When it comes to hotels, Bracken Hide is a newer addition to the area and notably highlighted in the Michelin guide. The property is fresh and the design is one of the best in the Isle of Skye. It is not a traditional hotel, so it is important to have correct expectations that it will require walking up some steep hills, things like hot water are limited for one shower at a time and the amount of staff is limited. In exchange, one gets serenity with the nature of Skye.
The property does currently have major staffing challenges that they are well aware of and this is perhaps the biggest hindrance. The restaurant staff are kind and in a constant struggle to get tables cleaned in a timely manner while servicing orders. This results in a rather dirty environment at peak times, with tons of uncleaned tables and sporadic atmosphere. The food is very good as a whole and absolutely worth getting meals and breakfasts. The bar is spectacular, with a very kind bartender named Zara. Scotch is priced very reasonably and a nice touch is that the staff bring the bottle to the guest's table along with the glass of scotch. The area that clearly needs to be addressed is getting a second bartender to help Zara. When she takes a day off, the hotel literally closed the bar, putting up a misleading sign that "the bar is closed due to maintenance issues".
The cabin is cozy and has all necessary amenities for comfort. Once again, this is not a four star hotel in a traditional sense, so one should come with an open mind. One thing that could be great to fix is the entrance area for cars near the bridge. Most standard clearance vehicles will hit the metal bar positioned there, so more stones need to be added and maybe some concrete foundation in that section. As a whole, an enjoyable stay. The property is far from perfect, mostly due to staffing challenges, but can be a very enjoyable experience looking past that. It's unique, still new and quite comfortable. read more