Macdonald Woodland Lodges at Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Aviemore

Nice, relaxing but could make improvements.

Liked: The lodges are lovely and spacious. As the name suggests, we are right in the woods and it was amazing for short walks and views. Kitchen was great, they dont have ovens but this is stated so many times in the website and room description.The log burner was a great addition, even with fully functioning heating. The facilities were decent and my kid loved the place. Staff were lovely in every part of the hotel! Breakfast was okay. Lots to choose from but the food was average. The restaurants for evening meals (Aspect and Giovannis) are both awesome. Food and service was great. Food took a little longer in aspect so be prepared to wait. We were 1.5 hours in before we got our mains. But it was well worth the wait.
Disliked: I reported a couple of issues that didnt get sorted as promised. The property also needs a bit of work. The door didnt close properly with a gap of around half an inch at the top. Not great for safety or letting the cold in! It needs maintained, carpets are worn so much they are down to the thread, walls need painted, bathrooms need re-siliconed! Lights are not working and some are missing their cover so it is just a bulb on the wall. Flush wasnt working in one of the bathrooms. The steam room in the pool area smelled like a dirty fish tank but the other facilities were all clean and great for kids. I didnt get any nespresso pods as stated in the description. I asked for some to be brought up as soon as we got to the room and they never arrived.

Disappointing and pretty expensive

Liked: Breakfast was great and the location is spectacular and easy to reach by public transport with lots of restaurants nearby
Disliked: We had no hot water for the first two days and we would still be waiting for staff to fix it but my husband managed to solve the problem in the end. As there was no hot water (due to someone turning off a switch that was hidden away and marked "DO NOT TURN OFF") the lodge wasn't that clean and the kitchen had a greasy smell (obviously it had been clean with cold water...yuk). The hotel offered free afternoon tea but we had plans so they said they would come back with another offer...I am still waiting. The staff were pretty hopeless and lacking in enthusiasm apart from the breakfast staff - they were lovely.

Nice, relaxing but could make...

Liked: The lodges are lovely and spacious. As the name suggests, we are right in the woods and it was amazing for short walks and views. Kitchen was great, they don’t have ovens but this is stated so many times in the website and room description.The log burner was a great addition, even with fully functioning heating. The facilities were decent and my kid loved the place. Staff were lovely in every part of the hotel! Breakfast was okay. Lots to choose from but the food was average. The restaurants for evening meals (Aspect and Giovannis) are both awesome. Food and service was great. Food took a little longer in aspect so be prepared to wait. We were 1.5 hours in before we got our mains. But it was well worth the wait.
Disliked: I reported a couple of issues that didn’t get sorted as promised. The property also needs a bit of work. The door didn’t close properly with a gap of around half an inch at the top. Not great for safety or letting the cold in! It needs maintained, carpets are worn so much they are down to the thread, walls need painted, bathrooms need re-siliconed! Lights are not working and some are missing their cover so it is just a bulb on the wall. Flush wasn’t working in one of the bathrooms. The steam room in the pool area smelled like a dirty fish tank but the other facilities were all clean and great for kids. I didn’t get any nespresso pods as stated in the description. I asked for some to be brought up as soon as we got to the room and they never arrived.

Disappointing and pretty expensive

Liked: Breakfast was great and the location is spectacular and easy to reach by public transport with lots of restaurants nearby
Disliked: We had no hot water for the first two days and we would still be waiting for staff to fix it but my husband managed to solve the problem in the end. As there was no hot water (due to someone turning off a switch that was hidden away and marked "DO NOT TURN OFF") the lodge wasn't that clean and the kitchen had a greasy smell (obviously it had been clean with cold water...yuk). The hotel offered free afternoon tea but we had plans so they said they would come back with another offer...I am still waiting. The staff were pretty hopeless and lacking in enthusiasm apart from the breakfast staff - they were lovely.

Exceptional

A nice break away!

Liked: The lodge was perfect for a family visit to Aviemore. Plenty of space and well situated. The bonus of breakfast included was great and the kids loved the swimming pool.
Disliked: The weather!

Superb

A nice break away!

Liked: The lodge was perfect for a family visit to Aviemore. Plenty of space and well situated. The bonus of breakfast included was great and the kids loved the swimming pool.
Disliked: The weather!