Holiday Tariff

Eligibility and Entitlement

The MacRobert Trust subsidises the operation of Douneside House as a charitable undertaking. To protect The Trust's charitable status, control is exercised over who comes to Douneside and of those, who receives the subsidised ('entitled officer') rate.  This is determined through the terms of The MacRobert Trust Deed. 

Eligibility to come to Douneside   Douneside House is open to serving and retired commissioned Officers of the British Armed Services (including the Reserve Forces and Officers of the Air Training Corps, Army Cadet Corps and Sea Cadets) and their accompanying families and guests. Commissioned Officers, both serving and retired, of any NATO and Commonwealth countries are also welcome.  Merchant Navy Officers are now also entitled to use Douneside.

Non-entitled immediate family (parents, adult children and siblings of entitled officers) may also come to Douneside provided they are sponsored by the entitled officer.  The sponsor does not need to be present.  Non-entitled friends may come to Douneside only when accompanied by that Officer.

Widows and widowers of entitled officers are very welcome to continue visiting Douneside.  

Entitled Rates  Referring to the Tariff Table below, 'entitled Officers' are those officers eligible, as described above, their spouses and their children under the age of 21, and widows and widowers of former officers.  Spouses do not need to be accompanied by their husband/wife.

Guests not entitled to Discount  Referring to the Tariff Table below, guests not entitled to discount are friends or family not covered in the definition above for 'entitlement to discount'.

New Tariff Structure

A new tariff structure, with revised rates across the board, was introduced at the beginning of the 2011 Guest Season. Key points are:

• Simplified structure for adults i.e. entitled or non-entitled.  Thus, there will no longer be a differentiation between serving and retired officers, except for The Lady MacRobert Room (Room 6) bookings.
• The Lady MacRobert Room (Room 6) will attract a £5 supplementary charge, per person, per night, over the rates for other premium category rooms.   This will apply to only retired officers or non entitled guests.
• Children's rates have been staged to better reflect our costs. 
  • Under 5s remain free of charge
  • New category 5-11 years
  • New category 12-21 years
  • Where families have three or more children aged between 5 and 17 years of age, one child will be free, provided they share a room or are in a cottage.
  • £5 supplement will be charged for 5-11s who take dinner with parents rather than high tea.
• Self-catering rates have been overhauled.
• Reduced rates, introduced during the 2010 season, for DB&B and B&B only, are still available.

Rates have not increased for 2 years, but costs have, so inevitably prices have had to be raised in line with RPI and reflecting the increase in VAT to 20%.

General Information

The rates for full board, includes accommodation, breakfast, morning coffee, buffet lunch (or picnic in lieu), afternoon tea and dinner (high tea is available for younger children).  The rates for Dinner Bed and Breakfast and Bed and Breakfast cover only those meals - morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea may still be ordered and paid for separately on bills.  DB&B and B&B rates are not available for children as their rates are already heviliy subsidised.   The Use of all facilities is free to guests.  Please see details below for self-catering cottages.

Please note that we have a minimum two night stay policy from mid-July through to the end of August.

Cancellation Fee.  We no longer take a deposit on booking.  In lieu of deposits, a 20% cancellation fee may be charged if a booking is cancelled within one month of the due arrival date (except for Christmas - please see below).  A cancellation fee will not be applied where a room is re-let.       

Single Occupancy Supplement  

There is only one single room at Douneside House - Room 3.  To ensure single guests are not penalised, several other rooms within the House have been designated for single occupancy; these are Rooms 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.  Any other standard grade, double or twin room may be booked for single occupancy, but a supplement of £15 per day may be added to the bill.  Cottages and apartments will not normally be available to single occupants.  

Self-Catering Cottages

Self-catering may be available in Gatehouse and Pine Cottages.  The minimum stay is for 3 days.  Other than a basic get-you-in pack, no food or beverages will be provided.  Rooms will not be serviced daily.  For longer stays, bedding and towels will be changed on a weekly basis.  Full use of all facilities is permitted under the self-catering option (Leisure Centre, tennis courts, gardens and grounds).  Casual meals may be taken in the House provided reasonable notice is given.        

Click here for Special offers.

The rates below are effective from 29 April 2012 - 30 April 2013 and reflect VAT @20%.  Please telephone or e-mail regarding rates up to and including Easter (5-10 April 2011)

FULL BOARD ADULTS (per person, per day) :

FULL BOARD CHILDREN (each per day) : (all rooms)***

Notes:

• * This rate applies to Retired Officers only - serving officers will be charged the Premium Room rate when occupying The Lady MacRobert Room.
• ** DB&B and B&B rates are not available during the Christmas and Easter holiday periods.
• *** Dinner bed & breakfast and B&B rates not available to children.
• ****Children aged 5-11 who take dinner with parents, rather than high tea, will be charged a £5 supplement.
• Guests' children aged 18 and under 21 will be charged the adult rate unless in full-time education when they will be charged the child rate. Where families have three or more children aged between 5 and 17 years of age, one child will be free, provided they share a room or are in a cottage.  In the case of children falling into two price categories, the youngest child will be free.
• No refunds will be given for meals not taken (except those on DB&B or B&B only options).
• An additional 10% discount applies in October and the first week of May, but not in conjunction with any other special offer such as, 7 nights for the price of 5.  Self catering options are never subject to this discount.
• The charge for dogs covers the cost of extra cleaning and servicing dog litter bins within the grounds. The charge is per dog and covers the duration of the stay, whether one night or several.  Extra charges may be imposed if dog hair is found on beds and furniture.
• Self-catering - minimum stay 3 days.

The Tariff reflects a subsidy to commissioned officers of British, NATO and Commonwealth Armed Forces, their spouses and their children under the age of 21, and widows and widowers of former officers. Children are most welcome at Douneside House with cots and high chairs available if required. Discount is not given to officers' parents or grandchildren, to children over 21 years of age or to companions or friends who are not themselves entitled.

25% Operational Tour Discount

We offer 25% discount to British officers serving or returning from Afghanistan either whilst on R&R, or within 12 months of return.  Three caveats apply:

• Only one discounted stay per tour.
• The 25% discount cannot be combined with any other promotion running at the time.
• Minimum of 30 days in theatre applies.  

10% Discount Incentive Scheme

Introduce new entitled guests to Douneside and you'll be eligible for a 10% discount during your next visit.  Your friends will also receive a 10% discount for their first visit.

This scheme will run for an introductory period of 3 years, from March 2011.  The discount applies only to new bookings made from 10 March 2011.

Terms and Conditions: 

• The 10% discount will apply at any time, except:
  • Christmas
  • During periods when any other special offer is running (3 nights for the price of 2, 7 nights for the price of 5 or 5 nights for the price of 4).
  • When a 25% operational discount is being given.
• The discount will apply to immediate family only i.e. parents and children of entitled officers or their spouses.
• Procedure for claiming the 10% incentive discount:
  • When booking, the newly introduced guest must inform Douneside that they are claiming the 10% introductory offer.  They must also let us know the name of the guest who made the recommendation.
  • Once the booking is confirmed, we will acknowledge the 10% discount by sending a 10% discount certificate to both parties.
  • We will not be able to honour this offer retrospectively - arrangements must be set up from the outset of the booking.

Christmas Holiday
The Christmas Holiday period is a fixed 5-day break, which runs from 23rd - 28th December each year. This is a magical time with blazing log fires, lots of entertainment and traditional Christmas fare in this lovely country house atmosphere. A visit from Santa Claus is guaranteed and there is every possibility that you will enjoy a White Christmas.

For the Christmas Break a fixed supplement of £65 per adult guest and £40 for each child will be charged.  As mentioned under the Cancellation heading above, deposits are taken for Christmas bookings and will normally be requested in September.  The deposit is always the same amount as the supplement, described above.  Please note that provisional bookings for Christmas, including final room allocations, will not be confirmed until after deposits are received.  This is to help ensure we get the most efficient rooming plan possible.

Douneside Club
An integral feature of Douneside House is the Douneside Club, a private members' club registered under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976. Under Club Rules, residents of Douneside House aged 18 years or over are given temporary membership during their visit. The subscription for temporary membership is £2 and this sum will be added to bills where appropriate. 

Payment
Credit and debit cards may now be used for paying bills (in addition to cash or cheque).  To minimise bank charges debit cards are preferred over credit cards.

A 2% levy will be added to bills paid by credit card.  Sorry, we are unable to accept AMEX cards.

All prices include VAT at the current rate.

Service charge is not included and is at the discretion of guests.

Terms and Conditions Waiver

We reserve the right to alter our terms and conditions at any time.