check out the reviews on TripAdvisor and was dismayed to see that most people did not have a great experience at this hotel. We had a great rate (50 GBP per night, not including breakfast) but the rate was not refundable and they took the money from my credit card ahead of time.

When we arrived, the location was terrific. Looking out of the front, we could see the Isle of Arran across the golf course and water. The overall impression of the place was also very positive. Entering the hotel, the dining room was on the right and looked very nice. A large lounge and bar area were on the left, also looking very inviting and comfortable. The lift/elevator, striaght ahead, was under construction.

When we checked in the receptionist was very friendly and efficient. When we got our rooms, I asked her if there were any weddings going on (see previous reviews of this hotel) and she said no it was quite quiet. I also asked if she knew about TripAdvisor, to which she gave a knowing glance and nodded. I also asked if our rooms were overlooking the front or the parking lot. She said they were looking over the back, but changed us to the front without any problem.

She also asked if we wanted to dine at the hotel - they were running a three course special for 20 GBP. I told her that the previous reviews were not exactly stellar on the kitchen or menu availability, but she assured us it would be excellent. Actually, the location of the hotel makes it not easy to walk to another restaurant and we did not feel like driving elsewhere.

The room was very nice. Small, but clean and good quality, with a nice clean and roomy bathroom and large closet. A desk and a comfortable bed, plus a armchair comprised the rest of the room. The view was fantastic, with snow on the mountain tops.

Our rooms were only one floor up, so the absence of a working lift was not an issue.

We had the special menu at the restaurant, which was a choice from four selections for each of the three courses. The dinner was excellent and enjoyable. The service was also very good, although the waitress did know the beer selection very well.

The next morning we had an excellent cooked British breakfast to order - eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes (and more), plus there was a cold continental buffet choice of cereals, fruits, etc.. This was not that great compared to continental hotels, however, the cooked breakfast was great!

We did not really try any of the other amenities, since we came in late and left right after breakfast. The internet in my room was not working, but that was an excuse not to have to deal with emails after a long drive.

Based on my experience, this is great hotel at which to stay. The rate was excellent - obtained off our corporate travel web service. Parking was easy and close by. We used a GPS to locate the hotel and the weather was excellent - sunny and not too windy - during our stay.

I would give this hotel a high recommendation for anyone who wants a relaxing place to stay. I would expect the rates to be much higher in the summer, when the golfers are probably swarming about, so check out the prices first. Also make sure you check what the cancellation policy is for the rate you get. Also, it sounds like it would be good to mention TripAdvisor when checking in . . .

Finally, our experience may have been influenced by expectations, since we were somewhat wary of what we would be getting based on the previous reviews.

I had read that the hotel had been refurbished, but our room, though of reasonable standard had not been refurbished recently.

We arrived early and the reception staff were most helpful and asked us to take a seat in the bar while they checked if our room was ready. Around 5 minutes later the receptionist found us and gave us the keys to our room. As we were about 2 hours early, this is something they did not need to do but it was a nice touch.

The room was clean but a little small, and the bathroom had some decorative repair work needing to be carried out.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, but when we arrived we were told that they had no steak! The menu was fairly limited so this was not ideal.

The leisure facilitis are good with a good sized pool and a well equipped gym.

Troon is not the best place to visit in the middle of January, but in the summer it would be a different story.

Overall it was a pleasant enough stay, but a couple of easy improvements would make all the difference.

PS : If you are looking for somewhere with a decent bar for a base on a golfing holiday, then this would be perfect.

We booked a weekend break at the Marine as a quiet get-away. Quiet it was not. We were put in the furthest away room in the hotel, which was cold and had a very noisy toilet flushing system. When we contacted reception just after checking in, they said they couldn’t do anything until Monday because there were no maintenance staff available. This didn't bother us too much. What was frustrating was being put in the part of the hotel where a wedding party was staying. The guests decided to have a party until 6.30am in the room above ours, which meant there wasn't much peace and quiet. We contacted reception to ask them to have the guests keep the noise down but unfortunately nothing was done. We finally got some sleep for about 1 hour before the delivery vans started arriving and making deliveries at the area next to our room.

Our stay was dinner, bed and breakfast, which we found to be quite poor. The staff were not very co-ordinated and didn't seem to know what was going on in the restaurant. Breakfast was not very fresh and there wasn't much left, even though we arrived 45 minutes before the end of service. Dinner was also of poor quality and seemed heavily cooked in oil.

As for relaxing, when we checked in, we asked for a brochure for beauty treatments. While we were given this, the receptionist failed to mention that no bookings were being taken fro treatments because the therapists had walked out. I only found this out after calling the leisure centre to book a treatment. Overall, it was not a great stay and considering the poor quality of service and food, the Marine is definitely not worth the money.