Loch Ness Gate House

The apartment itself was cozy and modern, with a roomy, luxurious open kitchen. It’s well located, with lots of restaurants close by and the Loch Ness cruise only a two-minute walk away. Our stay was let down by the owner’s manner. He seemed cold and impatient when I asked a few questions. The Booking.com listing said there’d be a hairdryer, but we couldn’t find one. When we called, he said he didn’t have one and couldn’t bring one because he lived 45 minutes away. He also said we should have asked for anything we needed before arriving. There were five of us, including two women, and none of us could wash our hair that night. It came across as if his main concern was getting us checked out by 10 am. The apartment itself would have earned five stars from me, but the poor service brought my rating down to three.

We had a front room with a lovely view, and it was warm, very comfortable and exceptionally clean. The shower was great too. We’d hoped for a double bed but got twins, which was fine. The room was a good place to come back to after being out in the bitter cold, and we stayed for three nights at the start of the New Year. A mini fridge would have helped, since we had milk for tea and coffee and had to leave it on the windowsill to keep cool. That wasn’t really a problem at that time of year. We had a fab few days and would stay again.

The booking was frustrating from the start: we had confirmation for three rooms, but communication about them was poor. When we arrived, Martin, the site manager, was rude and seemed uninterested in providing professional service. The rooms can be VERY tiny, with a sloping ceiling taking up half the space, and for the price ours felt cramped and only mediocre. The website describes apartment-style rooms, which wasn’t what we experienced. They’re also greatly overpriced. Shops shut at 5 pm, so if you visit Fort Augustus, I’d make it a day trip and stay somewhere nearby instead.

The room was clean, the beds were comfortable, and the bathroom was spotless with good water pressure and temperature. One thing to know if you’re planning a stay here, or anywhere in central Fort Augustus, over the next couple of months: Scottish Canals is carrying out major work on the locks until spring 2025. You’d basically be in the middle of a construction site. See the attached video.