More about Ballachulish Hotel
Fantastic Value for Money...
by A TripAdvisor Member
My partner and I are just back from a 2 night stay at the Ballachulish Hotel, Oban, Scotland. It was a bargain at £25pp per night and included breakfast and a bottle of sparkling wine upon arrival. As part of your stay you are also entitled to make use of the facilities at their nearby sister hotel which is only 5 mins by car and gives use of sauna and pool. The staff were so friendly and helpful and could advise on places to go as well as accomodating you in any way they could-without a grump or moan. The breakfast was lovely and the views onto the loch in front of the hotel were breathtaking.The evening meal was of large portions and their special, Bulas for 2 people, delicious. The only small complaint is that the bar is a bit pricy at £3 per pint. But this is usual of most 4* hotels. And if this really bothers you then there's a cosy little pub 5 mins by car in the village. We will definately be visiting again-bargain price or not!
A fab break from busy life
by A TripAdvisor Member
I have just returned home from a two night break at the Ballachulish Hotel. The hotel was chosen after reading reviews and looking at the hotel's own website. The photo's from the website don't do the hotel justice, it is a lovely mix of old and new. When we checked in the hotel manager showed us around the hotel and the different rooms available for use which I felt was a lovely personal touch. We had a superior room with Loch View, although we didn't have the best view of the Loch, more of the bridge side but we didn't spend a lot of time in our room. The room was tastefully decorated in keeping with the style of the hotel and was roomy, we were also presented with a bottle of sparkling wine on arrival. The bathroom was clean, bright and modern with a jacuzzi style bath. The bar/restaurant/bistro were very comfortable and have fabulous views over the Loch. The food was lovely (we dined in both nights and ordered the same food) my starter of mussels in classic sauce were the nicest I have ever tasted (fresh from the Loch)and the Bulas were both nice and hearty and are served with mash or wild rice although there is a lot in the pot and we were stuffed both times, in retrospect we could have probably ordered a Bulas for one and shared.
We had a fantastic time and hope to return later in the year. I have already reccomended this hotel to friends and family!
Excellent food and good accommodation
by TripAdvisor Member Keith101
Right from booking the room through to the welcome at reception and the service at dinner that staff at Ballachulish House were friendly and helpful. We stayed one night after a long trip round the coast to avoid a snow-blocked road. We instantly relaxed and travelled the short distance to the shared swimming pool and fitness centre in Glen Coe.
This would be my only gripe in that having arrived at 6pm there was no availability for the fitness area which was fully booked. The swimming pool was welcoming though and the sauna helped to ease the tensions of the day.
We enjoyed an excellent evening meal with local specialies which was good value I thought considering the quality and lovely surroundings. Then we relaxed with a drink in the lounge in the warm environment of candles and soft furnishings.
Did not live up to expectations
by TripAdvisor Member Parallell
We had a dissapointing stay due to the snobbish attitude by the owner who made our party feel most unwelcome. She felt we were too noisy but given that she had taken a booking for seven people, she should have expected a little noise with everybody chatting.
The hotel ran out of most drinks which we ordered including champagne and red wine which we did not believe was satisfactory for a hotel of this standing.
The rooms did not lock and we had to share a bathroom with people across the corridor. The bathroom was very small and not to the standard we would have expected.
The food, however, was excellent and if the service had been better and we had been made to feel more welcome, I would not be writing this review.
Glencoe was spectacular and I will be back there but unfortunately not to the the Ballachulish House Hotel.
Beautiful rooms, elegant feel, friendly hostess
by TripAdvisor Member FionaS
We stayed one night in Ballachulish House on our way to Skye. It was no doubt the nicest and most elegant place we stayed in Scotland, even though it was not the most expensive. We had the room with the pink walls shown on the Web site. A very pretty room, spacious and with wonderful views out over the grounds. Bath was lovely and spacious as well.
We were met by a staffperson who greeted us by name and showed us around the hotel and to our very nice room. Ballachulish is one of the top country house hotels in Scotland and it shows in the details. The drawing room, where we had drinks and canapes before dinner, is comfortable and nicely decorated. Before dinner, Marie, the proprietor, came and warmly welcomed us.
Dinner was quite an event, lasting close to three hourse. I lost track of how many courses were served. I had monkfish and my husband had lamb. It was all wonderfully prepared and presented. After dinner we were invited to have after-dinner drinks and hand-made chocolates in the drawing room, but it was only our second day in Scotland and we were so jet-lagged we couldn't keep our eyes open.
Breakfast the next morning was also one of the best we had in Scotland. There was a superb haddock dish that I never found anywhere else.
Ballachulish House is near Glen Coe, with its magnificent mountain scenery. The hotel has its own golf course on the grounds; we don't play golf but I think many of the guests come for that reason. All in all we had a splendid stay and would definitely return next chance we have to come to Scotland.
So Disappointing
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at this hotel expecting a Country House Hotel - instead we had a hotel which seemed very confused as to what it was offering. They have changed the original restaurant which had a great reputation to a Bistro where the speciality is a meal in a pot served with bread! Our meal there was at best ordinary and the emphasis seemed to be on the "allowance" being made if you booked DB&B - totally unnecessary as we were pushed to reach our allowance from the menu. We also had to ask twice for our wine order - it was eventually seved as they cleared our plates from our first course - with no apology. The staff were all very pleasant and friendly but obviously not trained.
The setting is superb our room was nice with a loch view - we paid for a superior room - unfortunately it had no heating in it - spoke to reception who said that boilers were working at full capacity and there had been other complaints but they would see what they could do - we eventually had heat when we returned to the room after dinner! This would not have been such a problem except that there was a wedding in the hotel so the only public room available to sit in was the bar.
We expected a 4* Country House Hotel with a good restaurant and comfortable sitting room with a warm fire - we were so disappointed in the reality.
Pleasantly suprised !
by A TripAdvisor Member
Only read reviews after my youngest son had booked it for his wedding !Iwas worried to say the least !
I was pleasantly suprised , everything went well, the staff couldn`t have been more helpfull, even last minute requests were dealt with without any fuss.
It was obivious that the resturant was short of staff at times but there were no problems to speak of,a special thank you to Brian the resturant manager.
All in all a magical wedding and weekend in a wonderfull setting. Many thanks to all at the hotel.
Surely things can't have changed that much!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I'm horrified at some of the reviews for The Ballachullish Hotel. My husband and I have stayed here at least 6 times in the last 10 years and we consider it to be one of our most favourite places to stay.
It has to be said, it's been a couple of years since our last visit, however we are considering recommending this as a venue for a family wedding.
It's true to say that there are variations on the room types available, and I'm pretty sure we've stayed in them all except the lodge house, it's a couple of minutes walk at the back of the hotel and isn't as nice as the main building, but would be ok for a family or small group not looking for the luxury of the main rooms.
We've had bedrooms allocated to us in the more modern part of the hotel, and also in the main hotel including the larger doubles facing the loch- they were all wonderful. We've also had a smaller double in the main hotel, but at the back, and although dissapointingly small compared to what we've had previously, it was still lovely and we had no complaints.
We've seen the room with the four poster bed and it is just lovely! Great for a honeymoon or special anniversary.
The staff, food and the location was what was really quite special here- I am devastated to hear they've changed their beautifull restaurant into a "Bistro"- what on earth are they thinking of??? Some of my best memories of our beloved Ballachullish Hotel were of our table overlooking the loch at sunset in the atmospheric restaurant- so romantic!
The whole hotel is very atmospheric- so much so in fact that it's nicknamed Draculas Castle!
We found the little bar with the quiet seats by the window a great place to chill after dinner.
That really IS such a shame if they've changed things so much that the hotel has lost it's charm and character- it was it's best asset!
Please someone tell me that the food hasn't gone downhill too- it was always wonderful. As a vegetarian, my husband always struggles to be served something he likes, but never did we find that here- it was always excellent.
There is the opportunity to visit and dine in one of the other hotels- our least favourite of those would have to be the Lodge on the Loch- it was a bit old fashioned, very "formaldihide granny-like". To us, it lacked the character of the Ballachullish and- the fayre here was "haute cuisine" My husband once commented that the most substantial part of dinner was the cup of tea!
Lets just say we were still hungry after we'd eaten everything at dinner!
The Isles of Glencoe was always a favourite with our children and we've stayed there a few times too! They loved the swimming pool and it is very much a family friendly hotel- highly recommended if you've got wee ones. If I remember rightly, they had a kids club and there was entertainment some nights too which was rather nice.
It's fair to say we've been a bit of a fan of the freedom of the glen hotels, but last year when trying to book a last minute break at Ballachullish, I was quoted in excess of £300 a night for the room for 2 of us which I thought was far too high when usually, the regular rate we've paid in the past is around half of that. Needless to say, we didn't bother and ended up in a Hilton for half the money!
That said, I'm pretty sure we'd stay again- and soon I hope! But I really hope they haven't ruined it.
a lovely highland break
by A TripAdvisor Member
staff very friendly and helpful.We were made to feel very at home.There is a mixture of old tradition and new.The area was lovely to visit and the views spectacular.The Ballachulish was homely and comfortable and we will return in the autumn
A great week end
by TripAdvisor Member Kerrs
This was our first visit to this hotel but we'd stayed at the Isles Of Glencoe hotel (just along the road) last year. Within the last month the Ballachuilish Hotel has been taken over by Swallow Hotels but staff say to date very few changes have been made. I hope they leave it as it is it as it was excellent. Accomodation, food, situation and staff were all first class. Lovely weather too which of course only added to the enjoyment of the week-end. We upgraded our room to get a view and were delighted with the room - it also had a large bathroom with jaccuzzi bath . As I say I hope Swallow leave well alone and the standards, staffing levels and quality of food are all maintained. Look forward to returning.
P.S. The Isles Of Glencoe was equally as good last year. If you're thinking of visiting the area I wouldn't hestiate to recommend either.
Sign in with Facebook
