Highlander Hotel

I got the dinner, bed and breakfast deal in the Highlands Hotel on the complex. Easy check-in and managed to get in before 2pm, not 4pm as stated on website. The room was fine, very comfy big double bed (NOT 2 singles pushed together which was a bonus), nothing special but comfortable. The dinner in the restaurant in the Highland Hotel was fabulous and great value when included in DBB rates. Unlike previous reviewers, I found the service great - attentive but not overboard. The food was really beautiful and a really nice... more

We stayed at the MacDonald Highland in May for two nights on a DBB deal. It was mid-week so the resort was fairly quiet. We read the reviews here before booking, but have had good experiences of MacDonald Hotels in the past and the standard is usually very good (North of the border anyway, the one in Kendal was rubbish). The hotel is in a very pleasant location within the resort, the public areas are nice, the rooms are very nice, surprised that some people found them small. The leisure facilities are excellent, with a big pool, wave... more

This hotel upon arrival is what you'd expect to see from a highlands resort hotel, wonderful scenery, great facilities, the warmth of the people and great dining. The standard rooms at the highlands resort are fairly decent, but if you can upgrade to an executive room (usually just an extra £20) then you'll have an excellent room. The executive rooms are larger and have better beds with egyptian cotton bedding, larger more luxurious bathrooms and a minibar. The hotel has it own swimming pool with wave machine, spa pool, sauna and steam... more

For a four star hotel the room was very ordinary although very clean. We had booked dinner, bed and breakfast but despite this we had to book a table for dinner every night, the food was nothing special and we had the same menu on all three nights we were there. There was also a limit of £27.50 and anything over that you had to pay for at the end of your stay, which we found strange as we have never come across anything like this before. Apart from this the staff in the restaurant were very nice and helpful. We also thought that one... more

We (a family of two adults, one teenager and two children) booked connecting rooms at the Academy Hotel for three nights in July. Upon arrival we were told that we had been upgraded to the MacDonald Highland Hotel but that no connecting rooms were available. Initially we were given rooms which appeared to be close however it turned out that the plan at reception is not very accurate.....the rooms had two fire doors between them and were not even on the same floor ! Upon complaining we were allocated rooms which were on the same floor. I... more

I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights at the end of June 2005 and I loved it. The only negative thing in the whole stay was that the room was small to average. The building itself is new and large so if you are looking for a traditional old-style hotel this isn't it. Apart from that the hotel itself is new, in very good condition, the rooms are clean. I stayed in a standard room (paid a reduced rate of £78 per night B&B) and in addition to the usual stuff, it had a DVD/CD player and access to internet through the TV. There was plenty of... more

I have just spent two days at the Highlands Hotel, part of the Aviemore Highlands Resort. What an excellent hotel! The service was fantastic. January 2005, I was on business covering clients in the north east of Scotland so Aviemore seamed a good base to work from. Trying to book a room was a nightmare with MacDonald’s hotel central reservations saying the resort was fully booked, but when I enquired with resort direct, not a problem and when I arrived only to find that the hotel was practically empty. Go for the Executive rooms unless... more

The Highlands Hotel is part of the Aviemore Highlands Resort. This is a group of 3 Macdonald hotels plus self-catering units, with a leisure complex. The Highlands is newly refurbished and makes for an excellent weekend break - there's enough to do locally in the Cairngorms National Park to last a week. GOOD POINTS Staff were efficient, courteous and welcoming. Bedroom was spacious and comfortable, with a restful cream and maroon decor and luxurious white bedlinen. And a bottle of wine if you book online. Bathroom... more

I have decided to cancel my reservation at this hotel, mainly because the staff are totallly dis-interested in offering any customer service or support. Having read the previous comments of a guests stay at this hotel, I was very concerned as to what to expect. As this was going to be an expensive trip for me and my family I wanted to get it right. I had sent 2 e-mails, one asking about general information. This was totally ignored. My other, was expressing my concerns of the comments written by the previous guest. I wanted... more

This hotel complex needs to be reviewed on a number of issues. The older hotel ('Academy') looks boring from the outside (a square breeze block eyesore) and is dreadful on the inside. the food is dire, the rooms are tired and you depart feeling cheated. The general conversation with other guests is that the place should not be allowed to stay in business. The newer hotel ('Highland') is lovely by comparison. The exterior is much better, the food is excellent and the facilities are very good. Both hotels have staff who are positive and... more