Coylumbridge Hotel

The hotel won us over with how completely dog-friendly it is, which meant a lot to us. We spent one night, Saturday to Sunday, at Coylumbridge Hotel Resort in Aviemore with our teenage children and dog, on a half-board stay, and had a really lovely time. The peaceful setting has lots of beautiful walking routes and outdoor space, and there’s plenty to do on site too, including a pool, gym, mini golf, and arcade. Everyone in the family found something they liked at dinner, and breakfast had a good range and was well stocked. Our family room for four had a double bed and a separate bunk-bed area for the children, giving us some privacy. It was quite warm, so we appreciated the fans, though I do think air conditioning in the rooms would be a good future investment. The receptionist was friendly and explained everything clearly. Restaurant staff were welcoming, and a very kind gentleman from Romania was working at the bar. Live music that evening added a lovely atmosphere. After reading some one-star reviews, I honestly wondered where such low ratings came from. You can’t please everyone, even in a five-star hotel. We’ll definitely return, and for the price, we’d happily recommend it.

The lounge and bar had their usual relaxed, friendly atmosphere, and the bar prices were very reasonable for a hotel. We had another excellent weekend stay, with the staff going above and beyond as usual. Keep up the great work, and see you soon.

The location is great and the facilities have potential, but the hotel needs more staff, better organisation, and a lot more attention to detail. Our weekend had some good parts, but also plenty of problems. The queues at check-in were unbelievable. The line stretched outside, so we went swimming first, but an hour and a half later it was still long. The online check-in fast-track lane didn’t help: a couple waited there for 40 minutes, then were told to join the main queue because apparently everyone had checked in online. Why have a sign for it? The two men at the swimming desk were the only staff who seemed genuinely friendly and glad to help. The rest seemed stressed or done for the day. Our room was clean but only okay. Maybe they were cutting costs, as there was just one bedside lamp. I was told there’d be a hair dryer, but never found one. There was one pillow per person, and they felt like cardboard. We were in room 72, where a service door right outside slammed all night. When my friend left the room, a staff member flung that door open and trapped her between the two doors. She has a fractured collarbone, and it was really painful. You can’t see properly through the little window, and staff seem to open the door without checking. Then the fire alarm went off around midnight. The Woodshed felt odd, with no music or real atmosphere. Kids are allowed until 8pm, which was fine for us, but we saw a family wait over an hour for pizza, then get told to leave with it because it was a few minutes past eight. I understand licensing laws, but surely they could have been allowed to finish eating. The artwork was confusing too, with three identical paintings in one corridor. I’d happily volunteer to redo the selection. Parking was chaos, with too many cars for the spaces and people squeezing in wherever they could. The pool and sauna were far too small for the number of guests. There was a queue for the five-person sauna, the pool was so crowded it was hard to move, and they ran out of towels. A dedicated swimming lane would help a lot. The lounge is a nice big space, though the colour scheme was a choice. I like that there’s a Starbucks, a very bougie touch, but coffee wasn’t available until 8am. This is an active holiday, and caffeine is needed. The brown water they served as coffee at breakfast was no better. The food was edible, but the juice was a definite no. The arcades and surroundings looked tired. The arcades felt gloomy, and outside there were random dinosaurs, a garden inspired by ancient Greece, odd wood carvings, leftover Christmas decorations, and even a crossbow. The plants looked like they were struggling too. The hotel could be something special, but right now it seems to have taken on more than it can realistically manage.

Most of the service during our three-day stay was excellent. Restaurant wait staff were attentive and polite, the buffet had a very good range of hot and cold choices each evening, pool attendants were friendly while enforcing the rules, and the bar staff were outgoing, helpful, and pleasant. Reception was the exception. The woman there was very disagreeable, curt, and unwilling to offer solutions, which was disappointing when we’d been looking forward to staying. Other guests had similar experiences, so it gave us something to talk about. We also couldn’t get anyone to answer the hotel’s main phone line at any point during the stay, which may explain the other issue. Based on our experience, don’t expect a warm welcome on arrival, but the rest of the staff provide excellent service.