Holiday Cottages In Spean Bridge

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Josie - Verified booking

  The lodge is beautiful, very clean, warm and cosy, and has gorgeous views of the not too distant mountains and forest.

  However, it wasn't as idyllic and peaceful a stay as my family and I had hoped, for numerous reasons: There is a trainline at the bottom of the garden. This is not mentioned on the website. Whilst its not too disruptive in itself, we did have overnight works taking place one evening that disturbed everyone's sleep, and I think it would be reasonable for it to be listed on the website for transparency, especially for those seeking peace and quiet. The house is also not as isolated as it appears on the website. The lodge is located down a rough track driveway and is adjacent to properties on three sides by up the four sets of neighbours. One I believe may be a farmer who seemed to only ever yell at his dog very early in the morning. However, the biggest intrusion is the additional cabin, which is in the garden of the lodge, the same garden that is described on the website as being a "private". One evening a car parked up on the drive and someone went into the cabin. When asked by my mum they said they were the owner and would only be staying one night as they were going cycling the next day. When asked they said they use the cabin regularly and that his daughter had been living in it with her dog until only a couple of months ago. The car remained parked on the drive for a week and was still there on the day we were leaving. The female members of the party felt uneasy not knowing if someone else was on the property or not, and the garden and wider property did not feel private during our stay. During the same conversation my mum was asked how our stay was going. My mum explained that she had fallen down the stairs in the house. Instead of asking if she was ok he asked only what she had been wearing on her feet, which felt like she was being blamed for her fall. My mum was very badly bruised and in pain. The stairs, in our view, are dangerous. The are made of very shiny wood which is slippery, have large gaps between each step, the hand rail moves, there is a gap between the wall and the staircase, and also a large gap between a downstairs doorway and the staircase that passes over it. Later during our holiday another unknown car parked up on the drive, a different man went into the on-site cabin with a dog, and was also seen walking his dog around the grounds. When asked he said he was the owners friend and was staying with him for a few nights in the cabin. Although very polite to us it heightened our sense of unease at having another unknown male on the grounds of the property, which exacerbated it not feeling private. When we were trying to pack our car to leave on our departure day we again saw the owner, who must have been at the lodge as we had thought, who asked if we had enjoyed our stay. It was explained to him that it wasn't enjoyable as the women in the group had felt very uncomfortable with who were essentially strangers staying at the cabin in the garden, who just seemed to turn up unannounced. We didn't feel able to sit outside in our pyjamas and enjoy a morning coffee, or wander with our dog on the ground in the evening after dark. His response was "well, we've only been over there", which feels like it confirms our concerns rather than alleviates them. He never felt apologetic about them feeling intrusive to us, and when we stated that we thought we had exclusive use of the property (as detailed in the terms and conditions), he said yes, exclusive use of the house. This does not feel in keeping with the terms and conditions. Again, I think it's entirely reasonable for information about the cabin on the property to be listed on the website for honesty and transparency, which includes information that the owners and their friends and family may use the cabin whilst the holiday home is in use. We have stayed in numerous holiday homes and never have we experienced anything as intrusive as this. Welcoming touches were also missing from the house. There was no welcome pack, which would have been wonderful for us after having travelled for two days, and not much information about local attractions. Other basic items missing included a potato peeler and masher, refills of hand soap, an oven glove, and extra toilet roll for our two week stay. The TV in the mezzanine sitting room also didn't seem to be pick up any channels, and the DVD players were in a draw rather than set up for use. Overall, I feel that the website needs to be more transparent about the definition of what constitutes exclusive use of the property, the location, the properties surroundings, and local amenities. It's also worth noting that the "Hotel with pub and restaurant 10 mins walk" listed on the website is in fact a 20 to 30 minute walk on a high speed road with minimal pedestrianised routes. Sadly, I would not stay at this property again and would not recommend it to others who want peace, quiet, privacy and a warm welcome.

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• Kelly - Verified booking

  Orion Lodge is the best lodge I have stayed in by far.

  A lot of care and planning has gone into it which made it extra special. We are a family from Portsmouth on the south coast of England. 3 pensioners, 2 X 40 somethings and a 7 year old, not forgetting our little Chihuahua. The whole lodge was greatly equipped, especially the kitchen that had everything we needed and more. Didn’t get to use the log burner unfortunately as the heating is set to 20° and we were lucky with the weather. The views are fantastic, had 2 very quiet neighbours, sheep to the right, chickens along the drive, lots of birds on the feeders and tree’s, easy to find on Google maps. Sadly a previous guest had left their dog unattended so there was some minor damage to the patio door, but doesn’t effect anything. Owners made it very clear dogs are not allowed on furniture, beds or to be left alone for that reason. Please respect their wishes as it really is a lovely place. The lodge is beautiful and I would highly recommend it. A handy little Spar shop and post office is at the end of the road, turn left as you leave the lodge drive, and the bottle bank a mile away in the other direction. Fort William high street was nice, as was the Morrisons and we had a meal in the Brewers Fayre. My only complaint, which is nothing in the greater scheme of things, were the cushions and pillows being on the flat side. Thankfully we always take our own pillows for that reason. The utility room is a bonus as I got most of my laundry done before leaving. I can’t thank Alan and Pam enough for creating such a beautiful holiday home. If I ever brave the 500 mile drive again Orion Lodge will be at the top of my list. Thank you!

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• Ian - Verified booking

  Great 'home from home' to spend a week in.

  Arrival milk etc package appreciated. Just a few tweeks I would recommend :- Install a fridge/FREEZER compartment. I know in the instruction boook it says get in touch to get a key to access the freezer in the adjoining outhouse ..... but come on ... really ? I found a key hung in the meter cupboard (but only near the week end of staying there) ..... for a week a Freezer is a must (although I noticed one is not stated in the cottage details. Also, the picnic bench is in need of replacement.... it's unsteady and flexible when you sit on it ! Our weeks weather was so hot that a few fans would be appreciated .... especially in the upstairs areas. Hundreds of Mini black flies in the upsatirs bathroom plagued our visit ( due to the hot weather ? .... unsure). It needs an extractor fan. It would have been nice to have a set of nice matching mugs instead of the multitude of 'building site' ones. The duvet has a LOVELY cover on it whcih feels great. I couldn't really fathom the TV to get 'live' TV on it .... please leave instructions for visitors. Overall, a really lovely place to stay and in a great location to explore the areas around. We usually like to meeet and have a quick word etc with the owners but not a problem.

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• Sharon - Verified booking

  We liked Gorrie's Lair.

  It is a lovely two bedroom/two bathroom holiday cottage in a large and tranquil secluded garden near Spean Bridge. Easy access by car from the cottage into nearby Fort William and the West Highlands. The towels provided in the cottage were a bit small and flimsy so my suggestion would be for improved towel provision please. We knew in advance there would be no freezer/washing machine and planned accordingly and managed without although if these were made available then that would be a real bonus.

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• Allison - Verified booking

  Orion Lodge was the perfect location to explore the Highlands.

  We were almost always less than an hour and a half from most locations we wanted to visit. The view from the backyard was spectacular and the windows upstairs and downstairs allowed us to see it all the time. The lodge was spacious, the kitchen was a dream, the laundry room was so convenient and the separate lounging areas made it nice for our family to spread out. I cannot say enough about how nice our lodging was. We loved it and would stay here again if we return.

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