The Boat Country Inn & Restaurant

We stayed at your hotel on 26–27 December and: What we liked 1. The location is lovely, especially being so close to the Cairngorms. 2. The hotel has a cosy feel. 3. The staff were friendly and welcoming, which we really appreciated. What could be improved 1. We had booked two Classic Double Rooms. One room was quite spacious, but the other was very basic and much smaller. Since both rooms were in the same category and price range, the difference felt a bit disappointing. 2. We understand it’s a small village and there is a pharmacy nearby, but the hotel not having basic first‑aid items (like paracetamol) was difficult for us. Our daughter was unwell, and because it was the holiday period, no shops were open. We had to drive to Aviemore to find a place that was open. Even if it’s a rare situation, keeping a few basic medicines at reception would really help guests. Overall While we liked some parts of our stay, the overall experience felt closer to a 3‑star hotel than a 4‑star one.

Stay & Rooms: We stayed over New Year on a Hogmanay package while winter climbing. The welcome was warm, with friendly staff and a cosy fire. Check-in was mostly smooth, although my father’s name had been recorded incorrectly. The rooms were clean, quiet, well stocked, and very warm, which was excellent for drying gear. All toiletries were lemongrass and ginger scented and especially enjoyable. The shortbread left in the room after each clean was a genuinely nice touch. For the price, the lack of a bath was disappointing, and there was some black mould in the bathroom, which stood out given the cost. That said, this is the Highlands, with tough conditions for buildings and staff alike, and it felt understandable rather than negligent. There were also minor maintenance issues, including a very heavy window held open with a wooden block, which eventually fell out of the window. Food & Dining: Dining was mixed. Despite booking tables each night, we often waited 20 minutes or more to be seated, and main courses regularly took close to an hour to arrive. The restaurant felt understaffed throughout, with frequent forgetfulness: butter missing for bread, bookings not remembered, and espressos left at the bar instead of brought to the table. This created a mildly chaotic, almost mockumentary-like atmosphere. Menu availability was inconsistent, with several dishes and even Hogmanay specials unavailable. All meals carried a 10% service charge. Food quality varied, but the pie was excellent every night. One beef rump steak was delicious and good value at £27, while another night’s steak was extremely tough and had a texture reminiscent of a wellington boot. Breakfast was adequate but uneven. On the first morning, the porridge arrived lukewarm with clearly undercooked oats. By contrast, the porridge on the second day was very good. Staff & Atmosphere: Staff were consistently polite, cheerful, and clearly doing their best under pressure, though communication between them was often lacking. A highlight was the Pied Piper during the Hogmanay celebrations, who was excellent and later served as our waiter. He was calm, professional, and very courteous. On the second night, live music from Edward White and his “organic jukebox” lifted the whole restaurant. Songs such as Sweet Caroline, Mamma Mia, and a generous portion of the Shrek soundtrack created a lively and memorable atmosphere. Overall: Despite some organisational issues, this was a thoroughly enjoyable stay. Warm rooms, thoughtful touches, friendly staff, and a strong atmosphere outweighed the flaws. A solid four-star experience, and we would happily stay again.

We were disappointed by our recent stay, which unfortunately fell well short of expectations. We did not receive the room we booked and paid for. This was only resolved after we raised it ourselves, and we were not informed of any room change either before arrival or at check-in. Along the way, we were asked by reception to email the General Manager, but received no response at the time. We were eventually refunded the difference, but the process was far from smooth. The room was consistently cold, with very little hot water and poor water pressure throughout our stay. Housekeeping was either not carried out or extremely light touch — we do not believe the beds were made or the room properly cleaned during our stay. The coffee facilities were also lacking, with no hot milk available due to a broken or non-functioning machine. The New Year’s Eve dinner service was particularly poor. The bar was almost impossible to use due to the volume of dirty glasses. Our table was not ready, and when we were seated it was completely undecorated, with only cutlery — no glasses, condiments, or attention to detail. Service appeared disorganised, with staff discussions happening immediately behind our table and one server walking around the dining room with hot food without knowing which table it belonged to. At £120 for three people (including a £10 children’s meal), it felt excessively expensive for the quality and experience provided. On a separate and concerning note, we booked the stay over the phone and very shortly afterwards our credit card was fraudulently used. While we cannot prove a direct link, the timing was notable and worth mentioning. Positively, the staff were generally very friendly, and the hotel is truly dog friendly, which we genuinely appreciated. In summary, significant improvements are needed across room management, housekeeping, and service levels.

We had a wonderful stay at this hotel. The food was genuinely delicious, with generous portions and plenty of options suitable for a range of allergies, which was greatly appreciated. Prices were very reasonable throughout. Our room was spacious, spotless, and extremely comfortable. The staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and welcoming, creating a warm atmosphere from the moment we arrived. The Christmas decorations were absolutely charming and added a lovely festive touch to the whole experience. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable stay — highly recommended.

We stayed in one off the garden room with a good view. Very comfortable bed. Large room, neat and clean. The bathroom was big and clean but with a shower tray, no tub. Choice of breakfast which was good enough. We didn't have dinner at their restaurant as we were out most of the time but heard good reviews about it. We did have trouble with hot water and heating the first night and they were very apologetic about it. Gave us a heater till they sort it out. The staff was very helpful and courteous specifically the manageress Magda was very helpful. She even compensated us for the inconvenience which was very good of her. Location wise it's in a quiet village if you like peace and quiet.Would definitely go back again.

Lovely country hotel and bar, good food if a little pricey, excellent staff, shout out to waiter Mr Attila (he liked that our names have the same first syllable) who was stand out good, good service from all the staff I spoke to, and good location an easy walk through the woods to the wonderful Loch Garten nature reserve. Top base for a spot of Cairngorms birding. Very clean, good quiet rooms, lovely country atmosphere especially with the Christmas deccies up, which were warmly festive and not excessive. Very good value for money considering how nice it is. Lovely Cauliflower steak (cow steak probably available if that is what you are into) and lovely rooms and highland hospitality. Warmly recommended. But set up a proper way to tip the staff!

We’ve stayed here around five times now, both as a couple (with our dog in tow) and with groups of friends, and it continues to be the perfect location for exploring Aviemore and the surrounding area. The setting makes it easy to get out and enjoy everything the Highlands have to offer, and coming back always feels welcoming. The front-of-house team are consistently wonderful – friendly, attentive, and genuinely make you feel at home the moment you arrive. Their warmth is one of the main reasons we keep returning. It does seem that the hotel is a little short-staffed, and reaching them by phone has been tricky – calls often go unanswered, and the reservations team (who aren’t based locally) could be more helpful. While this part of the experience could use some improvement, it hasn’t overshadowed the hospitality we’ve received once on site. Overall, this remains a favourite place to stay in Aviemore. The location, the atmosphere, and the fantastic front-of-house staff make it a reliable choice for both couples and groups. With just a bit more attention to the reservations side, it would be flawless.

We booked a last minute trip and was looking for a place that is dog friendly. The room was ace. Shower facilities and kettle and coffee machine and a super comfy bed. We loved the food. The bar are had a great atmosphere and a log fire and a live singer. The staff were 2nd to none. Location was great and not far from Aviemore but plenty of walks around. Would highly recommend.

We stayed here in October of 2022. It was extremely outdated, though it looked clean and was still more comfortable than one of our worse stays. With a little effort to bring in some modern edges, this hotel could be very charming to allow comforts of modernity while honoring a more historic feel, unfortauntely that wasn't what we experienced. There was a huge dip in the center of the bed, which was squeaky. The bathroom was an odd layout, and had a metallic or slight sewage smell about it. Breakfast was pretty awful and bland: eggs were watery, coffee was sludge. Happy we only had a brief night there.

Myself, my wife and my dog had a great stay here on the 2016 May Day holiday weekend. We picked up an incredible deal from a voucher website, however it's worth knowing that they do run these offers directly themselves so I would suggestion going directly to try and give them a little more money into their own pockets. All of the staff (most of them from the rest of Europe which I slightly odd in the Highlands!) were very friendly and they all made a fuss of Luna. The food we had was very nice. The starter portions were a little small, but when you saw the size of the mains it all made sense as a bigger starter would mean not being able to finish your three courses! They have a real ale available which is usually Trade Winds from the local Cairngorm Brewery. However it is expensive at £4.70 a pint, but well-kept and flavoursome. If you are lucky like we were you might also get a view from your room to the adjacent Strathspey Steam Railway - excellent for train enthusiasts!

The Boat Hotel is a very nice hotel. It's just that simple. Yes it has it's flaws but this is an old building. All the floors creak, all the heavy doors bang but in my opinion that's all part of the experience. We stayed DBB (3 course set menu) and we spent most nights eating in the hotel. The food was great, they done a very nice fish and chips, and the leek and potato soup was great. On the Saturday morning we had breakfast in the room (£5 tray charge) which arrived on time and was very nice. We love a good coffee and the standard coffee served with breakfast was full of flavour. We stayed 3 nights, checking in on Friday afternoon. We arrived before the 3 o'clock check-in time but the room was ready and we were able to get settled right in. We were in a simple classic room but it had a nice enough view. The bathroom window faced a wall that was literally a foot away, which was weird but really that made no difference. They had a nice blind covering it up. The room was very nice but nothing to go crazy about. The hotel is pet-friendly and we left our two dogs behind for this trip. We could see the garden rooms from our window and our dogs would love it here. So we will definitely return with them in the future. I just hope the rooms will be suitable for our two big German Shepherds! Also if you're city folk (like us) who are used to phone signal and high speed internet this is not the place for you. We got phone signal most of the time but we could not access data services on our phones. I done a speedtest on the wifi and it got 1.8Mbps download speed and around .26Mbps upload speed. No doubt this is the standard around the area and not a reflection on the hotel directly. Overall we had a great weekend and will definitely come back with the dogs.

Quick update, found an Italian-styled (I know right) patio shortly after. Absolutely packed by Boat Hotel standards. Guess what? They served us.