Balmaha Lodges 3

The Chaffinch modd pod was unbearably warm, with the heating stuck at 31 degrees and no way to turn it down. My partner and I were uncomfortable, and the hot tub wouldn’t switch on or heat up while we were there. We spent four hours trying to get help, but nobody was around. I emailed and messaged on Instagram and got no reply, so we had to leave. We’d booked a weekend away and arrived at 4.10pm, during check-in, to find nobody at reception. No one had told us to look in the lodge for the keys, a major mix-up at Balmaha Lodge. We had to go to the Oak Tree Inn, where they said this had happened before. Avoid this place.

Six adults had a booking through booking.com for a place that sleeps six comfortably, but Balmaha Lodges and Apartments still insisted they could only have two people and threw them out with nowhere to sleep. They were young and vulnerable too. They were celebrating a friend’s birthday, with no big party planned, just a nice meal and cocktails. They weren’t even allowed to cook the dinner they’d brought. While driving back and forth to take them to alternative accommodation they’d found at the last minute, the young girl driving broke down herself. Thankfully someone stopped to help. What happened to Scottish hospitality? Horrors. Don’t go here.

We were left stranded, hundreds of pounds out of pocket, and facing a long trip to find somewhere else to stay. After hours, we still had no reply about our refund, so we’ve contacted booking.com to request it in full. There was no apology or accountability, and other guests also had problems with nobody on site or reachable to sort them out. My friend had booked two separate cabins, and we arrived just after 3pm to check in. Several guests were waiting and calling the number on the door for instructions. Some had been moved to other lodges, apparently without the hot tub they’d paid for. On the phone, we struggled to reach someone, then got texts saying we’d booked the previous night and made a mistake. We had proof of the bookings and messages on booking.com. She then said half the management team who handled bookings had left the business, and she wasn’t sure if there were any cabins left until everyone arrived. After that she ignored us, saying she couldn’t answer calls because she was unwell. Avoid at all costs.

The location is beautiful, but that was the only good part of our stay. The lodge felt worn and poorly looked after: the curtain rod was broken, the shower drained badly and had a dirty showerhead, and the bed was very small. The hot tub, one of the main reasons for booking, was uncomfortably cold and had no temperature controls. The staff made things worse. We called ahead about early check-in and were told the room would be ready by 3 p.m., and that we could wait in the coffee shop. We did, but at 3 the cleaners were still working. Since it was storming outside, we asked to wait in reception and were rudely told to stand outdoors in the rain and high wind. That felt unsafe as well as rude. Our confirmation said checkout was 11 a.m., but staff claimed it was 10 a.m. A really disappointing birthday weekend gift at Balmaha Lodges, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here.