Macdonald Ardoe House Hotel

Stayed here for 2 nights whilst on a business trip to Aberdeen. Picked the hotel because of the location i.e out of town and by its grand appearance. Parking at the hotel is not issue. The decor of the hotel ,in particular the reception, bars and lounges is what you would expect from a grand Scottish castle which this place definitely is. However, the staff leave a lot to be desired. Not one member of staff is Scottish and all seem to speak broken english poorly. As a visitor to Scotland I would at least expect a proper Scottish welcome. Room - The hotel room was of a reasonable size, facilities in the room was as expected for a hotel of its class although the TV was on a normal floor stand which could not be viewed from the bed. The bed was uncomfortable and the mattress could possibly be due a change as it was very very soft on the left side. ( they must only get people who sleep on the lefthandside). Grounds -The hotel grounds are very spacious with nice walks. Spa - The spa,and the health and fitness suite is in a separate building to the hotel probably due to the building being a listed building but it is only 20 metres from the main hotel. Food - Breakfast at the hotel on the first morning was superb it consisted of a variety of pastries, fresh fruit, cereal, juices, continental and Scottish buffet breakfast. Service was not an issue as you served yourself and the standard of the food was excellent. On the second morning I came down to find that there was very little food out and I was then informed that they were cooking the breakfasts to order as they were not busy. The cold food was available to serve yourself but you had to itemize your order and wait for a cooked breakfast which was time consuming. Bar - The hotel bar is named the Lairds bar and is the only bar. A round of drinks will set you back the price of a Scottish Country Estate. The staff had 6 attempts at trying to understand what I was ordering which was not difficult 2 beers, 1 shandy and a mineral water. Checkout was very easy and quick. This hotel would score much higher if they employed some local staff, and reduced their bar prices because this is a truly magnificent 19th century Mansion.

Have just returned from a relaxing weekend at the ardoe house hotel. We booked the hotel for a weekend break through lastminute.com. As the hotel is 4* we did anticipate it would be slightly more expensive but we were completely outpriced of the main resturant (so expensive there is no prics on the menu - only supplement prices!). Luckily for us there was a limited but tasty bar menu that you can eat in one of the very grand rooms at the front of the hotel or as we did order as room service. We didn't venture down to the bar as glasses of wine started at £7 a glass and we thought we would be tempted to have more than just one once we got down there. However, I understand that the hotel has a reputation for being expensive so I recommend you do more research than i did if you dont want to spend big bucks for a weekend break. We enjoyed the hotels limited but well run spa facilities which include swimming pool, steam room sauna etc. All very clean and well kept. The room was very spacious and with complimentary dressing gowns we were happy to take dinner in our room which speaks for itself. Overall a very good time had, staff were very helpful and breakfast (buffet style) was very tasty.

hello i stayed at this hotel for just the one night saturday 5th jan 2008 i and my wife were guests at a wedding reception the reviews by previous guests were awful so i had some concerns about what we were going to but on arrival i could see that the building is every bit as impressive as the photographs suggest and the reception staff contrary to previous reports were efficient polite and very friendly the old woodwork pannels in the hotel are a delight and together with the real log/ coal fires give the hotel a very homely feel .Our room 138 was large well equiped clean tidy and warm.The reception and evening meal were splendid the staff are from various countries around the world but i can honestly say they were all superb in fact i cannot remember a staff in any of the many hotels i have stayed at around the world being as good.Well done to them.The breakfast was very nice and check out easy and relaxed.I would certainly recommend this hotel and cannot beleive that it has attracted the bad reviews of the last half dozen people to leave a review on tripadvisor.The drinks are expensive compared to local pub prices £5.60 for a small glass of red wine £3.30 for a basic whisky vodka gin etc but hey you expect to pay a bit more for good service and sorroundings.I could have been put off this hotel by previous reviews so i do hope this review of mine encourages people to give this hotel a go im sure it will be worth it.

I travelled here on work, so I can thank my client for making me stay here! The hotel was like Fawlty Towers. The hotel looks very tired and if it were a sick pet you'd put it down immediately to put it out of its misery. The reception staff were fairly helpless and looked like they were struggling to work out how to run a reception. I actually found it quite amusing. Reception booked us a table for dinner in the restaurant only to tell us 20 mins later that the restaurant was full. So we wandered by the restaurant to check it out. Empty. 30 mins later, one table, the rest empty. 60 mins later, still one table and the rest empty. Clearly that was all they could cope with! So we ate at the bar. The waiter walked up and said 'Today's specials are......erm.....hang on I do know them........erm..... some sort of fish......let me check.' Classic!! I was in a comedy sketch! He then returned only to forget what the specials were again. Instead we had to tease it out of him with a game of 'Guess the Special' !!! Food turned up 50 mins later, one dish was cold. My colleague ate it anyway becos he couldn't wait any longer. The waiter told us at the end of the meal that we should make a complaint as the new kitchen staff didn't know what they were doing. That was rich coming from him. The remainder of the stay was a source of amusement all for the wrong reasons. I particularly enjoyed the bar staff telling us to order from the other bar. This happened 3 times before my colleague refused to move again and the bar staff told him ,'Well I won't serve you'. We promptly found a manager to serve us. Everything about this place is tired, mismanaged, slow and expensive. I can only be glad I had to stay here for 2 nights only. Anymore and I think I would rather have pitched up a tent! If you ignore these reviews which spell out just how bad this place is, then you deserve the stay you'll get!!

Once one of the best hotels in Scotland. I had enjoyed many great nights there but had not visited for 5 years. On arrival reception staff were poor and unfriendly. Carpets outside lift areas were threadbare. Mould in the shower cubicle. Waited 25 minutes to be served a drink in the bar. Dining room was baltic and food and service both poor. Complained throughout the evening without any improvement forthcoming. Have now complained to the hotel by email but no reply in 2 weeks. Other guests were also complaining throughout the evening. Best avoided. I would never go back. The first and only time I have ever complained about a hotel, thats how bad it was.

My husband was airlifted to inverness hospital and then to aberdeen, we stayed the first night in the royal hotel in the centre of aberdeen. Not happy with its location or surroundings so went to the tourist board the next day to find somewhere else. We had a small dog with us so choices were limited they suggested ardoe house. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel welcome. The rooms especially the first night were absolutely superb, not a single complaint. We changed for the 2nd and 3rd night to a slightly cheaper room, not as wonderful as the first one but still extremely good. Most of the staff were foreign but their english was very good, everyone was helpful and we had a perfect stay finished off with my husband being released from hopspital. Would definately stay again.

Booked a relaxing and romantic weekend, lovely food in the restaurant, great menu. My partner used the spa and she had a wonderful time. Location is ideal for a relaxing weekend. Fantastic service and professional staff ,I have no doubt I will return to this hotel and I highy recommed it.