“Comfortable Highland Hotel”

A very comfortable stay at this conveniently located hotel set in amongst lovely countryside. Nothing too much trouble, good breakfast. Would stay here again. The co-located pub next door does great food but a table reservation is a must. Honesty bar in hotel lounge is a nice idea for traveller… more

A very comfortable stay at this conveniently located hotel set in amongst lovely countryside. Nothing too much trouble, good breakfast. Would stay here again. The co-located pub next door does great food but a table reservation is a must. Honesty bar in hotel lounge is a nice idea for travellers.

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“Good value budget lodge”

The lodge has a years gone by feel to it, with a guest lounge, honesty bar, books and board games. The rooms are very much in need of refurbishment, but were clean, a good size, with an ensuite bathroom. Plenty of parking just across from the room. The breakfast was serve yourself, not a big se… more

The lodge has a years gone by feel to it, with a guest lounge, honesty bar, books and board games. The rooms are very much in need of refurbishment, but were clean, a good size, with an ensuite bathroom. Plenty of parking just across from the room. The breakfast was serve yourself, not a big selection but adequate. There is another pub/hotel a few minutes walk away which was a good place for dinner.

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“Think of this as a self-service hostel and you'll be fine.”

Well, that was different... We booked this as we had left our travel planning too late and other options weren't available. Having read some other reviews, we went with an open mind and felt it would be OK just as a place to crash for the night. If you want a luxury experience, you're going to b… more

Well, that was different... We booked this as we had left our travel planning too late and other options weren't available. Having read some other reviews, we went with an open mind and felt it would be OK just as a place to crash for the night. If you want a luxury experience, you're going to be disappointed. If you think of this as more of a self-service hostel with minimal staffing and basic amenities, then it's tolerable. Others have complained about expecting a double bed - the booking system we used made it clear that the 'double' would be two singles pushed together (ours weren't upon arrival, but it was no big deal for us). We checked in later than the hotel system requested (check in between 4pm and 6pm) but we'd called ahead and were told this would be fine. Upon arrival, we found our check-in details at reception and were told our key was already in the room. We found our own way up and it was fine. Breakfast is pre-ordered, but this is not so it will be delivered to your table, it is so the (admittedly minimal) staff have an idea of how much to prepare for the self-service buffet. The lovely guy overseeing breakfast who we spoke to said people always come and take more than they ordered, so they do their best to meet the somewhat elastic demand anyway. Be aware that the front door is left unlocked all night and there is nobody on reception, so theoretically anybody could stroll into the hotel at any time. It's a little way out of town and it's off the main road, so I suspect the chances of this are minimal, but if you're nervous about such things, this is not the place for you. The honesty bar is a new one on me, but consistent with the style of the place - it's clearly run on a shoestring and staffing is kept to an absolutely minimum - like, nobody around after 6pm I'm guessing? As somebody else pointed out, the fire doors were wedged open, I suspect to stop them banging when opened and closed. I closed a couple, as I'm funny about such things, only to find them wedged open again in the morning. Overalll this feels like a business in survival mode - the place is clearly lacking investment and feels tired, and some of the public spaces have not been cleaned and have stuff lying around. However, we needed a place for the night, for a family of 4 we had a family room when others weren't available. The room was clean, dry, warm and functional, so we were fine with it - we paid £190 for 4 for the night, including breakfast, which we felt was pretty good value for money. Expectations were low and it was fine. When we were there, it was fully booked and the nice breakfast guy told us it was like that until the end of September (I think), we saw people at breakfast who all seemed fine with it - so perhaps it's about expectations. For a budget overnight stop on the NC500, it's functional and you'll survive. If you aspire to higher quality and service, you may find this not what you're looking for.

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