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Reviews of Douneside House

4 out of 5
Douneside House
Tarland, Aboyne, Scotland

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 43 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 47 reviews" "

10/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Staff & service

9.8/10

Amenities

9.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Leslie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely stay, would highly recommend!
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Heather

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Douglas

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We enjoyed every aspect of our stay at Douneside House. The facility was spectacular, the grounds were immaculate, but most of all, the staff was ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING in all respects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We arrived after the dining room was closed (our fault) but they still went above and beyond to provide us with a wonderful meal. We will definitely stay at Douneside House on our next trip.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

john

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent staff
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sandra

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff, a la carte food, cleanliness, was first class, overall an excellent stay at this beautiful House Hotel! Will definataly visit again soon!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ruth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The stay could not have been any better. Will be back as soon as possible!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

David, Edinburgh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The setting is lovely with amazing views, very friendly welcoming staff and really amazing food, the best food we had any where in Scotland.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Elaine

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

thomas allen l., Aylett,VA

Liked: Cleanliness
Coming Home
Beautiful place to enjoy the scenery and get to places we wanted to see, the staff couldn’t have been better!!🤗
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very cosy seating areas with multiple public comfy rooms
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Kerry, Melbourne

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent stay and would defiantly come back again !
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Super Nice!
Interesting history of a very quaint hotel!
Stayed 1 night in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Sam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Exceptional
Really enjoyed our stay at Douneside, from the welcome and tour, to the health club facilities, to the exceptional dinner. The history of the house was fascinating and the relaxation unparalleled.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Don’t go when it is cold
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Laura

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect weekend away treat
A wonderfully relaxing get away in a very home from home hotel. Staff with no exception were fantastic. Attentive but not imposing. We had a lovely big room with amazing views out over the lawn.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

ALEXANDER

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Superb stay in a lovely country house hotel
My wife and I had a superb overnight stay at this lovely country house hotel. The welcome we received from the staff was like nothing we'd experienced before - it was as if we were old friends coming to visit rather than first-time customers. The grounds were beautiful and the common areas full of character. We dined in the conservatory restaurant on the Table d'hote menu and the food was fabulous throughout all three courses. If I were to make some minor criticisms, I'd point out that we only had one chair in our room, which seemed a little odd considering it was described as a "double room with seating area". Also, there was no mention of ironing facilities in the guest information book, and whilst we did next morning find the relevant details stashed in a drawer, it was too late to be of use. However, these did not detract from our overall enjoyment, and we would have no hesitation in staying here again, or recommending Douneside House to others.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautifu, quiet, rural luxury hotel
This is an absolutely delightful place for a quiet, peaceful luxurious stay in the most magnificent rural Scottish countryside. We would not hesitate to recommend anyone to take time out to enjoy Douneside and it's immaculate facilities. All the staff were efficient and friendly and were a credit to the MacRobert trust organisation and the memory of that amazing family.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from General Manager on 25 Oct 2018
Dear Guest, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave your feedback following your recent stay. Your kind words have been shared with the team and it means a lot to us. Kind regards, Marcel Wassen

10/10 Excellent

Elaine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely!
Beautiful hotel and grounds. It's a pity we were only there for 1 night for a flying visit so did not have time to enjoy all the facilities on offer. Will definitely be back!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from General Manager on 10 Oct 2018
Dear Elaine, thank you for your feedback. We look forward to welcoming you back for at least 2 nights in the future! Kind regards, Marcel

10/10 Excellent

Charlie, Surrey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great country hotel
Our stay was short but memorable. The hotel is very well appointed and the staff were all friendly and efficient. Service was exemplary at reception, in the bar and also in the restaurant. The food was excellent and well presented.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018
Response from General Manager on 26 Sept 2018
Dear Charlie, Many thanks for your review. We are thrilled to read you had a good time. Kind regards, Marcel Wassen

10/10 Excellent

sam, aberdeen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent stay
Very relaxing. Food was amazing. Really nice location and beautiful views.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018
Response from General Manager on 23 Aug 2018
Dear Sam, Thank you for your excellent review! It really means a lot to us. Kind regards, Marcel

10/10 Excellent

Patrick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018
Response from General Manager on 16 Aug 2018
Dear Patrick, Many thanks for your recent review. It is great to read that you had an excellent stay. Kind regards Marcel Wassen

10/10 Excellent

Lynne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely garden and grounds
Interesting historic property, exceptional staff and outstanding garden
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from Melanie on 2 Aug 2018
Thank you so much for your lovely comments, I will pass on to the team x

10/10 Excellent

Dan, Michigan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic place!
We had an absolutely lovely time at the Douneside! We stayed in Casa 21, which was perfect for us as it had two separate bedrooms and a separate kitchenette/lounging space. The staff were wonderful to us - really made us feel at home, and gave us some nice insight into the history of the place. The meal was 5-star (but be aware that it is a leisurely dinner, not something you can rush in and out of). We would 100% pick this as our first choice if we return to the area.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018
Response from General Manager on 23 June 2018
Dear Dan, Thank you very much for taking the time to speak write your review. It is great to read that you had a lovely time. We look forward to welcoming you back when you return to the area. Best regards, Marcel Wassen General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Ken, Glasgow

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful
Great location and superb food. Have recommended to friends already. A great find
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from General Manager on 23 June 2018
Dear Ken, Thank you for you great feedback. We are very pleased that you found us too. Thank you for your recommendations and we look forward to welcoming you back. All best Marcel Wassen General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Julie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would highly recommend
We enjoyed our stay at Douneside, the hotel is lovely and staff were friendly and welcoming. We really enjoyed dinner, it was a lovely dining experience. We made use of the great range of leisure facilities too. The grounds and view from the hotel are beautiful and there are lots of walks to do around Tarland. We will visit again.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Marcel Wassen on 5 June 2018
Dear Julie, Thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit. It was wonderful to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in the not so distant future. Kind regards, Marcel

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fandastic hotel ,beautiful location great staff
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Marcel Wassen on 5 June 2018
Thank you very much for your review! We hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Neil

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Birthday Treat from my wife ..
Thoroughly enjoyed our stay very relaxing with bonus of beautiful weather for lunch and drinks outside.. Food delicious .. Stunning grounds to wander and very well looked after..Staff attentive and friendly..Would recommend and we will definetly return..
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from Marcel Wassen on 5 June 2018
Dear Neil, Thank you for your review of your birthday treat, I was pleased to read that you had a good time! Thank you for recommending us and we look forward to welcome you back! Kind regards, Marcel

10/10 Excellent

Neil, Aberdeen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely quiet hotel in the countryside.
Beautiful views. Fantastic service. Great food. Small hotel with spa set in lovely grounds.
Response from Marcel Wassen on 2 Jan 2018
Dear Neil Thank you very much for your review. We are all thrilled to read that you had a good time. We are looking forward to seeing you back soon. All the best Marcel Wassen General Manager

10/10 Excellent

neal, london

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Brilliant Deeside Hotel
Great combination of traditional high class hotel plus all the sports facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
Response from Marcel Wassen on 2 Jan 2018
Dear Neal, Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review and kind words. We are very lucky to have our amazing sports facility right on our door step. Please come again soon. All best Marcel Wassen General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Anon, Highland Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quiet understated luxury.
Wonderful place for a celebration. Food excellent, great leisure facilities, friendly ambience.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
Response from Marcel Wassen on 14 Dec 2017
Dear Guest Many thanks for your review and the 5 star rating. We pride ourselves on the high standards that we have set ourselves and it is great to read that overall these expectations were met. We are as you have noticed a very small team and often the person in reception is helping the restaurant team. Nevertheless this is no excuse and I have shared your feedback with the team in order to rectify this point. Please contact me directly when you wish to return, I'd be delighted to assist you personally. Kind regards Marcel Wassen General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Alan, Aberdeen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Country House Hotel
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We were only there for a short time but it didn't disappoint.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely country home hotel
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Douneside House. It is a facinating place with an amazing history. The hotel and grounds are spectacular and the staff are wonderful. There was a mix up with the description of our room booked on Expedia. It was described and booked as a double but I fact was 2 twins. The staff were very accommodating and moved us to a much larger unit once available. The dining experience was wonderful, from drinks in the bar pre dinner to the exceptional food served in the dining room. We were impressed every night. We had a lovely stay and would love to return and enjoy more of the facilities of the resort.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2017
Response from Marcel Wassen on 19 Sept 2017
Thank you so much for your review. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your wonderful experience. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly when you wish to return. Kind regards

10/10 Excellent

Michael, Washington, D.C.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Heaven on Earth
Douneside is nothing short of amazing. Our family played croquet on the immaculate lawn whilst sipping excellent GnT's. / At the end of our stay, I jokingly asked if I could volunteer there, just so I could enjoy the grounds. Everything you could want in a country stay. Two days after we left, our 8 year old son asked "Can we go back to Douneside?" What they don't tell you is that the hotel is run by a charitable trust so that all profits go to charities for veterans. The history of Douneside is humbling.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017
Response from Marcel Wassen on 17 Sept 2017
Dear Michael Thank you for your feedback. Please tell your son that he can come back! We look forward to have you all return. Plenty of more gin and tonics where they came from. Kind regards

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden gem.
Off the cuff stay... what a beautiful hotel, intimate,clean, tidy, newly refurbished. Just a pleasure to find Douneside. And the views are simply wow ! Just amazing, loved it... I'll be going back... keep it Douneside 10/10.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017
Response from GM Douneside on 9 July 2017
Wow, thank you for such amazing feedback. We can't wait to welcome you back!

10/10 Excellent

Antony, Kent, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel in the middle of nowhere
I stayed here for business at the Glenfiddich distillery about an hours drive north in Dufftown. I chose it mainly for access to a gym and didnt really spend much time around the hotel or the local area so can't comment on these. The gym was nice with a nice pool and spa tub as well as some free weights, treadmills and spin bikes. The room was luxurious and the food was different class!!!!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
la chamber était tres petite , les jardins sont tres beaux. la nourriture sur place était tres dispendiuse.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from General Manager on 26 Sept 2018
Thank you for your response.

8/10 Good

Egon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Herrenhaus im Park
Tolles Haus in malerischem Park, etwas abgelegen, sehr teuer, meiden Sie Zimmer Nr. 2: Küchenabzug vor dem Fenster,
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017