STRATHSPEY

Getting around is a problem too, as the lift can take what feels like 3-5 working days to arrive. The hotel itself is old and dated, the room heating doesn’t work, and the windows don’t shut properly. A warm or hot shower seems to be something they’ve never heard of. Breakfast and dinner are served next door, not in the same building, so you can head over there if you’re still not cold enough.

Don’t book. The place is shabby, with grubby carpets, toilet problems and no fans in the rooms. A lot of areas are run down or simply don’t work.

The building looks ready to topple, so I’d keep my distance. Sitting outside on the green with a drink during the day is nice, though.

Finding the MacDonald Strathspey hotel was a struggle. GPS may not recognize the name or can send you to the wrong address. On the phone, I was told it would be easy to find once inside the MacDonald resort, but there are several hotels and plenty of buildings, with no helpful direction signs. I had to search the buildings one by one before I found the right one. Then there was nobody waiting at the check-in desk to welcome me. The resort could do much better at communicating with guests, and some competent management or advice in that area would help.