Coylumbridgeaviemorehotel Reviews 

Stayed here on Monday night as bus was home was cancelled.

I am 70yrs old and there was no lift to the 2nd floor. I couldn't sleep as people's showers were so noisy.

The location is about 2mls outside Aviemore, so not ideal if you have cases

Check in was at snails pace. Whilst waiting to be checked in, a lady wanted to pay £1.50 for a pack of playing cards. The receptionist said card only. They lady said I will come back and pay when you are quieter and was told rudely "NO" as you won't come back. Which I found terrible for a £1.50 pack of cards, when the hotel is obviously taken in a fortune.

I didn't wait for breakfast and left about 7am

Not recommended

Decent location but like a throwback to 1960!

Very dated, no lift to second floor so had to hump large, heavy luggage up two flights of stairs. Booking in takes forever, food very basic but had worse.

Pool often absolutely rammed and no lifeguards so you may drown if you’re lucky enough to get in!

Staff friendly but not many kicking around. I was overcharged by £25 for our breakfast so was offered a full refund and complementary breakfast as way of an apology which I thought was brilliant. Downside is that they said it couldn’t be done there and then so I’d need to wait a couple of days where someone would call me to arrange. A week later, no refund, no phone call, very little response from emails other than to be basically called a liar! Not happy at all having paid almost £70 for two adult and one child’s breakfast!!!

Stay clear!!

The hotel is 60 years old and still has a look of the times. There is no lift to the upper floor. It is, clearly, popular with tour companies as well as independent guests, but therein lies the main problem. There is no single dining room, but rather a series of spaces and all meals are self-service from an unappetising buffet.

I used to stay at this hotel at least once a year, sometimes more when it was a Hilton.

I haven't visited in years.

However, I had reason to stay recently - different company was awful and I will never go back.

The receptionist was rude.
The plumbing in the room was noisy and the room had a damp and musty smell. It was also not very clean.
The bed must have had a mattress from when I used to regularly visit years ago - it was not comfortable.
Communal areas were dirty.
The meal was shockingly bad.

Recently stayed at Coylumbridge for 4 days, on Scottish Highland Railway Trip with Newmarket. We had a large room with 2 double beds(room 18), clean bathroom with toiletries, (could have done with more towel hanging space), had tea/coffee making facilities. All areas of the hotel that we used were nicely decorated & clean, the bar area/lounge was pleasant. Breakfast & dinner were of good quality & plentiful, very nice, (ran out of chicken on 1st night, a bit worrying but proved to be ok). The only fault we found was a very uncomfortable bed, (could feel springs, we put the duvet from the 2nd bed on it to soften) The surrounds of the hotel are lovely, go through the back & see the river nearby, overall a very nice stay. If I'm being picky the short haired blonde receptionist took our keys at checkout was rather offhand (a did you enjoy your stay would have been nice), conversely the oriental lady on the recepetion opposite was very pleasant,all other staff were very helpful and friendly. Would have given 5 stars if thecbed was comfortable. Might be a different experience when children are on holiday

The only reason for 2 star is the receptionist that greeted us, lovely manner, helpful and informative, the room was in a shocking state, dirty shower, dirty mattress, stained with sweat and blood, dirty stained curtains, dirty cups and kettle, dusty and smelt of drainage in room.

We spent two nights in the hotel. On arrival Ross was magnificent - efficient, helpful and informative. His pleasent manner gave us a bright start to our break. Our room was comfortable, bright with a view of the woods. We spent an afternoon in the Woodshed which we thoroughly enjoyed. The food in the hotel was buffet style and disappointing however it was plentiful. The weather was superb, the surroundings great and we had a good break.
Thank you Ross.
I am not related to Ross nor do I have any interest in the hotel. I simply believe that good service demands to be reviewed fairly.

Arguably the worst customer experience I have ever had. We popped into the woodshed for a pizza and a coffee, something we have been doing for over a decade. The girl serving at the bar could only be described as surly! The food took over an hour for 4 small pizzas which arrived in groups of 2, 20mins apart. On asking for an update we were treated as if it was our fault! Several customers arriving and ordering food after us were served before us only to receive the wrong order, one vegetarian customer was served a pepperoni pizza. Absolutely astonishing approach to customer service, we will never go back.

Had a great weekend with the family, 15 of us in total. Ross on reception was very helpful, efficient and had us all checked in without any issues. Rooms were fine and food was very good. Christian in the restaurant was very efficient and friendly and went out of his way to make sure our meals were very enjoyable. Staff at the woodshed and leisure facilities were also great. It’s not the Hilton anymore but it’s brilliant value and the staff worked very very hard and were nothing but pleasant and helpful. Well done to the team we’ll definitely be back again next year.

Hotel is short staffed. Food inedible absolute slop at the buffet. Complained 4 times about having no heating no fresh bedding and got no assistance. Also phone in room not working so have to keep going doing tk reception to complain. Manager acted as though it’s not really her issue and they have no housekeeping. Currently sat in a freezing room with a filthy bed. Would not come back.

We stayed 2 nights Jan 5th through to 7th with friends (a family of 5)
A generally nice reception area, warm lots of chairs. Took a while to get checked in. When we got to our room, which was fine, basic but clean, there was a strong chemical smell that made me feel nauseous. It dissipated somewhat on opening the window, but it was then freezing in the room. Everytime we returned to the room I could smell it, but thankfully seemed to get used to it and didnt get a migraine. The breakfast was alright. Some stuff a bit overcooked, but eggs, haggis and hash browns were great. The machine coffee was good,always a must for me.. not sure what was going on with the fresh orange though, it was weak and watery as if it were diluted. Evening buffet we decided not to partake, opted to go out...again waited an hour for them to put the menu up outside...Then nobody like what was on it. I'm unsure why reception couldn't just tell us what would be in the buffet. It just seems there's no real flow or collaboration between the staff there. How easy would it be to just speak to the kitchen and ask ?
The worst thing about our stay was the lack of staff. On the evening they had ONE person running between the bar and the coffee bit, also fetching food orders for people and clearing away plates etc. Poor girl was run ragged, it was quite busy, they know how many ppl they have booked so an extra member of staff would've made a huge difference to waiting to be served.
Reception staff didn't come out to help even when the kids stood waiting over 25 mins to get a hot chocolate, so again, how hard could it be to come round the counter to the counter opposite and just serve them, OR phone the 1 member of staff at the bar to inform them someone was waiting there.
The pool wasn't open until the morning we were leaving and checkouts 10am. So the kids were disappointed, this is supposed to be part of your booking. So same cost but no pool facility.
Lots of snow. But they didnt put a digger out to clear their main entrance road and car park areas until the 2nd afternoon we were there. Just some things they could improve on.
Our friends had a few room issues, family room, only 2 bath towels ?? Radiator not working. The 2nd day they got a heater put in the room.
We still managed to have a nice time with friends, but because you should get the service and facilities you're paying for, and we didnt feel like we did, Its doubtful we'd stay there again.

Had read the reviews and was worried about my stay. Needn’t have worried though. The hotel was lovely. Reception area busy and person behind the desk was welcoming. My room was clean and had everything needed. Toilet/shower had recently been renovated and was lovely. Will definitely stay here again. Don’t always trust the reviews!

Pleasant enough stay, some areas are a bit tired looking and could do with some updating. Hotel was very hot in corridors and rooms, so much so we had the fan on in October, windows open all day when we were out. Pool and sauna area is modern and clean. Staff in the main very polite and helpful.

Firstly the 1 stars you see are abit dramatic for this hotel.

We only have 1 negative and that’s how clean the hotel rooms are and general public areas, however that’s only down to the lack of staff and that’s not the current staffs fault. The public areas are also guests fault, by not bothering to clean up after themselves and leaving dirty glasses everywhere. It takes 2 seconds to take the glasses up to the bar.

The staff here couldn’t have done enough for us during our stay, a special thanks for the two barman Graeme and Stuart and the manager Ross. We had a situation unfold with an incredibly intoxicated guest and they resolved the issues instantly, for our troubles we were even granted vouchers for drinks which they absolutely didn’t have to do.

This hotel is PERFECT for young families, they have so much to do for kids here.

The location of the hotel is amazing, it’s so beautiful and very well kept.

One thing I will say, is the company that owns the hotel NEED to do more for their staff and put in the extra money to make this place more modern. The company are clearly hounding the cash for this place. It has SO MUCH potential.

Again we want to thank the staff for their hospitality, they really do go above and beyond with the little staff they have. Keep up the good works guys, we will be back soon.

We had a very pleasant stay at this hotel. Don’t understand all the bad reviews. Checked in at 3.30 and it took two minutes. We were upgraded to a spacious family room which was nicely decorated recently - new shower room. Very clean with coffee facilities which you could top up yourself when passing reception. All staff were very helpful and polite. Very good buffet breakfast with a wide variety of everything. Will definitely be back! 👍😻

September 2025
Hotel in a very lovely position, was in room C2 family room, the room consisted of a double bed and a single along the wall below where tv was situated making it impossible to view from that bed, Kettle cable could not reach socket from desk, had to move to bedside cabinet to use. Only one pillow on each bed and only one spare in wardrobe instead of three {one for each person} unable to get through to reception to ask for more and nails sticking out of headboard on double bed, no where to hang towels in toilet, toilet seat not secure. The room was only set for two people ie cups etc. Room walls very grubby and in need of a good freshen up.

I booked the Coylumbridge hotel for a mountain biking trip away with Aviemore as the central jumping off point to set out from so the Coylumbridge hotel seemed a good choice as we were camping a couple of nights before the hotel.
I booked a twin room so my mate and I had somewhere guaranteed that wasn’t camping for the last night.
At check-in the lady on reception was cold at best and actually rude at worst. She decided to make us wait over five minutes whilst she sent emails. A bizarre and unusual approach to customer service especially front desk?! Finally calling us forward again to get checked in she gave us a double room? Clearly this was not what I booed and so a tedious dialogue back and forth took place whilst I provided the original emails indicating my original booking of a twin room.
Eventually after watching the receptionists range of emotional outbursts she finally found a twin room. The twin room was an initial relief but unfortunately soon to be hugely disappointing.
The room was an old store room!
Clearly a lick of paint and the toilet upgraded to include a shower but overall I can say hand on heart this is the first and last time I would ever use the Coylumbridge hotel and strongly recommend anyone avoid this overpriced and underperforming place as a way of having a better time and vacation anywhere else in Aviemore or the surrounding area.
I took a video and several pictures of the room showing the state of disrepair: the shower rail holding the shower head literally held on with string?! This was the starting point. The window held a view of….the skip for the hotel. Next to this were work vans and general equipment left outside unwanted/needed anymore. The room echoed at just normal level of conversation as it was clearly a very tall storage room in its originally intended purpose.
The place wasn’t clean and after pushing the twin beds apart the floor was half an inch thick with dust along with chewing gum and general detritus.
I stay in many hotels in the course of my job. This gives me a very broad spread of experience and standards of hotels. To say the Coylumbridge hotel is one star would be being very kind given the reception staff and general conditions of the room.
The good points would be the bar food and staff were actually very friendly and nice.
Unfortunately it’s just not acceptable to pay so much for this hotel. Sadly I think the huge numbers of unsuspecting tourists will provide the hotel with ensured customer base. Hopefully this review will be seen by as many as possible and they can then pay their money and gamble on their choices if they choose this hotel.

So… this is probably the worst hotel we have stayed in. I’m not quite sure where to start.
The food in the buffet restaurant is absolutely shocking. Avoid at all costs, especially the blimin price! So bad for what it is. Now the breakfast buffet was all cold. The queue was beyond reception get in and some people were actually asking for breakfast refunds. Absolutely NOT WORTH IT!
Now the additional costs to things. For example the soft play. It’s a joke considering we have paid nearly £400 for two nights. Only thing that’s free is swimming and it’s SOOOO cold. The staff when I called to reception were rude and kept putting me on hold.
Also my son is autistic and this is not a ASD friendly hotel. The rooms so standard and don’t get cleaned unless ur staying 5 days. So using the same towel for 5 days! Great service!!!!!!! Yeah we will NOT be coming back I would seriously avoid this hotel.

On arrival we were greeted by very pleasant and friendly staff who immediately upgraded our room for free so that we could be close to our friends. The rooms as well as the hotel in general were spotless and there was much evidence of constant upgrading work going on. The dining room too was spotless, so on the first night we decided on eating there rather than go elsewhere. Were it not for the lack of choice (not a lot for vegetarians) in the £25 buffet I would gladly have awarded 5 stars,as it really is a great location. The breakfasts, however, were first class with plenty to eat and discreet service.
Over all we all enjoyed a relaxing stay with lots of nice walking. Undoubtedly, our stay being out of season helped, and I would imagine that over the summer months it might be different with the arrival of coach parties Lots to do for the younger ones though, and we would like to return later in the year.

We left property in the room and have contacted numerous times to get it back which has been met by useless staff and very very poor communication