Sleeps 12 Apartments In Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Dorothy - Verified booking

  Unfortunately as a group of 6, we all felt the same that the our experience at Kinnaird House fell a long way short of what we expected for the price we paid.

  Firstly, however I would like to thank the incredibly accommodating Victoria for cleaning the property early to enable us to drop off our bags before walking. She was great at replying to our enquiry promptly and reassuring us that we could leave our Bags early to enable us to start our walk. Also for cleaning the flat the best they could. The issues we had with Kinnaird House were the following - Access- there were no instructions that the property was accessed at the side through a small courtyard. Clear signage would make this easier. It was not clear which keypad was for the flat and a few had to be trialled. The key for the flat was difficult to use and needs to be fixed or replaced. It took us a while to manage to unlock the door. Decor - dull and uninviting, clearly needs updating. Some of the doors were so badly damaged they have been repairs with black tape. Some carpeting is stained and looks unclean. Looking out of the kitchen window the gutters are cascading with weeds and the whole house has a feeling of being neglected. We felt the dining room looked like a funeral directors as it was so dull, bland and uninviting. The blinds in one of the downstairs bedrooms did not keep the early morning light out, so resulted in wakening with the sun. Showers - one of the main issues were the poor showers. The upstairs shower kept running out of water mid wash with soap or shampoo! The sink also ran out of water mid tooth brushing. The downstairs electric shower switched from scolding hot to freezing cold in 5 second intervals so could not be used. I contacted the owner directly about this due to health & safety concern. Comfort - the sofa was old but ok and the beds were fine as was the bedding which was clean. In summary as a group of walkers we stayed in 7 different accommodations throughout our long distance walk and Kinnaird house was by far the most expensive but also the most disappointing stay. It cost us over £84/ person per night. As a comparison we stayed in the Norland B&B, Lossiemouth for £50 each, beautiful decor, fantastic sea views, all rooms en-suite with good showers and a full Scottish & continental breakfast in the morning. I hope this feedback is useful for encouraging the owner to make the required improvements or to reduce the cost and change the description to reflect the accommodation on offer. It annoys me that tourists visiting may think that this is the level of accommodation we provide in Scotland. In our view the accommodation felt more of a bunk house, which is ok if that is what you are expecting and the price reflects that. We would not recommend Kinnaird House to any friends or family unless there were significant improvements.

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• Talesh - Verified booking

  The House was situated in a beautiful place with lots of outdoor space.

  Rooms were big and ample space. When we got there it was quite dusty and we had to dust everywhere as lots of flies on the window sill , in corners etc. For a place that holds 14 people the fridge/freezer was very small. Not enough pots and pans and we had to call the person in charge every so often as we weren’t sure about things in the house. The place was very cold when we got there and majority of the fire places were there for show. We weren’t told about the fire place that did work and had to go to the local Tesco to buy fire lights and matches to get it started. We had to find the the log cupboard which was situated at the back of the house but the neighbours told us where that was. One of the bathrooms needed a lot of work , lots of rust and just didn’t look nice, had a dirty feel to it. The toilets downstairs were so old and horrible as well. In general the amount of money paid for the week is really not reflected in the house. The internet was awful and never worked . We then found a fireplace in the kitchen actually worked and had a small fan heater under it but we discovered it 5 days after we got there. It’s a beautiful house and very close to lots of local places and I would go back as we know how to work the house and what’s where. But a lot of work needs doing in the house or the price should be dropped. The post stated 7 rooms yet we only had access to 6 , the beds were quite squeaky , so every time you turned it made a noise . All rooms had a sink but half didn’t work. There was no wood burning stove as stated in the post either . Some of the windows didn’t open either as it’s fire hazard as well . We were not told how to get rid of rubbish either but after speaking to the person in charge that was explained. Like I said it’s a beautiful house but needs modernisation. If your like us and happy to go in and dust it down you are fine. Just need a book of instructions on what works and what doesn’t and what’s where .

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• Moira - Verified booking

  We have visited Mar Lodge for a number of years and the location is spectacular that’s why we keep going back.

  It is quite remote but Braemar is close by with a small Spar for essentials, a couple of small cafes, my favourite art gallery & of course the recently refurbished luxury hotel. It is noticeably around Mar area much busier post covid with campervans galore & cars which was quite a nuisance when trying to walk along the road within the Mar estate even the private roads (where they should not have been) we had to stop numerous times & in one instance had to move into the undergrowth as a campervan was so wide. To be fair the road sign is too small for drivers to see. We were there off season so goodness knows what it would be like in the height of summer. The lodge itself is lovely but not luxury so it makes for a comfortable stay when you have children & dogs. The only down side is the kitchen it’s really small for the size of lodge & the cooker oven caused me no end of troubles trying to get it to the right temperature but that could just be me. Maybe some simple instructions near the cooker would help. Other than that it is great for large families or friends to get together in the most wonderful location with numerous hill walks & best scenery you could ever want on the doorstep. As per usual our very large family get together, all loved it. We will be back.

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• Emma - Verified booking

  Thank you so much for our lovely holiday.

  The castle is so welcoming, and the high, beautifully decorated, ceilings seem to give us all the space to let our thoughts and worries float up and away. I think there were new carpets in a few rooms too which made it even more luxurious, and I have to say I love the feeling of vintage lino under foot. The exquisite kitchen oak joinery drew a lot of attention from my family -- the whole thing was just luxury and delight. Amazingly well furnished, and equipped. Being able to slip out to the walled garden was a complete delight. Saw two red squirrels! And thanks to the kind staff for helping in our hour of need when we ran out of milk on the last day. The whole thing was finished off by a Morris Minor rally in the grounds which is my family's favourite car (though they should have wrestled the microphone off the bloke on the tannoy an hour or two earlier!)... a great holiday, and thank you very much, as all your hard work really does show. I know how much effort it takes to clean a one bed house -- I just cannot fathom how you get an actual castle to sparkle like you do -- the cleanliness was astounding. Oh, and the beds with their crisp linen. Just an all-round WOW. I hope we'll be back!

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• Sarah - Verified booking

  The owner was lovely and phoned before our arrival to ensure we knew here we were going.

  The place itself is incredible! like stated, its one of 4 apartments, and it looks like the one we stayed at was the biggest. Its the full of the front of the building! There is so much land around the building and tonnes to explore (including a river that my sister fell into). The inside was spacious, and well decorated. There is a local shop about a 5 min drive, and the only thing i would recommend is to follow the directions stated (I thought i was clever and put google maps on, and it took me to the back of the house where there is a gate, although its easy to get to the front) during October, it was a bit cold downstairs, until the owner changed the heating, and it wasnt to bad. The upstairs was warm enough. One of the best parts of the house was the log fire, which we had going every evening! The only downside was the Wifi, because its in the countryside, you dont really get reception inside the house (for most of us,it was really nice to have a break from internet, but my dad had work to do while we were away, and struggled) In the living room, you get the most internet. Thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Achentroig house, and i would go back again!

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