Dog Friendly Cottages in Argyll And Bute

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Paul - Verified booking

  We had a fantastic break for 4 nights at Newton Hall in the Easter holidays.

  The owner was extremely helpful and courteous, calling us before the stay to make sure we had all the details we needed, run us through what the property offered, check out whether we had any specific requirements, and also give us info about the team they have available to help out during our stay (although we didn't need to call them - everything was fine!). The rooms were clean, relaxing and comfortable, and the views from the front of this property are spectacular - we hadn't clocked from the photos that the arched windows at the front have window seat cushions, and watching the sunrise over Loch Fyne with a morning coffee was magical. We also didn't realise quite how convenient it was going to be for local amenities - there's a well-stocked Co-Op literally 2 minutes walk from the back door, and it's only a short distance further to the George pub in the centre of Inveraray which serves a great menu of both good food and malt whiskies. We also had no problem organising a supermarket grocery delivery to here for the first night when we arrived. There's heaps of good walking nearby even if you're not an experienced mountaineer. We did a walk through the town and up to the watchtower in the old hill fort above Inveraray castle, which is a good, well-signed path to do with the kids: it's a fairly modest 220m or so up, but still gives you fantastic views over the loch and mountains from the top. Oh, and of course, the kids loved spending time with us in the hot tub! We only had a few nights when we could stay this time, but we really hope we get a chance to visit again in the future.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  1. The property was very well equipped and very clean. 2. The location and views were wonderful. BUT 3. 2 of the bedrooms were through rooms ie you had to go through one to get to another which was not made clear in the description of the property and was not suitable for different households. We had 6 households in the 6 rooms. Our group was not happy with this. 4. The water pressure was very low such that if more than one shower or bath was run at the same time, there was no water or it ran cold, especially upstairs. We had 7 adults all wanting showers after coming in from a walk or a cycle, and in the morning, so we had to go one at a time. It would have been totally unworkable with 12 which the house could take. I know there is a water shortage but a business like this with paying multiple users, needs to find an alternative means of water supply if as I suspect, this is a private spring supply. A borehole for example. 5. The track was actually terrible, and is just getting worse with continual use. We are used to driving up forestry roads and were prepared for it but there was one particular pothole which was dangerously deep and could not be avoided. There had been forestry work closeby so perhaps it had been made worse by machinery. But the owners need to go and look for themselves. It has reached an unacceptable state now. For such an upmarket and expensive property the access must be improved.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Wow. What an absolutely gorgeous house. It was spotlessly clean and the views are simply breathtaking. We had a wonderful week of sunshine and made the most of the house and everything the area had to offer. All the rooms are tastefully decorated - not super modern, but traditional and pleasant. What you see in the photos is absolutely what you get. My only negatives were that, one, the road leading up to the house is full of potholes and, quite frankly, not fit to have cars driving up and down it. For the money being paid to stay here, I'm sure something could be done about it. If there was anything that would put me off staying here again, it'd be this. Two, we were given the number for a house keeper but struggled to get replies from her. I sent a WhatsApp message on day 1 of our holiday and it's been read but still no response (I'm now home). When we arrived at the property, we struggled to get into the key safe to retrieve the keys. We tried contacting the house keeper but, in the end, had to phone Rural Retreats and see if they could help us. That said though, we all loved our stay here, and would thoroughly recommend the house and Rural Retreats to anyone wanting a superb base near Oban.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Port na Mine is a wonderful house in a beautiful location. We stayed for a week in early August 2023 and found that it had everything we could possibly want for a party of ten from two families. The house is very comfortable, the kitchen well equipped (including Nespresso machine), the beds, heating and hot water all excellent. Lots of bathrooms. The forest track up to the house was less difficult than we had been led to expect. The midges were only a very low level nuisance and the weather much better than forecast. The walk down to the loch takes 5 minutes and is delightful, down a mown path flanked by a sea of wild flowers. We kayaked, paddleboarded and swam in the loch, and our dog was rarely out of the water. Absolutely idyllic, and so quiet. So many wonderful things to see in the vicinity, like Glen Coe, Glen Etive, Castle Stalker and Dunstaffnage Castle. An amazing place!

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• Marek - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay at Smithy House.

  We were a multi generational family group with a dog. The cottage was cosy, warm and friendly. A great parlour kitchen for family meals and a cosy lounge for playing board games during the evening. The bedrooms were lovely and the beds were really comfortable. The boys enjoyed having the top floor to themselves :) The cottage is located close to the historical Kilmartin and we enjoyed walking to the stones and Cairns, then on to Kilmartin for a delicious pub lunch at the local Kilmartin Hotel. The cottage has easy access to many other activities and we were out every day, visiting Oban, Isle of Arran, Tarbert Castle, Avich Waterfalls and much more. It was easy to pop out to top up food supplies with Lochgilphead only 12 minutes away, having a petrol garage, Spar and a well stocked Co-op. So in summary we had a great holiday and would definitely recommend the place.

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