Macbeth Arms Hotel

A local fella in another village recommended this pub when my wife and I needed somewhere at short notice while travelling in Scotland with our two dogs. I phoned and got a friendly reply, and we were offered a room for the night. The landlord was friendly, and so were the customers I chatted with. The bar had a reasonable selection for a small village pub, and the IPA tasted great. Our room was clean and fairly priced, with a huge comfy bed and pillows. It wasn't too busy or noisy on a Saturday night, and we both slept well. The dogs settled in, and there are brilliant walks in the village, plus a playing field for them. The pub doesn't serve food or breakfast, which wasn't a problem. There's a tea room and convenience store in the village, and the landlord suggested a few nearby places to eat in or get takeaway, all just a few minutes' drive away. I'd definitely stay again if I'm in the area, and would recommend the pub and accommodation to family, friends, or anyone looking for somewhere to stay nearby.

What a lucky choice for my colleague and me. We spent two nights in this lovely, cozy place and felt warmly welcomed into the local community. We enjoyed the interesting, well-balanced mix of Scottish and British culture. It felt right to us, with a circle much like our Saxon village of 300 people. No wonder we clicked so well ;)

We needed a hotel for the night while visiting Craigivar Castle, but when we arrived at 16.15pm we found it didn't open until 5pm. We briefly panicked, wondering if it might not open at all. After finding a great little bistro in Alford, around 7 miles away, we came back at about 6pm. The hotel was lovely, and it looked as if a refurbishment had just finished, with everything fresh and brand new. We were the only two staying that night and were given a front door key to get back in. Room access is by security keycode, which is handy because there's no key card to carry around. The beds were extremely comfortable, and we slept like logs. In the morning, our continental breakfast was laid out, and we were told we could come down anytime, which was brilliant.

I loved my stay at this gem in rural Aberdeenshire and will definitely return. It's a fantastic little hotel with straightforward service, a squeaky-clean room, and good wi-fi, all in spectacular countryside.