Scotland Uphall
Macdonald Houstoun House
Independent pet-friendly review by Four Legged Guests · updated October 2026 · paw rating built from 4 verified guest reviews mentioning pets
Bring your dog if
- You're happy with a standard hotel-room stay where the property explicitly welcomes dogs
- You're basing yourself in Uphall / the Scotland and want a pet-friendly anchor for day trips
- Pet-mentioning reviewers spoke positively about the dog-friendly setup
Worth knowing
- Paw rating is based on 4 reviews - limited sample, treat as directional
- Pet fee: £20 per night - research-verified; confirm at booking
- Shared corridors and common areas mean nervous or vocal dogs may find it harder to settle
How this review was built Evidence, sources, refresh cadence
- Evidence: 4 pet-mention guest reviews sourced from major booking platforms - guests who explicitly mentioned travelling with a dog. Each review is screened for pet-relevance, then judged for sentiment to compute the paw rating.
- Not a personal visit. We don't stay at every hotel we cover - we summarise patterns from real guest reviews, paraphrased and never quoted verbatim. Full standard on our editorial policy page.
- Wider context: The property has 1,767 guest reviews overall across booking platforms, averaging 8.2/10 - the paw rating reflects only the pet-mentioning subset.
- Last refreshed: October 2026. Policies and pricing drift; we re-check on a rolling basis. Confirm specifics with the property at the moment you book.
- How the paw rating works: Full detail on the methodology page, including the three verification gates and known limitations.
Pet policy at a glance
- Pet fee: £20 per night.
Pet-friendly summary
Macdonald Houstoun House is one of the more relaxed places to bring a dog near Edinburgh. This country house hotel in Uphall sits in mature, peaceful grounds, and dog owners say dogs are welcome pretty much everywhere, including the bar. A pet charge of £20 per night applies.
What stands out is how comfortable the staff are around dogs. Guests travelling with pets describe the team as friendly and helpful to owners and dogs alike, and there is a dog water and treat station set up for four-legged guests, so you do not need to hunt around for a bowl on arrival. Dog owners also mention spacious, very clean rooms and good food in the bar and restaurant, and several have come back for repeat stays, including over Hogmanay.
The grounds are the main attraction for dog walking. The gardens are well kept and quiet, which makes early-morning and evening strolls easy without leaving the estate, although some would like a few more marked trails for longer walks. Edinburgh is around half an hour away by car, so it works as a calmer base for city days out with a dog.
There are a couple of caveats. Because dogs are welcomed so widely, guests without pets have been woken by barking from nearby rooms, and dog owners should be aware that sound can carry. Breakfast divides opinion: it is fairly expensive and some find it basic, and the overall cost of extras can add up. At £20 per night, the pet fee also mounts up on a longer stay.
For dog owners who want a country house setting with space to walk and a genuinely warm welcome for their dog close to Edinburgh, Macdonald Houstoun House earns its 4.5/5 paw rating.
Highlights from pet-mentioning reviews
What reviewers travelling with dogs consistently noted about staying here.
- Dogs welcome in the bar and public areas
- Dog water and treat station provided
- Quiet landscaped grounds for dog walks
- Barking can carry between rooms
- £20 per night pet fee
About this hotel
Macdonald Houstoun House is a four-star country house hotel in Uphall, West Lothian, set in its own landscaped grounds around 15 miles west of Edinburgh. It has a restaurant, bar and leisure facilities including a pool, and is convenient for both Edinburgh Airport and the M8.
Hotel facts
Photos
Location
Uphall, Uphall, EH52 6JS