Macdonald Spey Valley Resort

The area was beautiful, and our smaller cabin was neat and clean, with everything we needed in the kitchen. We had a really nice meal at the restaurant, and the pool was lovely too. It was quiet this time of year and the weather was great, so we had a great time during our two nights there.

The cabin was filthy, with a stale, strange smell as soon as we walked in, dust everywhere and a bathroom that looked only half cleaned. It didn’t feel like it had been properly cleaned in a long time. Lighting around the cabins was terrible, and when it got dark, it got dark quickly. Without early check-in, we’d have been searching for our cabin in near darkness. We were only meant to use Aviemore Spey Resort briefly as a base before heading into the Highlands. We’d travelled from Australia to experience the area, but ended up not making it to the Cairngorms at all. We missed the mountains, snow and exploring, and lost the whole reason for staying there. You can’t get that time back after travelling halfway around the world. The restaurant made things worse. The wait staff were lovely and clearly trying, but the kitchen was a joke. A main arrived early even after we said we hadn’t finished our starters, so we sent it back. Soon after eating, one of our family members became seriously ill with food poisoning. We don’t know whether the food had been left out or reheated, but someone got sick after eating there. Management showed little concern. There was no real apology or refund, just indifference. That response was insulting after someone had become ill and our trip had been directly affected. This happened during Christmas week, and the place was almost dead, with few guests and no atmosphere. It felt like nobody took pride in it. We’re genuinely disgusted. It seems the resort doesn’t care about cleanliness, food safety or its guests, and we’d strongly advise others to stay somewhere else.

The setting was lovely, the accommodation was cosy and the pool was decent. We’ve just come back from a two day stay and would return. The cabin was dusty, though, and there was old toothpaste residue in the bathroom. It looked like someone had only vacuumed and wiped over the kitchen bunkers, rather than properly cleaned it. Check-in wasn’t until 5pm, so we arrived in pitch darkness and couldn’t see a thing. There are no lights around the cabins. An earlier check-in or lighting outside would help.

The staff were friendly, professional and always polite. The chalet itself was okay too, with comfy chairs in the sitting room and a TV with a reasonable number of channels. The kitchen had a fridge, freezer, seating area and the usual cutlery and utensils. The toilet was small and basic, but the shower was easy to use and refreshing. We usually stay at the Coylumbridge Hotel when we visit Aviemore, but it was fully booked, so we booked Spey Valley Resort at the last minute. We reserved two chalets for six people and expected one to have twin beds and a sofa bed. Instead, it had a double, so four of us ended up in the other chalet. I took the bunk bed room because I’m the smallest, while two shared a twin room and one took the downstairs double. I wasn’t impressed to pay £180 for two nights in what felt like a hobbit hole. The rooms were only borderline clean, and when we arrived there was a horrible smell of curry and cooking oil from the kitchen. We complained and a cleaner came out. It improved, but the smell lingered, so we used our own air fresheners to get rid of it. The pool was closed on Saturday because of an incident, but we could use the main pool at one of their sister hotels, around the back of Tesco's. It was quite a drive away, but better than the Spey Valley pool, with a waterslide, wave machine, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. I probably wouldn’t stay here again, though it could suit a family on a shoestring budget.