Ness Walk

Another lovely afternoon tea with my better half and our wee boy. The staff are extremely friendly, welcoming and go above and beyond to make you as comfortable as possible. Again I had asked for a slightly personalised touch to our experience and the staff were very accommodating and did an excellent job. I would highly recommend Ness Walk to anyone looking for quality food or a place to stay. The prices are also very competitive.

We booked this hotel through our workplace. The reservation was originally under a colleague’s name, but they had to cancel. We arranged for the name to be changed early in the afternoon, yet when we arrived it still hadn’t been updated when our colleague arrived after 6pm. This caused unnecessary hassle they then had to contact our office again for card details so the payment could be processed. On arrival we were told we had received a free upgrade to another suite that came with a complimentary drink. That sounded lovely, but the complimentary drink never materialised. Breakfast the next morning was surprisingly slow, especially as we were the only two people there. It felt underwhelming given the price we’d paid. At checkout we were informed the card had been declined which provoked a smirk from one of the staff members behind the front desk. After phoning the office it turned out the wrong card type had been entered earlier by one of the staff members, and the payment had in fact already gone through. More time wasted resolving something that shouldn’t have been an issue. Overall, for £640 a night and £20 a night parking the service and attention to detail simply weren’t there. The room itself may have been fine, but the experience around it was a bit disappointing from start to finish.

We went as part of a coach tour. The staff were waiting outside to greet us and take our cases. We were offered a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival and were booked in. Our cases were taken to our rooms ready for us when we had booked in. The staff were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for you. Our meal in the evening was in a private room and the food was exceptional. The wine waiter was very knowledgable and able to offer the perfect glass of white wine for us. The rooms were spacious and very comfortable and the bathroom the same! As a shower girlie I can say this shower was superb. I would really recommend this hotel and definitely stay again.

This is a beautiful hotel with lovely rooms, a courtyard, charming living room area, and delightful dining place for breakfast. But more importantly, the concierge and staff were terrific at helping us arrange transportation to the hotel from Ballater and from the hotel to Portree on the Isle of Skye. Unfortunately, we were only there one night – but it would’ve been a delightful place to stay longer.

Our Laurel room was a generous size, with plenty space for a rollaway bed for our daughter (although there were confusing mixed messages about whether this was possible). The room was flooded with light from large velux windows, and very comfortable. The bathroom was excellent, with a rainfall shower, standalone bath, and attractive, high quality tiles and fittings. Breakfast was good, although we were disappointed by the significantly reduced range of a la carte options compared with previous visits. The quality of the small buffet continues to be a highlight, including yoghurts, smoked salmon, cheese, pastries and an abundant selection of fresh berries. For our needs and tastes, the hotel compares very favourably with some well-known larger Scottish establishments.