Interior

Reviews of Blervie House

5 out of 5
Blervie House
Blervie House Estate, Rafford, Forres, Scotland

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 32 out of 40 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 6 out of 40 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 40 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 40 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 40 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

9.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Verna

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Exquisite.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Blervie on 6 Apr 2024
Thank you so much for leaving us such a lovely review. We both hope you enjoyed your visit to Skye.Best wishes Sheena and Graham

10/10 Excellent

Martin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Graham and Sheena are delightful hosts and nothing was too much trouble.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023
Response from Blervie on 21 Mar 2023
Dear Martin, thank you so much for your lovely review. It was a pleasure meeting you both, and I hope the rest of your stay went well. We will both look forward to welcoming you back in the future. With best wishes Sheena and Graham

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful property. The owners are very friendly. Highly recommend
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Blervie on 25 Aug 2022
Dear Andrew,Thank you so much for leaving us such a lovely review. We are so pleased you enjoyed the house and your stay with us, and we hope we see you again in the future. With best wishes Sheena and Graham

8/10 Good

Paul

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was beautiful and quiet. Limited staff at the site and no direction provided on what's available while there. Residence was however accomodating with having my daughter join us on the trip.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Blervie House on 15 Oct 2022
Dear Paul and Bree, thank you for your review, which has only come to light. We particularly notice that you have remarked that we had a limited number of staff. We find this comment rather harsh as we are only a Guesthouse and not a hotel, and you arrived at 7 pm for one night and left early after breakfast the next morning. There were only 12 guests in the house that night, and I can assure you that any reasonable requests you could have made would have been easily catered for. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your holiday. Regards Graham

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Dominique

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Superbe endroit
Bel endroit et très grande chambre intime. Lhote Graham très gentil et donne de bonnes suggestions pour les restaurants à essayer durant notre voyage. Le lit est tellement confortable… un nuage! Les déjeuners servis selon nos goûts et très généreux. Merci pour l’expérience. Nous en garderons un beau souvenir!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022
Response from Blervie on 6 Aug 2022
Merci beaucoup pour votre belle critique. Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez tous les deux apprécié votre séjour chez nous et espérons que vous reviendrez un jour pour créer d'autres souvenirs. Avec mes meilleurs vœux Sheena

10/10 Excellent

Lawrence

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Huge, wonderfully appointed rooms. Very clean and fresh smelling. Beautiful property!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022
Response from Blervie on 22 July 2022
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay with us and hope you found the right visitor attraction the day you left us. With best wishes Sheena and Graham

10/10 Excellent

Marion

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a beautiful home, lovingly restored and cared for by its owners. The breakfasts are delicious and the staff is exceptional. You are treated like royalty!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Blervie on 17 June 2022
Thank you for your kind review. We thoroughly enjoyed looking after you and hope you find time to visit us again. Graham and Sheena and all the staff

10/10 Excellent

Stuart

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Felt like Lord & Lady of the Manor!
We thoroughly enjoyed a couples reunion in this large fully-restored stately home. We had one of their middle-priced rooms which was huge, bathroom was huge and the bed very comfortable. Fabulous (huge) breakfasts each morning. Large state rooms for sitting and reading. Full size snooker table. Note - Forres is a bit remote! it's small town and rather quiet. We enjoyed local walks and traveled an hour to Loch Ness and 40+ mins each way to Inverness for Distillery Tours, Go-Karting, Sightseeing, etc. (Must take a taxi or minibus if you plan a Distillery tour!) If you are a larger group Graham and Sheena may offer a dinner option. If they do - take it!
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Response from Blervie on 14 May 2022
Dear Stuart, thank you so much for your lovely review. We are both so glad your group enjoyed their stay and all their activities so much and that you both enjoyed your stay so much. With best wishes Sheena and Graham

10/10 Excellent

Janice

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Stay at Blervie House
My husband and I had an excellent stay at Blervie House, we arrived during Storm Arwin and the hosts Graham and Sheila couldn’t have been more helpful. It was a beautiful house in lovely grounds. The cooked breakfast was amazing. My husband and I were the only guests that weekend and Graham and Sheila were so attentive, couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2021
Response from Blervie on 5 Dec 2021
Dear Janice, thank you so much for your lovely review and we are both so glad you enjoyed your well-earned break with us in spite of arriving in the middle of a power cut. We will both look forward to welcoming you both back again. With best wishes Sheena and Graham

10/10 Excellent

M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
very good hotel, service and food excellent
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Blervie on 28 Oct 2021
Dear Martin, thank you for your extremely kind review. It was a pleasure welcoming you as a guest and we look forward to seeing you again in the future. Kind Regards Graham and Sheena

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A DELIGHTFUL AND SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING THAT HAS BEEN LOVINGLY RESTORED BY THE CURRENT OWNERS TO AN EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH STANDARD. THOUGHTFUL DECOR CHOSEN FOR HIGH QUALITY AND ORIGINALITY HAS BROUGHT THE HOME BACK TO ITS FORMAL ELEGANCE.................THE OWNERS ARE VERY MUCH HANDS ON AND DELIGHTFUL TO MEET. WOULD BE HAPPY TO RETURN AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Blervie House on 20 Aug 2021
Thank you so much for your lovely review and so glad you enjoyed your stay with us. We will look forward to welcoming you back. Best wishes Graham and Sheena

10/10 Excellent

Sundeep

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Blervie on 7 Oct 2021
Thank you for your very kind rating.

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Blervie House - top class!!
Superb stay at Blervie House! Graham and Sheena couldn't have provided more for us, and the whole experience was super! Amenities, surroundings and room comfort were all top class in accommodation that was very comfortable and relaxing. All of the services described on Hotels.com were provided with a smile, and our hosts were extremely hospitable! Thoroughly enjoyed our visit here.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Blervie on 8 Aug 2021
Dear John, thank you so much for leaving us such a lovely review. We are both so glad you enjoyed your stay with us and enjoyed both the house and the surroundings. With bests wishes Sheena and Graham.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent property & location
Amazing peaceful location surrounded by wildlife. Exceptionally clean bedroom & public rooms, beautiful interiors & excellent breakfast. It will be my preferred location to stay when in the area.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021
Response from Blervie on 26 July 2021
Thank you for leaving us such a lovely review. We will look forward to welcoming you back when you are this way again. Best wishes

2/10 Terrible

Lucy

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A ruined holiday
Booked 6 nights for our family of 4 at Blervie House, expecting a relaxing stay at a 5 star establishment. For us, that this was a country house stay (“whilst here treat Blervie House as your home”), involving interaction with other guests & no TVs or phones in rooms, were all positive aspects. What we did not expect was to find the attached note hanging outside our door. Needless to say, we had not made any towel-marauding trips to other people’s bathrooms! With no-one available to speak to at Blervie House, we logged a complaint with hotels.com & raised this at breakfast. What happened next was bizarre. First, Graham suggested we move into a private room to have a chat – we declined, we had nothing to hide. He then suggested we finish our breakfast & check out & he would refund us for the remaining 2 nights! When I stated that we had only used the towels supplied in our bathroom on arrival, I got a begrudging apology along with “But you haven’t exactly been ideal guests have you!” (our sins – being up to 15 mins “late” for breakfast, staying in our room until midday when our daughter was unwell, turning on the bathroom fan, occasionally forgetting to wear a face-mask to breakfast (there are no signs about this in the house, so quite easy to be halfway downstairs in the morning before remembering)). It was very clear that he wanted us to leave. I can only wonder whether he had over-booked & wanted our rooms for others. Waiting resolution of complaint before posting further.
The threatening note from hotel owner Graham that ruined our holiday
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Graham on 25 July 2021
Dear Madam, I am writing in response to your so-called terrible review. From our perspective by entering other bedrooms private bathrooms you were breaching all possible Covid Rules and were a potential danger to other guests, staff and ourselves. As my note clearly explained this kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable and you were informed, we still believe quite rightly that should this happen again you would be asked to leave. In the event, you chose to procrastinate at Breakfast and bombard all our other guests with your comments and when asked to move to a more private room you declined. You demanded a Full Refund for the entirety of your stay which I made very clear was not warranted and certainly not forthcoming. I offered you on condition that you did not enter any other guest rooms during the remainder of your stay the option to stay and be treated in the same courteous manner as you had been for the previous 4 days or the alternative to leave immediately and receive a Full Refund for the days still outstanding. In the event you chose to leave immediately and were refunded the full payment for your outstanding days whilst you were still on the premises. I was advised by my guests remaining in the house that you were writing a diatribe in our lovely Guest Review Book and they considered asking you to stop but in the end (and quite rightly) let you carry on. After your departure I read your review and was faced with two options I could as many would have done have removed the page you wrote on from the book or left it for others to read and understand that every business occasionally gets unreasonable guests. I chose the latter and indeed wrote my own comments beside your review. Whilst the whole incident is unfortunate for both yourselves and me I have been extremely pleased by all of the wonderful reviews that have been left by guests who were here during your stay and had to listen to your diatribe and by the wonderful reviews left from guests who have arrived since. As the missing towels were all found in your bathroom my staff and I are all convinced that only you or your teenage children could have removed them. I have nothing further to add on this unfortunate incident. Graham Thompson

10/10 Excellent

gordon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
5* for a reason
Our stay at Blervie House could not be faulted in any way at all. Graham and Sheena are the perfect hosts and their property is absolutely stunning. The whole place has been beautifully restored and just oozes relaxation throughout. Beautiful views of the area and very peaceful surroundings added to the whole experience and we were made to feel very welcome. The public rooms were great for relaxing and just so pleasant to be in and around. Our only regret was that we were only here for three nights but we definitely plan to come back
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Blervie on 7 July 2021
Dear Gordon, thank you so much for your lovely review. We are both so pleased that you both enjoyed your stay with us. It is a real pleasure for guests to find the house, the grounds, the views and the area so relaxing especially, in the current climate. We will both be looking forward to seeing you again in hopefully the not too distant future. Best wishes Sheena and Graham

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely house, more geared towards the elderly travellers or American tourists. Recommended
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Blervie on 21 June 2021
Dear Reviewer, Thank you for your review. It’s a shame you didn’t stay longer and have time to interact with the owners and the staff. If you had we could have shown you the six miles of walking, cycling or running tracks on our own estate or the many miles of tracks through woods and moorland to the which our Estate adjoins. In the evening many guests of all ages enjoy a game of pool or snooker on our full size table. We could also have arranged a private whisky tasting for you or a lesson in playing the pipes! Kind Regards Graham and Sheena

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Gem in the Highlands
A gem of a hotel not far from Forres. Graham our host had the most amazing stories. Perhaps one of the most comfortable bed/bedding I have ever slept in. Slept like a log as it is very quiet in the grounds. The hotel is beautifully decorated/furnished and we really enjoyed our stay. Suggest the hotel is perfect for the older couples wanting something a little special. Breakfast was great served on long Dining tables which will be wonderful when the country returns to normality.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021
Response from Blervie on 11 June 2021
Hi David, thank you for leaving us a review. Hopefully should you choose to stay with us again you will have time to stay more than one night so that you can experience all that the house and grounds have to offer. You told us whilst you were here that you really enjoyed sleeping in our beautiful bed and our exemplary linens. You will be pleased to know that both of these products were made in Scotland which is the central theme of all the products we use. Look forward to seeing you both again. Kind Regards Graham and Sheena

10/10 Excellent

Garry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Brilliant Blervie House
Fantastic building in a spectacular setting. Hosts were really friendly and informative. Breakfast was superb with top quality local produce. Great break!!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020
Response from Blervie House on 19 Aug 2020
Thank you so much for such a lovely review and so glad you enjoyed your stay with us. We will be looking forward to seeing you again. Best wishes Sheena and Graham

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
impressive country house in a rather remote location. nicely renovated but some furnishing flaws / inconsistencies for the interior designer eye. gorgeous setting but not sure about the weather so far north. the closest town (Forres) doesn't seem to have many dining options.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Sheryl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Luxury stay!
Loved Blervie House! Super luxurious and just lovely! Would love to stay here again when I'm in the area.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very secluded property. Wonderful building and beautiful surroundings
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

2/10 Terrible

Jay, United States

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
STAY AWAY from this nightmare. I didn't want to believe the reviews of others who expressed dismay about the owner, but they are true. What should have been a relaxing and enjoyable golf weekend was ruined by the stress that the Blervie House and its owner unnecessarily brought on. He should not be in the hospitality business, as he was anything but hospitable.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A unique experience.
Graham, Sheena and all the other staff went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. We had a wonderful time here. We felt privileged to be able to use the wonderful sitting and reading rooms.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

A lovely place to breathe and relax
Graham and Sheena are the best of hosts, and the House itself is extraordinary: half refuge and half art gallery. Rooms are spacious and comfortable. The location is peaceful and beautiful (check out the peacocks and deer in the back meadow). Findhorn and Pluscarden Abbey (drop by for vespers) and major distilleries and more are nearby. Spend several days if you can.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Janette, Knoxville, Tn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was amazing! The experience was so worth the trouble we had finding the manor home. We will visit again for a longer visit.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

8/10 Good

Rodney

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Days away
The blervie house was very nice and clean lovely big bedrooms and bathroom was a delight for my wife who loved it.the breakfast was lovely as was the patrons.and the only down side is that there are no tvs in the rooms.this was a nice couple of days away with my lovely wife.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Sushmita

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming blervie house
Blervie house hotel was amazing - Graham really took care of us! The house has been recently renovated and overlooks beautiful green spaces - lovely for a walk! We will definitely be back on our next trip to Scotland.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A bit of heaven
Blervie house is a rare find . It beat all expectations. A mansion converted into a hotel beat every other 5 star experience had . Tucked away , surrounded by trees and surrounded by a view only seen on postcards . Each bedroom is named after a Scottish clan . The Suites are big , with an attached walk in and a great bathroom. Clean !! ‘personal ‘ hospitality Sheena and Graham so readily gave is what I describe as the icing on the cake . Too short a stay for us . Love to go back .
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Rimma, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gem in Picturesque Scottish Countryside. Conveniently located on the Malt Whiskey Trail, close to main attractions in Moray Speyside, this place is a unique destination itself. Elegant, spacious and extremely comfortable, it sits on a lush beautiful property ( with two peacocks!!) Hosts Graham and Sheena made us feel like dear guests. Highly recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Stuart

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden Gem
If you are looking for peace & quiet in luxurious surroundings in a beautiful location with generous & gregarious hosts this is the hotel for you. No piped music & a glorious absence of the ubiquitous TV (apart from one in the "family room" makes it heaven for those you enjoy a tranquil stay.Within a 10 minute drive of Forres & the glorious Finhorn the hotel is set in splendid isolation up a long drive & offers sumptuous accommodation including ,for us, a bathroom as large as any bedroom I've stayed in .No dinner on offer (except by special arrangement) but plenty of good eateries in Forres & Finhorn & the plentiful breakfast is more than sufficient compensation.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mirjam&Wolfgang, Vienna

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great Location, great taste. Sheena & Graham are doing a great job.
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Klasse Hotel mit Stil
Sehr schöne Zimmer, grosses Bad, leckeres Frühstück mit frischem Obst, sehr nette Inhaber
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Martina

Wundervoller Aufenthalt im Herrenhaus
Es war ein wunderschöner Aufenthalt. Wir hatten ein großzügiges Zimmer mit separatem, sehr großem Bad - beides mit toller Aussicht auf die umliegenden Ländereien und ausgestattet mit Fön, Handtüchern, Duschzeug, WLAN und einer kleinen Kaffeemaschine. Alles war sehr sauber und schön hergerichtet, passend zu dem schönen Herrenhaus. Es gab im Erdgeschoss auch zwei Aufenthaltszimmer für die Gäste (Lesezimmer und Fernsehzimmer) sowie einen Aufzug zu den Zimmern im ersten und zweiten Stock. Wir wurden herzlichen empfangen und bekamen auch Tipps für das Abendessen bzw. die Besichtigungsmöglichkeiten in der Gegend. Das wäre dann auch der einzige Nachteil - man muss für das Abendessen noch einmal ein bisschen fahren (10-15 Min. höchstens). Dafür liegt das Anwesen sehr schön und ruhig, umgeben von einem kleinen Wäldchen. Das Frühstück war sehr reichhaltig (Müsli und Früchtebuffet plus diverse Bestellmöglichkeiten eines warmen, schottischen Frühstücks aus der Küche) und sehr lecker. Wir würden jederzeit wieder hinfahren, dann aber sicher für mehr als nur eine Übernachtung. Die Umgebung bietet viele Möglichkeiten und man fühlt sich einfach wohl.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tolles B&B im Herrenhaus mit sehr freundlichen Gastgebern.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hübsches Hotel in Morray
Tolles schottisches Herrenhaus mit einem sehr netten Gastgeberehepaar. Die beiden Pfauen waren ganz besondere Haustiere🤗 Super Tipps für Wanderungen und das Abendessen bekommen. Vielen lieben Dank für diese schönen Urlaubstage an Graham und Sheena
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Gerhard, Wien

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Herrenhaus mit super Ambiente und sehr netten Eigentümern
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

FRANCOIS

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
belle demeure
une très belle demeure dans un cadre champêtre. De très belles chambres et des hôtes charmants.