Hilton Craigendarroch

It’s all about the area...

What you really pay for here is the Craigendarroch experience - a very nice hotel in Royal Deeside, just a stone’s throw from Balmoral and Crathie Church. Our room was very comfortable and spacious (it was a deluxe double) but it didn’t quite live up to the star rating in several respects. The bathroom needed refurbishment (sealant and grout cracked, a new shower rail installed which just showed up the general shabbiness) and the king size bed was two singles put together - this can be common but the central part did not feel secure!! We used the room service and although the menu was reasonably priced for RS, the service was slower than promised and our tray (and those of others) was not picked up for a full 24 hours. On checking in we were told rather snootily that the restaurant was fully booked. OK, except they have at least 3 restaurants and the "casual" dining was NOT booked...we found this out too late. However, the breakfast was excellent with a good range for the buffet. The pool was good, but it was dismally cold (not in the pool, just in the surrounds) which was not good for our toddler (or us, actually). Many people believed that the children’s pool was warmer (not the case, just an illusion of the general coldness) and so there were many adults using it. However, I quibble. It was a good place to stay, comfortable and with plenty of room. I would certainly stay there again.

not impressed

hotel needs a lot of updating in the decor very dark and furniture scruffy looking for a top hotel.staff were a bit rude at times.breakfast was lovely lots of choice.wouldn’t stay at hotel again but would stay in the lodges instead as have done before

Traveller's tip on local attractions

ballater is a lovely historical place many attractions to see and do many walks to go on and to hire cycle to get round quicker.would recommend ballater we stay here every year as i have family who live nearby

Nice location

We very much enjoyed our stay at the tiny Hilton. The hotel is surrounded by trees and inside the Cairngorms National Park. We would love to go back and spend more time in the area and relax at the hotel. Our whirlwind tour did not allow a lot of time there. There are some interesting and easy walks nearby - The Vat and the Moor of Dinnet, Balmoral Castle, and the towns of Ballater and Braemar to explore.