Scotland is blessed with many hundred year old hotels in stunning landscapes and Atholl Palace is one such example. But these big old buildings are expensive and sometimes these grand old edifices are allowed to decay into shadows of their former selves as the owners desire for profit means maintainance, decoration and furniture are allowed to slip along with the room rate, often seeking the high volume, low income coach tour trade, a phenomenon not unfairly called the Britannia syndrome. So has Atholl Palace succumbed to this dire affliction? At the moment, thankfully no, not even close, but not everything is rosy in the Palace. The Atholl Palace sits high above the road as you enter into Pitlochry, an awesome sight from miles around. There is then, as you'd expect from any great country hotel, the drive way leading you on up to a grand facade. There then follows the warm welcome of the reception, both in terms of the staff greeting and the fireplaces. We were last here in 2017 so we are curious to see what has changed since then. The reception has had some new furniture and if anything appears older and more traditional before. The opposite is true in the room, whilst the bedroom retains period charm it now has a more contemporary feel, especially in the shiny modern bathroom. The family room offered plenty of space and there was all the usual goodies in the bathroom and on the teatray. The spa area has also had a bit of a glow up, with new hot tub, tepidarium and steam room and again service was as warm as the hot seashells I got massaged with. But there were signs that not everything was as well looked after , in the gym were two treadmills, possibly around the same age as the hotel, one didn't work and the other the belt would stick as your running along, a sure fire way to break an ankle. The staff seemed to know about it already.... Dinner on our first night was taken in the Stags Head Bar. This was top quality casual dining. Pate, deep fried Brie and then Scampi and a dirty great Venison burger. Absolutely perfect setting, massive whiskey selection what more could you want for a dinner venue. I was looking forward to my dinner in the restaurant the next day. Breakfast only further built that expectation. The buffet has all the usual suspects, decent quality sausages (the measure of any hotel breakfast in my mind) and of course that view down the Tummel Valley that makes everything feel that little bit better.. I can see why you'd want to get married in surroundings like this and a lucky couple were doing just that. The downside was that we felt a bit left out. Whilst they had the sole use of the Stags Head we had to go without. You'll be served in the lounge an optimistic sign informed us, but as all the staff were moving around chairs, wrangling a Henry or generally looking after the wedding, getting served was easier written than done... I'm incredibly tolerant of such issues, for many years it was me moving the chairs or wra