Search Lodges in Ballater

"Stayed for 3 nights, room was lovely, bed very comfortable. BB&E and food was amazing. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend and would definitely stay again."

"Lovely room. Great breakfast. Very accommodating staff. Close to village. "

"Fabulous breakfast choice and friendly staff. Everything you need to starr your day."

"The hotel was clean, and the staff were friendly and helpful throughout my stay. The rooms were well maintained, although they felt slightly dated in terms of decor. One improvement I would strongly suggest is installing soft-close door mechanisms, as the doors tend to slam loudly. Unfortunately, one guest on my floor repeatedly let their door slam early in the morning (between 6 and 8 am), which was quite disruptive."

"Wasn't up to the standard I would have expected from a Hydro Hotel, Hotel could do with some modernisation, was clean enough, but some areas look a bit worn down. Booked dinner b&b, food choices were restricted even choosing from extras available, but not from full menu, food was very mediocre. Service quite slow, no offer of drinks before meal, had to ask twice for drinks, didn't get drinks till main course. Breakfast buffet a bit better. No real staff interaction, even when booking out, not even asked if we enjoyed our stay or to have a nice day. As only one night, didn't make use of Pool or leisure facilities. Overall disapointed."

"Very attentive, friendly staff who made us feel very welcome. Room and hotel was very clean. We didn't get to use the swimming pool as it was quite busy. Highly recommend the spa treatments, great service. The only issue we had was our room was extremely warm, couldn't open the windows as the window frames had been freshly painted making it impossible to open the windows!"

"Breakfast was good value but in general the hotel needs an update. it is quite outdated but I guess this may be reflected in the price. The location is really good., Very central so able to go out to eat and drink without moving the car. The rooms would benefit from some lace or net curtains, we couldn't have the curtains open a lot of the time as everyone can see in. The EV chargers are not ideal, we found that the spaces were full of non EV cars . Reception were very polite but were not able to ask cars to move so we could charge as they didn't have enough parking spaces. We did eventually manage it on the day we were leaving but it is a little frustrating that you cant book a slot to guarantee you have enough charge to travel home. "

"Nice location near the train station. (STEAM TRAINS) Had a pleasant walk with around the area after our evening meal. Which was very nice. Breakfast was very nice."

"We were woken at 7am by a fire alarm and had to evacuate our room with a baby and a 6-year-old, only for it to stop before we even reached the muster point. It was later explained, quite casually, that it was caused by someone showering with the bathroom door open. Given there’s a sign warning about “sensitive” alarms, this doesn’t feel like a one-off and isn’t acceptable in a family hotel where sleep is already precious. We stayed at Macdonald Aviemore Resort as a family of four. When we raised this, along with a broken kettle, reception initially offered complimentary breakfast but later withdrew it after checking with a manager, which felt poorly handled. The hotel itself feels tired and in need of investment. Our room was small, especially with a cot, the shower was only lukewarm, and carpets were dirty with an unpleasant smell. The lift also smelt strongly of smoke. There are positives: the pool and facilities are good and we enjoyed them, though some maintenance is needed (hair dryers out of order, puddles on the floor, drains not very clean). The outdoor park is great for kids but also showing wear. Aviemore is a fantastic location, but the resort feels like it’s relying on that rather than maintaining standards, it’s certainly not 4 star. With better upkeep, it could be much better."