Hotels in Banchory, Scotland

“A Large table of 15 friends we booked 'The bothy' to give us more of a private dining experience. It was a busy Saturday evening and there was also a wedding and others dining. The service from the staff was friendly and attentive. We had pre-ordered our main course since we were a larger group and this worked well as was ready to be served to us as soon as we were. The food was excellent, and had great options for differing dietary requirements- vegan, gluten free and vegetarian. Food arrived, piping hot, beautifully presented and tasted fantastic. We couldn't resist the desert menu - Sticky toffee pudding was amazing! It has recently been taken over with new managment. I can highly recommend Tornacoille if you are looking for somewhere great to eat in the Banchory area.”

“Clean room, however bathroom could be updated. Checkin around the back of a boozer wasn't a great first impression. Quite expensive considering the offering.”

“Quick summary: very comfortable stay in a spacious, charming room. Very good on-site restaurant and bar. Friendly, professional service. Lovely setting on the River Dee allows for outdoor enjoyment. Some minor suggestions to make things perfect. No AC. We stayed here four nights during an unusually warm spell. The king bed and furnishings (sofa, table, vanity table, armoire, are lovely, as are the original artwork and decor throughout. There was an unusually warm spell that made the lack of AC a bit of a challenge. We did as we often do — take the too-warm duvet out of its slipcover, and use the slipcover as a top sheet. Believe me — I don’t like ice box cold. But there are times when AC is appreciated. We could not just open a window as the “windows” in the patio rooms are actually glass patio doors — not feasible to just leave open overnight to a patio with easy access by other guests. We actually stayed in two patio rooms, which have private outside terraces that overlook the inn’s outside drinks and dining terrace, and the River Dee beyond. The issue was that Room #2 had a king that was a “Scottish King, ” I.e. smaller that what the USA would consider a king. We moved to Room #3 the next day for the rest of our stay. The king bed was more the size we expect, and the hotel labels as something like Superior King. Both beds are comfy, but #3 was a larger bed. Coffee/tea with coffee press. Iron/board. Sofa for sitting. TV works well and has many channels. In both roomy bathrooms was the bathtub of my dreams, and a separate shower. Thank you — I love a tub at the end of a long day, rather than being on my feet in a shower. Nice boutique toiletries are also provided — shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, bathshower gel, hand wash, bubble bath. We were a bit annoyed that there were no additional luggage racks to be had. There is a big armoire to hang thing with a few drawers, but we’d prefer to work out of a suitcase than totally unpack. Each room has one luggage rack. We asked for another, and they said there were none to spare. Really? In a hotel that I expect gets a lot of couples? It’d much rather have a useful luggage rack than the surfeit of decorator that I just toss to the side. I used the bench from the vanity as a luggage rack. We also expect a hotel that aims this high to be on top of things for advice. The hotel does not provide laundry service, but nor could the front desk recommend a laundry anywhere nearby (we had been traveling for many days, and are used to finding a laundry service somewhere.). We actually got a great recommendation from a local sandwich shop in town — a dry cleaners on River Street that does bulk laundry at a good price. Friendly, professional service. Excellent housekeeping. Wi-Fi works reasonably well. The dining at the restaurant is superb — a nice range of options at reasonable prices, it was so nice to just mosey over to the dining room or bar to have a nice dinner after a long day. However, we asked two waitstaff what “crowdie” is that is served with the beet salad. Neither knew. We expect that the waitstaff should be able to explain all items on the posted menu — this item was not a special. (FYI- crowdie is a semi soft cheese like whipped Brie. It is often made with cow’s milk, but I think ours was goat cheese.) Very good breakfast of hot and cold items on the buffet, and cooked-to-order options. The only ringer was the waffle that tasted as if it were made with heavy scone dough, not light and fluffy. Everything else (eggs, porridge, , , ) was perfectly done. Other minor inconsistencies (e.g. robes in room #3, not #2) did’t diminish our enjoyment, but they are inconsistencies. The location is very good for touring this area. So - we’d be happy to stay again, but which they’d get more luggage racks in the meantime.”

“Stayed here en route to Braemar. Much thanks to Graham for going above and beyond for us. Hotel was clean, close to transportation. Convenient stop in between Aberdeen and Braemar. Food and drinks at the restaurant bar were good. (Bar can get a little loud since it appears to be one of the few in town)”