Front of property

Reviews of Fraoch Lodge - Hostel

4 out of 5
Fraoch Lodge - Hostel
Deshar Road, Boat of Garten, Scotland

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 10 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 6 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 20 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

6.0/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The host/hostess extremely friendly. The evening meals superb and took extra note of my diet requirements. My room was fine but no chair or place to hang damp towel to dry out. The room was in an annexe and I had to go outside to access all amenities - lounge, dining room, guests’ kitchen. No kettle in the room so this kitchen was essential for out of hours cuppa. Very minor complaints all forgiven due to service and meals.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Rebecca on 8 Oct 2019
Thank you. I will try in future to let guests know when they have been allocated rooms in the annex so they know what to expect in advance. We choose not to provide extra hospitality trays in the rooms as this would inevitably increase the cost to our guests due to the extra work required. Instead we do offer a whole kitchen full of appliances and free tea, coffee etc there.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Nice proprietors, so-so accommodations
Probably other rooms that this YOUTH HOSTEL (not hotel, not lodge) offers were better than ours. We definitely did not overpay, and got what we paid for. Very nice proprietors as I mentioned and great location, but keep in mind that even some box wine has a really nice label.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Rebecca on 22 July 2019
This INDEPENDENT HOSTEL has no desire to be a hotel or a lodge. We are very happy to be a friendly, family run hostel. We enjoy spending time with our guests and offering facilities such as a fully equipped kitchen as well as a comfortable lounge with games and books to borrow. We do offer the cheapest private rooms currently available in the area. They are basic but we concentrate on offering comfortable beds for a good night's sleep, a quiet atmosphere and good quality hot showers.

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fraoch Lodge
Rebecca and Andy were very friendly and accommodating. I was able to get a good early breakfast before leaving for work. The room was clean and had plenty of cupboard space. With the weather being so good, there was no need to use the drying room. The area was a great place to go for an evening walk, with the Boat Inn offering good food.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Rebecca on 25 Apr 2019
Thank you. We are pleased to see that you enjoyed your stay even if you did have to work at the time. Mind you, with the excellent weather we had at the time, everyone was enjoying themselves.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice friendly place
The host was very accommodating and friendly. We got a room on the upper floor. The place was clean and the beds were comfortable but the room was cold, the heater doesn't warm up the room that well and the shower area was really small. The dining area was warm and cozy with a good nice view of the outside especially when it snowed.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Rebecca on 25 Apr 2019
It's a shame you didn't mention that you found the room cold at the time when we could have turned up the heating. At this point we can't change that.

10/10 Excellent

Angie, Johnshaven

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice accommodation with opportunity to be self catering as well, with shared kitchen. Very close to all the walking we wanted to do, with a nice wee basic local shop as well, very close by. Would love to stay during the Winter months and experience the lovely stove burning away in the living/dining area. The only thing I was disappointed about was the unavailability of a cooked breakfast.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Rebecca on 31 Oct 2018
Thank you for taking the time to let us know that you enjoyed your stay at Fraoch Lodge. If you do return in the winter we will be sure to light the fire and don't worry we will definitely have cooked breakfasts available then. In future if we are away ourselves we will try to make sure that our cover staff are able to provide cooked breakfast options where necessary.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Rebecca on 10 Oct 2018
Thank you. We are delighted that you are enjoying your stay with us.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very unique lodge! Easy come and go as you please& very good breakfast! Could use some new mattresses in room we were in. Mirror in bed area needed.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Rebecca on 26 Sept 2018
All the rooms have mirrors in the room area. Those with en suite bathrooms also have mirrors in the bathroom too. You must have missed the mirror in your room, or else it has disappeared over the season. However, as I don't know which room you were in, I will check them all over the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately I also have no ides which mattresses you were commenting on but don't worry we have plans to replace the remaining mattresses, which we didn't do last year. Thank you for your comments.

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Received great local information.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Rebecca on 26 Sept 2018
Thank you for taking the time to make a review for us.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Very Good for hiking Lovely village............................ ..........
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Rebecca on 29 Aug 2018
Thank you. We are very pleased to see that you enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A lovely B&B, the staff were really friendly and the facilities were great, particularly the kitchen area for guests to use. Great location with lots of local walks and places to visit.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2018
Response from Rebecca on 2 Aug 2018
Thank you. We are always glad to hear that we have hit the right mix of facilities for our guests. We hope you will consider staying again if you return to the area.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Rebecca was lovely and the accommodation was very comfortable. A cereal/toast breakfast was okay, however, a cooked breakfast would be more welcoming
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018
Response from Rebecca on 2 July 2018
Thank you. A cooked breakfast is available for a small additional supplement. The majority of our guest choose not to opt for the cooked breakfast.

10/10 Excellent

Mic, Maine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A cozy hostel
A typical nice home along the main street that has been added on to and run has a small hostel. We had a great private ensuite room. Great location for local hikes in Boat of Garten or heading into the Cairngorm National Park. Kitchen available for guest use with a fridge. Hot porridge, juice and cereal plus toast included in the rate was perfect before heading out for a 9 mile hike. Decent restaurant down by the train station and fancier one just a couple doors down. An good deal at the rate we paid for a nice room.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Rebecca on 4 June 2018
Thank you. That is very kind of you. We hope to see you again if you are back in the area.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely stay. Would definitely stay there again
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Rebecca on 16 May 2018
Thank you. We are delighted to hear that you would consider staying with us again. We do hope you'll be back soon.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
7 out of 10
Friendly owners and good cooked breakfasts, however beds weren't made during the day and we had to request toilet roll as it hadn't been replaced. Good, but with a little more attention to detail, could be great. Boat of Garten is very quite but Aviemore is just up the road.
Response from Rebecca on 6 Apr 2018
Thank you for your feedback. Fraoch Lodge is not a hotel. We are a 5* hostel. Unfortunately as such we do not include bed making as part of our service. This is the first time in 20 years we've been asked. We will endeavour to keep a closer eye on the toilet roll and make sure it doesn't run out.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly Staff. Wi-fi quite slow/intermittent.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

CRISTIANO

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Scots are the best
The owners are something else, they really invest in the guests, planning together what to do, to cook, to attend. Its a cozy place where you can walk barefooted and strike a good conversation with everyone on site. You feel welcomed. Try their homemade jam. Yummy.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Rebecca on 8 Oct 2019
Thank you for your exceptional review. We really appreciate such a great response to the efforts we make to help you feel at home.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Schöne und ruhige Lage am Rande der Caingorms mit eigentlich großem Potential. Leider ist die Unterkunft eher als Hostel einzustufen. Unser Zimmer mit eigenem Bad ist ziemlich in die Jahre gekommen und alles andere als ansehnlich.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Rebecca on 5 July 2019
We are sorry that you did not find our decor modern enough for you. We are very clear about what you should expect when you come to stay with us. We are also clear that we are not a hotel and you should therefore not expect the same level of service, which is reflected in the price we charge. Unfortunately without knowing which room you stayed in I am unable to make any comments on the specifics. However, I would point out that all rooms have been redecorated in the last 2 years and all mattresses have been replaced and upgraded within the last 2 years.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Rebecca on 28 June 2019
Thank you for taking the time to review Fraoch Lodge. Unfortunately we can't see any way to improve your stay as you have not given us any comments.

6/10 Okay

Paolo Mario

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018
Response from Rebecca on 2 Aug 2018
Thank you for taking the time to send a review score in for us.

10/10 Excellent

Yves, Vernon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel is in the entrance of the speyside distilleries area. Walks are possible in the area. For dinner you should go in Arismore near Boatgarden. Karen is very helpfull. We have enjoy our staying.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2017