The scent of older times - sublime…read more Quietly nestled in the idyllic countryside about 15 minutes outside of Inverurie, the manor house was built in 1480. It is now a small hotel and restaurant. So quite, so green, so gentile. What a pleasant meal and evening with good friends. Its official: I love Scotland.

Wow, am I glad we chose this place to grab lunch. It was dark and raining, flood warnings…read moreeverywhere, we were some of the only foolish people to be out! It was their out door fairy lights that won the decision for me if I'm honest. Not knowing the town at all it was a case of a lucky guess with where to eat, and I'm so glad we did. The place was deserted! The staff seemed delighted to have something to do. Not the businesses fault...as I mentioned...flood warnings! Actually the next day Banchory was closed :o Now, I grew up on the coast, and I think this might be the best fish and chips I've ever had! My goodness! The thick batter was just out of this world, and the handout chips, while sparse, where utter perfection. The deserts were also remarkable. Although I think the blueberry cheesecake won, on taste and decoration. Blueberry sorbet! A new thing I now need in my life on a more regular basis. The staff were delightful, chatty and helpful. The decor was quite upmarket with some wonderful prints of highland cows and deer on the walls. I am so pleased we stopped off here before heading home, I can't recommend it enough :D

A nice friendly atmosphere, helpful staff, good beer and excellent food. Perfect!read more

This review only relates to the restaurant at this hotel. Called Luigi's, it is handy for the…read morewestern end of Aberdeen, as also the commuter town of Westhill, as evidenced by the fact that it is quite popular on weekends. I've been there a few times, generally on Saturdays or Sundays, and I like it. The food is good quality and the service is efficient. The menu is also quite diverse, though obviously mostly Italian as promised by the name. The choice of wines on offer are decent, too. The staff are generally obliging - one visit there I was with an eccentric companion (lovely but a bit barmy, occasionally ate like a horse, but BMI firmly under 19 ) who decided to start with a main course, then ordered another, and when I was looking at desserts, asked for a starter. The staff hid their smiles well and got us our orders without a murmur. If there is one criticism, it's the lighting which can be a bit halogen-harsh, although I noticed last month that they were improving this. The general decor is a little dark and heavy, so strident illumination tends to jar. The restaurant has little side-booths which are better and softer lit. The menu advertises the Albyn restaurant, which I've reviewed on Qype - I'm not sure what the link is, but given the quality of the food, I wouldn't be surprised at all if I heard that they shared management or kitchen. Approximately £50 for two with a couple of drinks. Nae bad, I'd say, for what you get.

The Holiday Inn is a great hotel. Both restaurants (Luigi's and the Glentanar Lounge) have a huge…read morevariety of dishes on their menus, and anytime I have been the food has always been excellent. Service is good too, the staff are polite and happy to help.

I don't know what else to say. The Dowan's has 4 stars on their sign, but I may come and add a…read morecouple in the middle of the night. Don't think I would have wanted to stay anywhere else. Clean, beautiful grounds, and even more beautiful people! Food was great and drink prices super reasonable. It felt more like staying in a huge house with family and friends than a hotel and its workers. I hope to one day be back to visit! Thanks for making our vacation that much better :)

The only reason I have left a 4 star review is because my steak was very undercooked (asked for…read moreMedium but was blue in the middle), but was replaced and dealt with very quickly and professionally. Is a beautiful location, stunning bar and the rooms were amazing. Service is first class and can not recommend highly enough. Slightly gutted to award 4 star and if the steak was cooked right 1st time would get it.

This restaurant was in a hotel in Banchory. My co worker who is a local to Aberdeen took us to this…read morerestaurant for our Christmas dinner. I was really glad that he selected this restaurant. It's about 20 minutes from Aberdeen, the hotel is beautiful, it felt so romantic yet full of history. We went and waited in a waiting room and enjoyed our cocktails by the fire. The service was also fantastic and I tried a local cocktail mix called Bramble. We were then showed to our table and the dining area was beautiful. I asked the waitress to help me select a traditional Scottish dinner and we assembled my 3 course meal. Appetizer, main course and dessert. I was in heaven. Loved my food experience. This place is an experience the food, ambience, drink, service. It's picturesque. I will definitely recommend and if I ever find myself in this part of the world. I will definitely be back.

This is a lovely Victorian hotel, beautifully updated in a quiet residential area of Aberdeen. The…read morestaff could not do enough for you and the room was very comfortable. Breakfast was very good and ample. I thought it had excellent value and would certainly stay again if in the area.

This is a review just for the bar/restaurant area, I have never stayed in the hotel. The Atholl…read moreHotel is next door to my companies staff house. Where my company squeezes all their employes traveling abroad. So naturally, this is a place we hit up pretty often for a meal and drinks. The building is gorgeous, an old church turned historical hotel and excellent restaurant. There is a granite bar, well I guess that is not that impressive considering the whole city is made of the stuff. Anyway, still an awesome place for a drink. A small dinning area behind the bar, and another dinning area/lounge as well. Two cask ales. This place is on the CAMRA beer guide. Usually Ossian and Tim Taylor. Both in immaculate condition. The service is always friendly and knowledgeable. Some good whiskeys as well. The food is very good, traditional Scottish fare. If you want to know what good Aberdeen beef is, come here. One of the best steaks, and prime rib I have had. The curry is also excellent. Like most places around they will do special dinners for Mothers Day, Christmas, ext. I have not been, but those always sound amazing. All freshly prepared and locally sourced. There are about 30 rooms, and very nice ones at that. Certainly as good of a place to stay as any. Lets see, historical building with lots of character, Real Ale, good food, yep this is a place for me.

One of the best hotels i have stayed in very good rooms and great food and drinks specialty the…read morebest apple juice ever.Also the staff are very nice

Amazing hotel. Wonderful interior. Massive furniture, comfortable armchairs, fire places and many…read moreother things takes you into 19th century. Love it. Staff is very friendly and helpful (and very discreet). Hotel is placed not far from centrum (5-10minutes by car, 15-20 minutes by bus). There is a park around so calm and privacy are matter of course. And they have a private parking lot. Rooms are big and clean with comfortable beds, armchairs, wardrobes, tv, safe and bathroom. It´s very luxury (at least those better ones). There is one restaurant, bar and library where you can drink or eat too if you want. It´s also perfect for private meetings. And there are also two big rooms for wedding receptions. Conferences usually take place in a separate building which is also located in the area of hotel park. Local meals are like a balm for the soul. It´s delicious, it looks perfect and together with interiors it really feels royal. And it doesn´t matter if it´s breakfast, lunch, dinner or just dessert with coffee. I was a biggest friend with a bartenders, obviously. Very good choice of whiskey. And when you drink in an that awesome bar, sitting in an armchair, you really feel like a lord at some private club in 19th century.

I remember when it was built and was in fact a Holiday Inn!…read more It's a nice enough hotel - although it does look very old and boring outside they have done a lot of work inside so it is clean and fresh. Nice fireplace just inside the front door and you can order drinks from the bar here and stay warm on a winter evening. Rooms are clean - however every other room allows smoking - so the halls are smelly at times. I'm guessing they still allow smoking as they do have a lot of oilfield workers staying here. Breakfast is okay - certainly Cook prepared and not Chef! Bar food is meh - restaurant is pretty bad - we would rather head into town for dinner. It's not a cheap hotel - and Internet is an add on - which is a disgrace these days. But a good 4 stars - I have always had an okay time staying here.

My three kids and I stayed here for two nights on a vacation…read more PRO: big rooms; very comfortable beds, great friendly service, all of the standards you expect from a Marriott. Great gym and pool. Free parking. Had a small fridge. CON: a little expensive, 15 minutes from downtown tourist sites during rush hour. Expensive wifi. Really bad room and expensive room service.

My husband and I stayed at The Ship Inn. It's not fancy, but charming. The room was clean and…read morecomfortable, and the service was good.

The location of this inn is breathtaking, that's where the good ended. We really wanted brunch, but…read moreit wasn't being served at 12.45. Ended up with basically over priced pub grub. The fried chicken not good. All batter. The coleslaw was more like mayonnaise or salad cream. The service was average. Definitely not worth a visit for food.

Great staff, comfortable rooms, delicious food-- overall lovely stay. The family who runs this bed…read moreand breakfast was so nice. Their young son helps them serve and he was the most polite, sweetest boy. Location was great. It was on the edge of Braemar-- quiet and peaceful. (The field where the Braemar Gathering happens in the summer sits right below the hotel. My husband and I hope to return some day to experience this.) The room was clean, charming and comfortable. The bathroom was the same. Great water pressure in the shower-- only critique is that I wished there was more airflow in the bathroom. I had to keep my shower door slightly cracked open because I couldn't breathe with the steam building up. Food was excellent, dinner and breakfast! Nice bar with a good selection of beer on tap. The wild venison with currant sauce was delicious! I'm inspired to recreate this dish at home, as my husband and I do eat a lot of game. The Balmoral chicken was also very good. The sticky toffee pudding was out of this world! Breakfast was also fantastic. You won't go hungry here, and their Scottish breakfast is one of the best around. Wish we could've stayed here longer. It was a great value.

Fun hotel with bar in the middle of the Grampians, it seemed to be the only place to get a drink in…read moreall of Braemar. We stopped over on the way to the Speyside for a few drams and got good advice on where to stay for the night (we ended up in Tomintoul).