Craigellachie Lodge

Love this lodge, location is amazing and the staff is so friendly and attentive. Food needs a little attention but we did hear it was a new chef. Rooms are absolutely gorgeous and the bathroom was top notch, completely modern without modifying the beauty and age of the lodge.

Lovely family run place, very friendly and all round nice place to stay. Perfect location to the Macallan distillery. Jodi was super helpful helping with contacts for taxis and local EV charging. Wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again. Cosy bar for a nice pre dinner drink with the log fire. Great options for breakfast.

Our stay started badly when we arrived at the Lodge at 1pm to find it closed until 3pm. Although we had received a "welcome" email telling us we couldn't check in until 3pm, we did not realise this meant the hotel was actually closed until then and so we couldn't drop our bags before heading to lunch at the Macallan Distillery (separately reviewed). When we checked in after lunch at 4.30pm, it was chilly throughout the hotel as it seems that the heating is turned on in the bedrooms and fires lit only when guests start to arrive. Service was similarly cold and perfunctory. The kitchen closed at 8pm so we were advised by our server that we should order all our food in a one-er at 7.30pm "because I don't want you to discover that you can't get everything you'd like for dinner". Similarly we were advised at 9.30pm that the bar was closing and to order another drink if we wanted it (we didn't). One of our party had a £15 charge for late checkout added to their bill for being 5 minutes late to check out (due to packing up their car before checking out). It was removed at their request. We overheard another guest being advised that as they were late for breakfast, arriving one minute late at 9.31am, they were too late for a cooked breakfast. Our rooms were spacious and comfortable but that is simply not sufficient to persuade us to return to a hotel where we were made to feel so unwelcome.

First and foremost, the entire place was freezing cold. Bedrooms, dining room, lounge, bar. Website says check-in at 3pm but what it doesn’t say is that the Lodge is closed until 3pm. So a reasonable expectation as with even budget hotels is that you can leave your bags and check in later - and this certainly isn’t a budget hotel. And at breakfast, which was otherwise fine, re was no butter because the Lodge was closing the following day. Bizarre is one word for that thinking. The one member of staff we met was lovely - friendly and bedroom was fine and the bathroom lovely. But north Scotland, December…a level of at least ambient warmth is not too much to ask.

This really is a hidden gem, an outstanding boutique hotel in the middle of whisky country. We have stayed in a lot of nice hotels in Scotland but this is now our favourite and we will be back again. Lovely bedroom, cocktail bar, lounge with roaring log fire, excellent meal and Scott and Jodie are wonderful hosts. Everything about this hotel is 5 star and nothing can be faulted. We were there as a group of 8 friends and we all want to go back again.

Furnitures are a little bit tired but everyone was very helpfull, rooms were very clean, breakfast was acceptable Parking available Few things needs to improve but has a huge potential Lovely garden and view like a hidden gem We have been in a wine tasting dinner by chance and it was vey satisfying