Balmoral Arms in Aberdeenshire

Newly refurbished room, loved the decor and freestanding tub, however it was very noisy due to proximity of pipes, water tanks etc. As mentioned, there is no lift which is fine if you can manage stairs. The breakfast was very poor, one of the worst I’ve had. No granola left, had to ask for glasses, cutlery etc. coffee was like instant and didn’t come for ages. The staff seemed too busy chatting in the kitchen to clear tables or check in with diners. All in all a nice place to stay, but give the breakfast a miss.

The location is fine. Centrally located in the village. There is no elevator and the rooms and shower are old-fashioned. The service is bad. Grumpy receptionist. The cleaning lady who opens the door at 7 am and wakes us up. One hour later she wakes us up again, this time to say sorry. After which our room was not done at all. And the head waiter doesn't take it so seriously. He serves a bottle of wine that has not been finished at the table and which one day turns out to be completely out of stock. Scandalous. The worst part is the clipped toenail that was next to the bed from the previous guest and the cork in the wine. It is definitely not a 5 star hotel! The food is good and the bar guys nice.

Very bad. They confirm for dinner and when we get there they tell us they have no place. Absolutely unreliable

We just went to the bar here yesterday. The barman was really nice as helped us choose the right whisky’s for us. We both hit the jackpot. I can recommend this place. You can also book a whisky tasting but it has to be in advance.

Great place for a reasonably priced vegetarian evening meal. £13 for a tasty Dahl in a 5 star hotel. What a change from being ripped off paying the same price as meat eaters! Excellent friendly service as well.

The rooms are small but comfortable and the bathroom is tiny and not really functional, there is no space in bathroom or shower to place any toiletries etc and our toilet seemed to be on a slight tilt. We understand it is an old building but everything creaked and floorboards were very squeaky. Rooms have no air conditioning but they supply a fan which we used. We did not think this hotel was 5 star, no parking, no air conditioning, no one to help with bags and no lifts. It was pleasant but not 5 stars. We had a lovely meal in the restaurant and breakfast was good. The food in the restaurant was lovely and presented well with great timings. The young waitress was quite knowledgeable and we enjoyed her service but big 5 stars for the chef in this restaurant, food was lovely and we really enjoyed it.

We came for dinner here in the pub area. We found the staff to not be very knowledgeable about the menu and was so definite miscommunication as they brought some of the wrong meals to the table. Food was ok. The atmosphere is really nice though. Probably better just to come for a beer

Expensive, very small tin of non alcoholic beer. £4.60

This hotel is so close to being excellent but falls short in some areas. Rooms were decent and the touch of game crisps and Tunnocks goodies were welcomed. The housekeeping lady was brilliant, kept rooms spotless, appeared to do lots of other jobs and was very chatty and friendly. The restaurant was very dab and not overly welcoming. Fresh flowers in the windows and proper tea light candles would be better. The menu was ok and we ate here one night. The breakfast was ok, my smoked haddock was tasty but the portion was tiny. The breakfast menu and room were not fully explained on our first visit. I only noticed where the toast was as we were leaving. Overall the stay was good.

Wonderful restaurant, extremely good service and staff. Food was outstanding, highly recommended. The venison pie was really delicious

Charming and old-fashioned (but nice) place to stay. We found the room spacious and clean, bed was comfortable, water was hot. It could be modernized a bit. The service was fine until we were charged twice (!) and luckily we - not them - caught it before departing. Despite that, we do recommend this hotel.

Super hotel, excellent helpful staff. Lunchtime meal was excellent. Superb waitress, could not be more helpful. Would definitely recommend. .

Great location in the center of town, with some parking on road outside, and a large free car park in less than 100 yards. Hotel is very cosy with beautiful furnishings and lots of nooks and crannies to relax in. Bar is the best in town by a long margin. Food is traditional and very well presented, and the staff cannot do enough to be accomodating and make you feel welcome. Rooms are very comfortable & relaxing, great welcome tray and with the best shower of the holiday. Would definately reccomend a stay here.

Venison Pie at the highest level and also great non-alcoholic stout :)

A great experience. Service, food, and surroundings were all impeccable ... Yes, we would go again. We only had dinner. We didn't book, and yet they found us a table (for 6 people) with no issues.

I am reviewing only the dinner. Overall, the food was mediocre, and we would not recommend this place for dinner. Any other options are worth a try. The restaurant was one of the few options open on a Monday evening, and as suggested by our hotel, we booked well in advance. We selected simple dishes that are easy to cook well at home: butternut soup of the day, a burger, and a chocolate mousse. All fell short. The butternut soup was overly peppered and lacked sufficient butternut flavour. It was unclear whether it was homemade. The main course, the burger, was particularly disappointing. It is surprising that such a simple dish could be so poorly executed. The burger consisted of industrial ingredients, and even the French fries were made from frozen products. The beef was overcooked, and the bun was of poor quality, as were the sauces. We ordered one "confirmed homemade" chocolate mousse to evaluate the dessert. While it looked nice, it lacked flavour. It was accompanied by an overly sweet coulis that masked the taste. The mousse itself was fine but not particularly enjoyable. The service was busy with many tables to attend to. The staff were smiling and hardworking, though an additional staff member would have been beneficial to manage the volume. They overall delivered in a reasonable timeframe but lacked effective management and training, leading to minor issues such as missed items on orders, unnecessary trips, and dropped cutlery not being picked up. The price for dinner, which included 2 starters, 2 mains, 1 dessert, and 1 bottle of sparkling water, was approximately £55. This seemed very reasonable to us.

This special hotel is beyond comfortable. Sitting by the warm fire in the comfortable, quiet great room while the rain poured outside was a highlight of our trip. We also enjoyed the wonderful meals and attentive staff. And let’s not forget the charming galoshes for hire! Highly recommended.

How they can justify £200 a night for the room we were given I can't believe,poor service in gillies bar 1 main meal had to be returned as only warm,two meals arrived 10 mins after the other 2 meals as there were 4 of us eating.

We went there with my husband for diner. It was on a Monday night and options was limited. Honestly not recommended. The food was not feeling home made. Soup had too much pepper and was nearly eatable, burger meat was overcooked, hard and super salty. Fries and meat felt industrial. Service was okish, the poor ladies was doing their best and smiling but 2 of them was not enough. They was running everywhere like crazy making mistakes, but can’t be blamed for that. In a nutshell, if you have other options for dinner, go for it.

Popped in for coffee, lovely and peaceful by the fire.

Dropped in for a couple of drinks, Scottish themed but still good selection, friendly staff and comfortable lounge bar. Rugs on chairs to keep you cozy on cold days, log burner adds atmosphere albeit not on when we were in.

First class service, staff with an excellent menu for breakfast and dinner.

The hotel is great, but a little tired in places. It's an old building and it shows signs of its age. Bags of character. The staff are first class, the location is brilliant.

Went here for my birthday when we arrived one of the employees stated you will have to go to bar I do not have anything g to do with this side The poor girl on the bar was rushed off her feet serving both food and drink k due to rushing g she spilt drinks over people took a long time to get served When the food came it was very very salty which spoiled the food when we complained they stared they would knock service charge off I was really disappointed with both the service and food

Wonderful place, would love to stay again