Macdonald Aviemore Resort Review

Love to pop down to Aviemore for a day and browse around the shops.

This has an upmarket shop and movie house. Great for those rainy days. Also has a separate swimming pool and a big children's play area.

Amazing staff, grounds and service. Well worth a visit for a week at least.

Went swimming at the resort. The pool isn't the best and found out that if you aren't a hotel guest then the only way to use the pool is by buying a weekly pass. For actual swimming, the pool isn't brilliant as there were no designated swimming lanes. For kids it's probably fairly okay as theres a wavemachine and a slide, but these are only on for short amounts of time. Also have to complain that there was a strong urine smell in the changing rooms. For kids, the pool is probably okay, but not for adults wanting to swim. There is a sauna and steam room however

Just back from an excellent stay in highland hotel. Aspects food was excellent as was Italian and steak house
The staff were friendly And the waiters couldn t be more helpful ( in unusual circumstances)
Cleanliness was very good .
Couldn t fault anything tbh
Well done to everyone working hard in the hotel and making our staycation great

Great shopping experience friendly staff coffee shop good selection of food and yummy cakes. Plenty of parking.

Building smelt damp and musty. Extremely outdated decor. Receptionist was cold and spoke a minimal amount of english. All in all, a very unwelcoming and below average experience

Excellent service,great staff...unlike the staff at Tesco on the high street-cheer up and get a job you like

Very well maintained quiet good bar and friendly bartender.

Very good in parts. Nice room. Comfy beds. Two great restaurants. Central location. Lacks finesse in a number of areas namely housekeeping and organisation. Would still go back in a minute as Giovanni's and Aspect were superb.

Great beds and rooms but the most awful service I've had in two weeks in Scotland. Seriously understaffed.

Lack of staff at the bar. Insufficient lift when a bus arrives

Nice place, in a fantastic surroundings, cool swiming pool. Unfortunately the housekeeping were not far at the expected standard. We booked for 6 days, and the our room and bed were not properly cleaned after the second day. After complaining it has been even worse...

Dated and not particularly clean, but quite good facilities for kids.

Beautiful lodges, nice food, good facilities. Very family friendly.

Spent a few days here, place was okay but not great. The building and rooms need to be renovated as there is a lot of wear and tear and for the price they weren't up to scratch.

The opening times of the bars and restaurants around the resort as well as what food is on offer leaves a lot to be desired. The food and drink has high prices but the quality or variety isn't there for it to be that price.

For the other facilities around the resort it's more of the same the pool wasn't the greatest and the shop and cinema had very erratic opening hours.

The staff were friendly but didn't know the system to well with many of them having to call a manager to deal with some requests like ordering food. I don't think the resort has enough staff for the demand that it has and this was a huge let down.

The surroundings of the resort were amazing and it's in close proximity to the town and all the different activities Aviemore has to offer, which I would say is this hotels only saving grace.

Marvelous facilities including games for kids, swimming pool with wave machine, steam room, sauna, in beautiful surroundings. Aviemore hotel takes dogs at extra cost, huge buffet breakfast, spacious room with comfortable king size bed and tweed curtains. Dogs only allowed into one end of breakfast room but not other restaurants. A few things one could niggle about but they pale into insignificance.

Great central location and fantastic for children. Lots to do and see.

Our room was great. First one we were offered we rejected because the bed was broken, one part of it actually resting on the floor. Thus, as the hotel was full we were offered an upgrade in one of the other 2 hotels on site. That was comfy, although we didn't really figure why it was an upgrade - the bathroom might have been a little larger. Breakfasts were good but we ate other meals elsewhere to fit in with family.

This would of been 5 stars had the family room we were given been clean. We were moved rooms but it disrupted the kids initially after a long drive. They did rectify the problem but make sure your rooms are clean before you allow guests in. Not a cheap stay but apart from that it was fab and good facilities.

The lodges are self contained units in the large Aviemore MacDonald resort. Although there are eighteen lodges they are well spaced out with plenty of privacy. The bedrooms are very spacious, all ensuite and there is a large lounge area. The kitchen is small with just a hob but there are several restaurants on-site and in Aviemore. Access to swimming pool, gym and cinema are all included and some of the lodges are dog friendly.

Costa coffee and lots of goodies...clothes etc staff are lovely

Stayed in log cabin. Very relaxing, comfortable space. Dog friendly and great wood burner. Breakfast options excellent. Pool great and easy to get a time slot. Nice walks around the estate and easy walk to shops.It was a lovely, family friendly place to stay.

as we own a timeshare in Aberfoyle and the chalet no 9 in Spey Valley Golf course was under our expectation in terms of cleanliness was very dusty and dirty windows, also needs refurbished kitchen falling to bits and bathroom too.

Not as good as it used to be ,seems to be going in wrong direction not impressed

I have been visiting Aviemore and the Cairngorms for over 30 years. The Macdonald centre has steadily
Been going downhill since it was finished. But this time I noticed a big change. Even though I wasn t staying there (I have family who live in Aviemore) I went there for a family show. Although the show was great the facilities were bad. All male toilets were either blocked or leaking. When I tried to find reception staff there were none to be found. Disabled toilet was filthy and looking like it hadn t been cleaned for days. We tried to swim but as a none resident wasn t allowed to use the pool without paying for a week pass 30 pounds per person. Wouldn t recommend.

Place was really well kept with nice staff who were welcoming etc but don't go there if your not minted as prices are through the roof!

Not a great place to stay it was very disappointing

Spent another fabulous week here in March.

We have been coming here for years and always have a great time, all accommodations are very well equipped with everything you could need.

Staff are always friendly and efficient, Dennis in the bar and restaurant deserves a special mention as his personality and service skills went over and above the call of duty.

The bar and restaurant can sometimes be quiet even when the resort is busy which is a shame because the food and entertainment were excellent as always.

Have no problems recommending and we will definitely be back again.

Very nice room very clean and very good bedding. Outstanding value for money

We were realy satisfied. We appreciated its location, close to main street (pubs, shops and restaurants). In the complex of Macdonald hotels you can find many restaurants (need to book ahead) and swimming pool, which was attractive for kids after daily hiking.

Clean tidy rooms. Breakfast awfull. Not enough staff to clear tables or top up food.Porridge like concrete .

We visited here Aug 20 so unfortunately the cinema & swimming pool wasn't open due to Covid-19 restrictions. Hotel is situated in a small village with shops like Tesco express, Home Bargains, Aldi & a few outdoor clothing shops like Northface .

Hotel beds are comfy, rooms are ok. Water pressure for shower is rubbish you would get more pressure from pouring a watering can over your head!!

Hotel staff are amazing, very friendly, polite & helpful.

Hotel is very clean & we felt safe there given current situation regarding Covid-19.

Breakfast is fair, could be better. Italian restaurant is OK.

Bar staff was great, a bit disappointed that all the restaurants weren't open, and we only discovered this when we tried to book a table in them.

It is in very nice condition with amazing service but the foods not great

Great holiday resort overall. The resort has three main hotels, a leisure centre with indoor pool, a shopping centre and even cinema and restaurants.

Very good accommodation, 5 stars given as the on-site facilities for guests are exceptional; access to amazing pool and soft play / games rooms for all ages.

The lodges we stayed in are spot on as an exploration base, some of the facilities within are beginning to feel slightly tired, nothing extraordinary however some of the usual wear and tear you may expect from a holiday home rather than, effectively what you are paying for as hotel accommodations. As above though it s more than made up for by the overall experience.

Very pretty. In the middle of a forest but near the town.

Disappointed payed alot of money rooms tired not enough staff

One of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. Staff were friendly, door was amazing and the place was stunning. I was here through my work but it would be fantastic for a weekend getaway or a holiday. Highly recommended.

Excellent range of products from food clothing and home accessories

Complicated to find your correct hotel since the signs are lackluster
Very pricy rooms in my opinion, but clean and quiet

Honestly you should come here if you are thinking about staying in Aviemore

Beautiful scenery, lovely rooms, fantastic restaurants nearby. Loved it

Comfortable bed and pillows. Not the easiest place to find or navigate. Spotlessly clean.

Very good facilities. Pretty luxurious room with a huge bed. Decent restaurant Recommendable.

Seen views once a decent hotel. Staff required a good manager. The toilet was dirty. Left used bottles from under shsmpunya. Curtains on the window torn off. Wallpaper peel off. In the morning at breakfast, the waiters are slow, we have to wait a long time to bring clean appliances.

I haven't stayed but have called in several times for a look round the gift shop and a drink in the cafe. Lovely place and friendly staff. There's even a cinema.

Lovely and handy for all your needs in avimore and surrounding areas

Unfortunately hotel staff seem to encourage residents to park in the Supercharger bays near reception - given this is a crucial bit of charging infrastructure for those in the north of Scotland this is causing major problems. It has been raised multiple times with the hotel but they don't seem willing to do anything about it.

Had dinner at the restaurant. Lovely food and service. Would come again and would recommend.

Room cleaned everyday but still you can find things that housekeeping never even thinking to touch, for example hoover carpets properly. I will agree with some comments that hotel need refresh. Out side should be much more light to invite people for walk around resort in winter time. Not just sit in a room or in a bar or swim.
Staff are friendly but lack of communication cause a trouble when you check out and unexpected bill come on a screen. My one was sorted but like always be aware of that.

Amazing staff and great location will be back. Excellent range of quality clothes to food. Staff are really friendly and helpful

Here for a conference which was very well hosted. Food is excellent. Staff in the on site Costa were a little surly and it's annoying they don't accept Costa loyalty cards. Plenty of parking and convenient for heading into Aviemore too.

Serene clean and gorgeous. Stayed in the cottages. Each of 3 bedrooms had it's own ensuite

Amazing resort, so much to do you don't need to venture out if you don't want to!

Really good hotel. nice, big and clean room. Very recommended