Columba House Hotel & Garden Restaurant

Columba House Hotel & Garden Restaurant descritpion

This Highland retreat has peaceful, secluded grounds and views over the mountains. Columba House offers excellent customer care, free Wi-Fi and free parking.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Cairngorm National Park, Columba House has a quiet, adult atmosphere and modern facilities.
The hotel is near Aviemore and Loch Ness. The Highland Wildlife Park is a few minutes from Columba House.
Columba House strives to provide an indulgent and peaceful retreat for grown-ups. For this reason, babies and children cannot be accommodated at the hotel.

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Facilities of Columba House Hotel & Garden Restaurant

Outdoors ：Grounds | Terrace

Ski ：Ski Storage | Ski School

Pets ：Pets are allowed on request. Charges may apply.

Food & Drink ：Bar | Restaurant with Dining Menu | Special Diet Meals (upon request)

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free private parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).

General ：Non-smoking Rooms | Facilities for Disabled Guests | Heating | All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private) | Adults Only

Languages Spoken ：Polish | English

Reviews for Columba House Hotel & Garden Restaurant

Review 1：We had to go home....

Review 2：When we arrived we were greeted with the friendly smiling face of Yolanda before being shown to our room. We had booked the Penthouse with it's own private entrance. We loved the room, it was a home from home as we soon made ourselves comfortable. Everything you could possibly need for a comfortably stay here, Large Bed, Corner Unit, Shower, Deep Bath, Kitchenette, 2 Wardrobes, Great Views, Excellent Hosts and Restaurant. Yolanda and her team were wonderful and friendly. From keeping the room tidy and refreshed to bringing our breakfast up to the room. FANTASTIC SERVICE. Thank you all so much.

Review 3：Dirty carpet in bedroom. The bath towel was place behind the curtain and close when I late arrive. I can't find it until I found it in the morning when I open the curtain.

Review 4：Great breakfast room and easy to find the Hotel.

Review 5：Bathroom could be refurbished to slightly better standard in order to live up to 5-star hotel status.shower didnt work properly, but I was happy to have a bath.lastly, we could have stayed in the lounge longer but they played same tracks on the loop all over again we sadly had to go back to our room early

Review 6：The quality of restaurant -their chef is superb. Want to visit again just to try everything on the menu.also really liked cozy lounge with books, games and open fire

Review 7：hard bed (but that's just me my wife liked it) quite expensive (but it would appear to be the average rate for the area). minor points that did not spoil the stay

Review 8：nice staff, lovely accommodation, breakfast was ace

Review 9：Nothing, really. The setting for breakfast was very nice, looking out over an autumnal garden. We really enjoyed our stay.

Review 10：The staff were very friendly, and although we had paid for a twin and a single room, we were allowed to have two twin rooms, for no extra charge. The hotel is a little off the beaten track, but very well signposted, and easily located.

Review 11：Comfortable, large room with sofa and TV. Looks like the room was originally intended as accommodation for resident staff which would explain its size and features. Generous bathroom with large corner bath and double size shower. :-)

Review 12：Room very dull, decor of room and en-suite tired, cobwebs. Hosts not welcoming. Serving staff pleasant but lacked training. Food & drink good but pricey.

Review 13：not really a bad experience,but felt waitress were a bit hasty in removing plates especially at breakfast.

Review 14：quiteness and bed comfort excellent.Food very good.

Review 15：The hotel offers dog friendly annex rooms (at an additional cost) which we were allocated and which was very comfortable. However the decor in the annex room was tired and of a lower standard than that found in the main hotel. In addition it was disappointing to learn, upon arrival, that no dogs were allowed into the main hotel building anywhere, not even the bar..so not all that dog friendly after all. We ended up heading out in search of a dog friendly pub for some food.Their loss in additional revenue I guess.

Review 16：Location, peaceful.

Review 17：The room was very dark and some guests were smoking just outside the front door next to our window. I would suggest a smoking area away from the front door.

Review 18：I liked the gardens

Review 19：Arrived to be told that my hotel room was water damaged. They tried to ring me. I was driving so did not get message. Alternative arrangements in B&B had been made but B&B is not a satisfactory replacement for a hotel with restaurant..Declined offer Front entrance looked poorly decorated and maintaned, front door handle broken, did not see further.inside so cannot comment further Location was not as attractive as pictures

Review 20：Was not able to stay so cannot comment

Review 21：A little.dated however clean and comfortable bedroom in stable block with pleasant ensuite. Highly recommended breakfast : Locally produced.and beautifully cooked.

Review 22：NOTHING

Review 23：THE ROOM WAS FANTASTIC, THE BREALFAST WAS FANTASTIC, THE LOCATION FANTASTIC, IT WAS ALL FANTASTIC, NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE WALES VICTORY OVER ENGLAND :-)

Review 24：Warm welcome at this attractive property was appreciated. Location was quiet in this pleasing village. Guest lounge was very comfortable and had fast wifi.

Review 25：There really isn't much in kingussie although is a lovely quaint village. Aviemore is 15 mins up the road where there are lot's of activities to do and shop's etc.

Review 26：Very peaceful area. Easy to get too and spotless. Great first stop for our mini higjland tour.

Review 27：The quality of the room was excellent and shows what can be done in an old building. The choice of menu was better than one would normally expect in such a small hotel, and the quality of the food, and portion size, was 5 star! General ambience, and staff service left nothing to be desired.

Review 28：It wasn't a bad experience but there were 2 little issues. As I have MS I didn't think there would be a step up into the wet room. I didn't make a fuss as I can still manage the step but someone booking that room might not realise that when booking the room. Also no designated disabled space for blue badge holders. Not huge issues but would help other visitors.

Review 29：The breakfast was excellent. Staff very helpful and friendly

Review 30：Staff were friendly, food was superb. We arrived quite late on the Friday evening but the staff were still there to greet us and even kept the kitchen open later for us.

Review 31：The room we were allocated was nowhere near as nice as the picture on the website. We were not in the main hotel but in the 'Crofter Suite' at the back of the property. The weeds at the entrance were not very welcoming. The room itself was dark and poky - only one small window that didn't really let in a lot of natural light. The bathroom, although clean, smelled quite bad, just a shower (not very powerful but did the job) - no bath. The bed linen was clean enough but there was a lingering smell of cigarette smoke.

Review 32：The hotel is situated just off the A9 and ideally situated for visiting Aviemore and all the activities there - it's about 10 miles from Aviemore. The Highland Wildlife Park (which is a great place to visit) is only a 5 minute drive from the hotel. The beds were very comfortable and the linen was clean.

Review 33：The welcome was warm and hospitable and the staff could not do enough to ensure the comfort of their guests. The owner of the hotel even went to the trouble of visiting the local store in order to provide a selection of bowls of jam/marmalade on the breakfast table, in response to negative feedback of the plastic, individual portions which detracted from the overall quality of the otherwise excellent breakfast. Evening meals were also excellent, with good quality food, very well presented.

Review 34：Courtyard room was dark and dingy with mismatched furniture & decor (not surprisingly room not shown on hotel web-site photos). The bathroom was a poor standard with shower not working properly. No scenic view. Sausage meat slice rather than proper sausages at breakfast

Review 35：Leaving after 1 night (had booked for 2) To be fair - restaurant & sitting room in main hotel were pleasant

Review 36：The walls of the property were very thin and we were woken up by next doors tv early one morning.

Review 37：Location was awesome, staff were very friendly and there was plenty of parking available.

Review 38：Couldn't operate the shower (may be my ineptitude.) one day the tea & coffee was not serviced

Review 39：The size of the bed. tea & coffee location

Review 40：The town in which this place is located shuts down about 9 so it's difficult if you arrive later.

Review 41：Lovely setting and the rooms are great with lots of character

Review 42：Room was clean but could do with a little updating. Very little privacy as room adjoined another by a plain door. We could hear the man in the next room sneezing. Grounds to the back need a tidy up as some of the rooms look onto this area.

Review 43：The restaurant was great for breakfast and dinner, excellent food The garden was well kept and full of wildlife, a beautiful view from the restaurant Bed was comfy Pets were allowed in the room

Review 44：Outstanding service from the staff ( never experienced anything like this before, not even in a 5* hotel ) and the best food ever in their own restaurant. Fantastic location, could not be more pet friendly and everything was just faultless. Highly recommend it to everyone

Review 45：The Manager/Chef showed us around the property, including our room. The free Wi Fi was only available in the lounge, but the lounge and whisky bar were amazing, and enjoyable to pass the time in. Breakfast was wonderful, in the beautiful dining room.

Review 46：A little pricey for the room with no included breakfast (compared to others we had stayed in)

Review 47：This hotel was in a good location on our touring route. The room and ensuite were quite large and the bed was comfortable. A short walk to some good take away fish and chips.

Review 48：We received a warm welcome, the room was lovely, the food yummy and seeing an oyster catcher in the well kept garden from the breakfast room was startling. Nothing but praise for this well run hotel; even the owner came down at breakfast to make sure that we were happy with everything.

Review 49：Nothing to dislike really. Rooms are a wee bit austere but still lovely

Review 50：This is no ordinary hotel. It has the character of a guest house but with a top class restaurant

Review 51：Unfortunately the cleaners left our door unlocked on one occasion and didn't leave clean towels although we had put the dirty one's in the bath to be changed! overall the cleanliness wasn't very good?

Review 52：Excellent food and management who couldn't do enough for you, the restaurant was ideally placed so you could watch all the wildlife that gathered everyday in the spacious garden!

Review 53：The mattress was visibly lower where people sleep, was really noisy and lumpy. Really old. The bed creaked loudly with the slightest movement. 2 of the pillows felt like they were filled with cotton balls. The kettle and hair-dryer looked like they were from the 1980's. No shower curtain so the whole bathroom got wet - I guess that's why the wallpaper was peeling off around the sink. The view out of window was of a moped, a caravan and large old piece kitchen equipment/work surface. The wifi didn't reach the room. Overall we were just a bit disappointed. It felt as if we were given the old 'unloved' room at the back of the hotel. Perhaps the last on the list to be renovated. We mentioned our concerns to the staff on check out, she said that upgrades were in progress.

Review 54：The staff were polite. The area was very peaceful and located walking distance from the town. The room was very clean. Once they upgrade the room I imagine it'll be lovely.

Review 55：My daughters room caused her severe problems as she could not get in then got locked in eventually after complaining twice on friday and saturday was left to put a chair up against the door so she could go to sleep.-so if you get room 4 beware. Shower also caused problems in our room . Breakfast was also dissapointing on the saurday but improved on the sunday. However we got a £10 discount-- whooppee.

Review 56：Hotel did not live up to expection could do with an upgrade.

Review 57：We stayed a whole week at Columba House; that is probably the reason why we got a nicer room (Ruthven suite) in the main house. Breakfast is served, so enjoy. But you definitely have to dine at the restaurant. The menu offers 7 or 8 different starters and main courses, so we tried nearly everything and I can assure you, it was excellent! One night the chef offered us one of his special pasta creations: just superb. Excellent wines at reasonable prices. And there is a large choice of single malts! A week to remember.

Review 58：The only failing is perhaps the range/ strength of the on site wifi, but that was only a minor concern given all the other attributes where the hotel excels. It was perhaps a little difficult to find with our satnav, but that's possibly equally due to using our phones and their bad signal in the highlands, instead of a dedicated unit. Would definitely have liked to stay longer!

Review 59：From the outset our stay was very nice and we were well attended to by Mark upon arrival, despite the fact he was obviously busy engaged in his kitchen duties as well. The setting, parking, general presentation and character of the buildings is very nice with a very cosy and classy decour particularly in the dining and lounge areas. The food really is exceptional, and the whisky selection extensive!

Review 60：the water wasn't very hot for the bath, and the shower was intermittently hot and cold (for one of us - fine for the other - there were 5 of us so maybe we ran the water out)

Review 61：friendly staff, great food, nice rooms with v convenient arrangement for children in adjoining rooms, lovely breakfast

Review 62：the bed looked wonderful but not very comfortable, the shower was very noisy like a turbine might well be the pump that's on the way out

Review 63：what we liked about this hotel was how great the views from all the windows, the bathroom was massive with a very large corner bath, good tv and a very comfortable couch

Review 64：Very minor point but I would like to have had a caffetiere or small pot of coffee at breakfast rather than having to keep asking for a refill. I slept like a log, so never noticed but my wife did complain of a noisy heating system which apparently came on around 3:00am.

Review 65：I enjoyed the ambience and feel of the hotel, great views, nice garden, log fire and attentiveness of the staff. The food was also very good. To sum up - excellent will definately be back.

Review 66：Shower a bit weak for my taste.

Review 67：Staff were friendly, lovely rooms, fantastic food, brilliant location. Would recommend to anyone who plans on staying in the area for a while.

Review 68：The bath was damaged and the door to the bathroom didn't open without yanking it. Wondering why there is terms and conditions with the towels.. What else would do besides dry yourself!?

Review 69：The bed.

Review 70：It took a while for them to find my booking which had been made early Jan and then date changed on 12th Jan a good 3 weeks before we stayed. Room decor was a bit dated and the shower and hairdrier even more so!

Review 71：Food was amazing, lovely waitress (Ana? - Spanish girl) though all staff were very friendly. The location was great and bed very comfortable. Lovely deep bath with lots of hot water.

Review 72：Could find no faults

Review 73：Friendly staff lovely location and excellent meals room clean and very comfortable, warm welcome by owners Yolanda andMark Carswell.A lovely relaxing 3 days

Review 74：MY PERSONEL LIKES ARE TO SIT AT BAR WHILE HAVIN A DRINK TO CHAT AND RELAX BUT THATS MY CHOICE

Review 75：MAIN MEAL VERY GOOD AND SERVICE OF STAFF WAS EXCELLENT CLEAN BIG ROOM

Review 76：My wife and I and our grown up daughter stayed for 2 nights 31 Dec. 1 Jan . The staff were very good and hotel is nice and quiet. The breakfast was good and well served the room was nice and the walk in shower very good easy controls no problem. Easy parking and only a few minutes walk to shops.

Review 77：Booked as pet friendly but pets not allowed in hotel only to be kept in bedroom. Charged £40 for dog stay not advertised or discussed when dog stay requested. When paying bill advised by hotel this was stated clearly in T&Cs - not found. Asked for email of T&Cs not arrived to date. New Years eve meal booked £45 each for 6 course. 1 was mulled wine, 1 sorbet and 6th course was a single cup of coffee, seated in individual tables no attempts made for diners to mix,not as discussed in phone when we would all eat and drink then head to torch light procession together return and drink some more to bring in new year. Almost zero wifi available throughout hotel. No atmosphere in hotel,went to bar for drinks, one couple at bar, we were commanded to sit in lounge and he would bring our drinks.

Review 78：Lovely room, large very comfortable bed

Review 79：We stayed in the penthouse suite, which had great facilities. We ate during our stay in the restaurant and the quality of food was really good. The lovely couple were excellent hosts and provided wonderful service throughout our stay. Would definitely like to stay again in the future.

Review 80：Maybe more variety of biscuits in the rooms

Review 81：Quiet relaxing atmophere you were left in peace but made to feel like nothing was too much trouble for the staff.

Review 82：The wifi did not work in the rooms only in the reception, restaurant and lounge.

Review 83：A quiet and attractive setting a walking distance to the small town. Large garden and tree area. The room was very comfortable and had a 4 poster canopied bed. Also very clean. There was also a delightful lounge/parlour area to sit in.

Review 84：Breakfast was OK, could have been a little more bacon which was a little fatty. I would have preferred have a coffee pot on the table rather than asking for a top up

Review 85：We chose the hotel as a stop over point on our Scottish touring holiday. It is an old building but well appointed. Some may call it old fashioned or traditional. Big wooden doors and a huge bed. It is situated next to a railway line but it isnt very busy and I hardly noticed the noise. The view from the room was towards the distant mountains. Hotel appeared clean and tidy throughout and I would stay again

Review 86：You can clearly hear the people upstairs, but it is to be expected in these old cottages.

Review 87：The rooms are very cosy and private, the staff went on a stretch to provide everything we needed. Kingussie is calm, Columba is even calmer, at a five minute walk from the main street.

Review 88：The room service sandwich was not good - fried bread instead of toast?. There were a couple of earwigs in the room. I could not shut the curtains properly.

Review 89：The restaurant overlooks a beautiful garden. Breakfast was good. The staff were friendly.

Review 90：The hotel was great & suited our needs especially having two dogs & two older children , the rooms we stayed in was spacious & beds were very comfortable , the room was very clean . We had a relaxed visit & the hotel manager is a great host. Would stay again .

Review 91：Nothing!

Review 92：As an overnight stay on our way to The Highlands it was everything we could have asked for - a good night's sleep in a quiet, pleasant setting. The food and service were excellent - and the wildlife in the garden an added bonus

Review 93：Everything turned out very well but I couldn't get a response from the hotel on a query I had a couple of days before our booking.

Review 94：The catering was excellent The room was lovely and traditional The staff were helpful and pleasant Our visit to the Highland Wildlife park just up the road was very entertaining

Review 95：The small room was fine. I would prefer a proper bathroom to a 'wet room' though.

Review 96：Very nice atmosphere due to the lovely people who run the place. Very good restaurant.

Review 97：Room spacious and clean Parking Free WiFi in room Bed large and comfortable Great restaurant with wonderful food Nice lounge for after dinner drinks

Review 98：Did have to wait nearly an hour for our food at night in the restaurant.

Review 99：Clean room with all facilities you could want. Staff friendly & very helpful. Also the restaurant beautiful with great food. Breakfast there was quick and very good too.

Review 100：Nothing, apart with an issue with Booking.com itself. When booking it accepted Amex but the hotel itself doesn't take it. Glad I had another card with me!

Review 101：Bags of room in the 'Penthouse' room..Great location for sightseeing. Relaxed atmosphere but with a professional staff that were easy to chat to.

Review 102：I can't say anything I disliked about my stay because there was nothing I can think off to dislike.

Review 103：I loved the location (quiet) I loved the friendliness of the staff (all staff) The breakfast was excellent. The value for money, perfect.

Review 104：We stayed 1 night to break our journey North. Although the hotel was quiet for a Sunday evening the staff remained friendly and efficient. The evening meal was very good.

Review 105：Pricey restaurant given the average quality if food. Old plumbing meant weak shower.

Review 106：Quiet at night Large room Good location Comfy bed Excellent service

Review 107：The owners and staff were all, without exception, very friendly, welcoming and helpful. The hotel is tucked away in a very quiet position yet only a few minutes walk from the centre of Kingussie. There is a lot to do in the area and the hotel is an ideal base.

Review 108：The owners and all the staff are very friendly and welcoming, they are all very helpful and accommodating. The location is fantastic, a little elevated, very quiet and surrounded by trees but still only a few steps away from the High Street. The food is excellent and nicely presented, the variety is good and there is something for every taste. Wi-Fi is free of charge which is lovely, unfortunately, it is only available in the reception area and in the lounge but not in the bedrooms (hence the "good" rating as this may be cumbersome for a business traveller). But I understand that this will be worked on and, actually, I grew to appreciate being disconnected electronically from the world for a short while. Overall a very positive and a lasting experience and definitely a hotel which I will visit again.

Review 109：Step up to wet room was awkward...could be nasty at night!! Venison not great for price and vegetables looked better than tasted.

Review 110：Garden and staff were fine, the rooms comfortable. Cullen skink a hit .

Review 111：The only thing missing is good Wifi. From our room two out of four devices could connect (weak connection) to the Wifi. One of the devices that could connect was a laptop.

Review 112：It's a nice hotel. The room was relatively spacious, a somewhat small bed but there was a sofa with ample space in front that. We had a small fridge which we found useful. The bathroom had a large bath besides a show. The room was always clean. The staff especially the owners are very sweet people. They're friendly and kind. We also loved the sitting room that this hotel has. Parking was never a problem as the hotel has parking space. If you're staying here you have to dine there at least once, because the food is delicious.

Review 113：Over priced room, not the standard I would expect for the price. Supermarket type pump toiletries, tea, coffee and biscuits, I would have expected a more luxurious selection made locally. Showerhead on bath was as replacement plastic and didn't work well. Toilet seat was flimsy and appeared cheap. Although there was a fridge it was switched off and there was no tray to make ice. More glasses would be nice too rather than just the small bathroom tumblers. I feel £135 for room only is a bit steep but then it was "room only". Any extras were sadly missing. I was not informed of the price of the "specials" so was shocked to find thathe overcooked filet steak was £32.00.

Review 114：Lovely spacious comfortable penthouse, lots of sockets and hanging space. Quiet surroundings. Tasty fresh food

Review 115：oo expensive for the service We had a "wet room" which is nice for handicapted people but not confortale for us; We doi not rerlaize when we booked. Rooms on ground floof with direct access to pakings like "motels " in the US

Review 116：Restaurant and service

Review 117：What a delightful little hotel and a beautiful room which we had the penthouse. This was very comfortable and all the space to relax in. No other words than excellent.

Review 118：I found the bedroom small and the bed uncomfortable. The location of the hotel off the high street was a surprise and there was not much to do in town. There were a number of closed down shops

Review 119：The restaurant and dinning area were excellent. Good food and service

Review 120：This was a charming hotel with each room being unique, with most having an entrance from the courtyard. There was a nice restaurant as part of the hotel, with the owner also being the chef. Food was very good and the grounds were lovely.

Review 121：Cleanliness- bed and bathroom clean. Floors could of been cleaner. Bed was ok. Maybe a new mattress required.

Review 122：Very friendly helpful staff. Fantastic huge bath.

Review 123：Very nice and welcoming lovely room

Review 124：Room was freezing and hot water took ages to run.

Review 125：Restaurant in hotel was exceptional.

Review 126：Toilet. Very small, no real shower.

Review 127：Staff, cottage and public areas.

Review 128：it was a bit cold in the room during night, the heating was off

Review 129：fire place, atmosphere, whisky bar

The Fine Print

Please state estimated time of arrival when booking.Dogs are welcome in some rooms, subject to availability. The pet-friendly rooms are not in the main hotel. Please request when booking.Please note that this is an adult-only hotel, so children and babies cannot be accommodated.Please inform Columba House Hotel & Garden Restaurant of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details provided in your confirmation.