Aviemore Winery Accommodation

It took 45 mins to check in as the reception staff kept checking in bus tours instead of dealing with people in a first come first served basis. Very poor service. I won’t be staying here again

A slightly tired hotel in need of upgrading/modernising. Cannot fault the staff or amenities.

On the main road through Aviemore . Not noisy and enough parking off road. Room number one is very small with just enough room to manoeuvre around double bed. Small bathroom with shower. Bathroom all in black with small spotlights. This room was very disappointing as it was so small. Only a kettle and sink, no toaster. Not enough room for two adults and two dogs. There were two chairs at the bottom of the bed to watch TV both in poor condition. Photos of the property do not reflect how small this room is.

There is no air conditioning, but the weather was cool in April, so opening the window for a few minutes before bedtime made the room comfortable. Besides A/C the only amenity that was missing was a microwave oven. The room was very nice and quite large, compared to the others we stayed in on this trip.

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.

Brilliant stay. Steam room was grimy but apart from that it was fantastic.