Hilton Grand Vacations Club Craigendarroch Suites Royal Deeside

Check-in was efficient, if a little joyless — the lady at the desk did not smile once (end of the shift ?) . I'd asked for a quiet room, and technically, mission accomplished: they tucked us away at the end of a top-floor corridor, which turns out to be essential rather than a bonus, since corridor noise otherwise wanders freely into the room. Breakfast, meanwhile, is where the hotel really shows its ambition — mediocre and thoroughly child-unfriendly, with £3 for a single slice of toast. At that price, I can only assume it's a deliberate scheme to talk guests out of eating breakfast altogether. Bring your own toaster, or your own children's menu, because neither is catered for here. The real low point came at check-out, when I asked for a VAT invoice — a legal requirement, not a favor. I was told to take it up with Booking.com, the payment platform we'd booked through. I explained, patiently, that no, the hotel is the one legally obligated to issue it. Cue a firm "no, no, and no," even after I produced the HMRC website confirming the hotel's obligation in black and white. So I took it up with Booking.com directly, who sent the hotel three separate emails on my behalf, all cheerfully ignored. It was only when I asked Booking.com to delist the hotel entirely for violating UK invoicing regulations that a VAT receipt magically appeared in my inbox. Grand total: four and a half hours of emails and phone calls to obtain a document that should have taken four and a half minutes. On the bright side, the pool is genuinely lovely for kids — so at least someone in the family had a good time, even if it wasn't over breakfast or at the front desk.

Lovely area. Room 16 was phenomenal. Breakfast in the lounge was quick and yummy. No ac but unless major heat wave you don’t miss it. Very quiet. Parking was a little tight.

Fantastic staff who were always smiling and happy. Loved the lounge, restaurant and suite we were in. (Only negative to our suite was amount of Lorrie’s and cars that parked outside it). Suite had everything in it we needed and felt it was very well priced and comfortable. Grounds even had a small butterfly garden. Whole hotel was spotless. Husband didn’t like his food on one evening but staff were fantastic, offered replacement, refunded cost, checked in with us the following evening. This was our fourth visit to this Hilton and we love this style of having the suite. Setting is beautiful, staff are wonderful and suite and hotel are in fantastic condition, beautifully decorated and immaculately clean. We will be back soon for visit number 5!.

We had a lovely stay overall. The hotel is in a great location and the bar area was particularly nice, with a really welcoming atmosphere. A special mention goes to the young barman who looked after us with some excellent cocktails. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name, but we ended up chatting about our time in the Army, and he was friendly, attentive, and a real credit to the hotel. All of the reception and bar staff were lovely throughout our stay and made us feel very welcome. My only criticism is that the electric fireplace in our room wasn’t working. This was actually one of the features we had been looking forward to most when booking, so it was disappointing to find it out of order. What made it more frustrating was that there wasn’t really an apology or acknowledgement of the inconvenience when we raised it. That aside, we enjoyed our stay and would definitely be back in a heartbeat.

What a beautiful hotel and location. Greeted on arrival by Ross who was just wonderful and explained everything we needed to know. We stayed in Suite 21. Fabulous suite, very nicely spaced out. We loved the outside balcony as it was full of little wild birds. We did not use any of the spa facilities during our stay. We only used the bar/bar menu. We had a wonderful stay and would highly recommend.

Excellent resort, well maintained with a great leisure centre. Friendly, helpful and efficient staff recommended

My family are ballater residents and have been members of the country club for 35 years. We have seen a decline in the service at the bar/restaurant as of late. On numerous occasions we have been left waiting for small things like coffee and scones that had been ordered and forgotten about. One time we left after waiting 30 minutes for our coffees and another round of drinks, regardless of the fact we'd reminded staff members that we were still waiting. Today's visit has further disappointed us, when the breath of a member of the bar staff was smelling extremely strongly of alcohol while speaking with us. This same member of staff has been present during our previous disappointing experiences.

Perfect location for a quiet break. Beautiful, countryside. Pleasant amenities. Though avoid peak times for kids. Not much rule keeping in the Adult pool or age restrictions being observed. Plenty to do, though the digs are comfortable but a wee bit 1990s.

HGVC normally haved kitchens… these dont. no thermostat and room was waaaayy too hot even though its cold outside with all windows open. cant sleep and hungry all week

We had an amazing stay exploring as much "Wild places as possible, one of the best was a day trip to the Ski Resort at Aviemore -10 and blowing a blizzard at the top, a totally amazing day out!

Stayed for 4 nights in a studio suite. Pros: - Free parking was provided. - Room was spacious and came with a mini kitchen (Basically oven with full set of utensils) - Rain shower was soothing and water temperature was consistent. - Housekeeping helped to fold my clothes which was a nice touch. - The folks manning the reception were warm and helpful. - Although we did not utilise the facilities, we walked around and saw nice indoor pool facilities, snooker table, table tennis table and gym. We were told we could use these facilities free of charge as a staying guest. Cons: - Room was still dim after switching on all the lights. - Shower head holder was chipped off at the edge, causing me to cut my finger.

We thoroughly enjoyed our mid-winter break at Craigendarroch (an RCI exchange). The beautiful top-floor suite was cosy, clean and comfortable, with views of the River Dee, snowy hills and forests. The Keillor restaurant really impressed us, too: a great selection of high quality food and excellent wines & spirits at sensible prices. Service was relaxed but never slow. The kitchenette in the room made long lie-ins, lazy lunches and early nights so easy. It's a pleasant 30 minute walk to the cafés, bars and shops in Ballater. The range of on-site activities is exceptional.

Horrendous experience which totally ruined what was once an amazing venue. Myself and a friend went for lunch on the 23rd January. Firstly extremely lacklustre service - we felt we were an inconvenience to the two staff present. Our server (Iona) seemed really cold and disinterested in us. Fast forward fifteen minutes and lunch is ruined by a guest who proceeds to repeatedly bellow at full volume obscenities towards a family member at the adjacent table. All other diners look round at this point and see the two staff stood at the bar area doing nothing. This performance went on for around ten minutes upon which I quickly paid the bill so we could get up and leave. Incredibly stressful and inappropriate behaviour in a supposed civilised luxury establishment. When paying Iona didn’t ask how our experience was (why do you think that might be?!) and then ignored us when we were leaving. No apology was provided for our lunch being ruined. Never ever again - you have lost two once loyal customers. Once more I will be warning anyone else visiting Ballater to give your hotel a miss.

Staff are cold and unfriendly. Not even saying goodbye when we left. A toasted sandwich isn't the same as a fried sandwich. It was greasy and disgusting. Awful experience & won't be back!

Beautifully situated resort in the Scottish Highlands. Remote, quiet, nicely appointed. Friendly staff and nice rooms. Amenities were well kept; property and hotel were very clean. Has nice bar area, restaurant, pool, hot tub, spa, and fitness center. Really has everything you would need for a lovely stay in a beautiful part of the country.

We had a lovely stay over Christmas. We loved using the gym, pool, and sauna while also be close to lots of day trips. The front desk was exceptionally helpful with recommendations and special requests. We would happily stay again.

Our 1 bedroom unit surpassed our expectations and the facilities at the resort were great. Only regret is we didn't experience many of them as we were out and about most days. Great location with many walks nearby in Ballater and beyond.

From the moment we arrived, the staff made our stay truly memorable. We were greeted with genuine warmth by the lovely Christine and Bridget at reception, who immediately set a welcoming tone for our visit. To our delight, we received a complimentary upgrade to a spacious One Bedroom Suite, complete with excellent facilities that made us feel right at home. The highlight was the thoughtful surprise arranged by Alistair – a selection of delicious sweet delicacies delivered to our room to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It was a touching gesture that made the occasion even more special. Throughout our stay, every member of the team was attentive, friendly, and professional. The overall experience was outstanding, and we can’t thank the amazing staff enough for their care and attention to detail. We will absolutely return and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel to others. A perfect getaway! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My wife and I just stayed for a weekend in a junior suite. Wonderful weekend in great accommodation. We ate in Keiller’s Brasserie in the hotel and used the lounge, both of which were good with excellent service. The suite itself was excellent with everything you need for a short stay. The kitchette was a real bonus and although you could pay for a breakfast in the lounge, we just used the kitchen in the room. Highly recommended.

First and last visit for evening meal, ? starter bought in, not home made and very dry. One of main courses again little taste, and dry. Other main course much better. Waitress going through the motions, but little interest and very over confident.

Stayed as a family of 4 in a suite. Room was beautiful, very clean. Had a small kitchenette with basic utensils, glasswear, fridge, etc. Check in :poor. We were told nothing about Hotel facilities, not given proper directions to our room, given no options for dining. Room: really nicely decorated, very clean, bathroom was lovely. Incredibly hot and stuffy. Plug in A/C unit was provided, but was very noisy. Sofa bed was poor quality and thin, 7 yr old and 10 yr old struggled to sleep. Pool: very good and changing rooms clean. Staff: all very busy, hurried and were not the most hospitable. They seemed short staffed at every interaction. It took 2.5 hrs notice for sofa bed to be made up for kids to go to sleep, and when done, was a bit of a crumpled mess. No housekeeping team on duty in the evening, clearly. Breakfast:quite poor. Limited choice and expensive for what it was. £7 or £8 for a bowl of granola. No buffet/choice of fruit, bread, etc. Restaurant: we stayed mid October and there was no space at all for eating either at Restaurant nor bar. Catering facilities very small compared to hotel. We were very disappointed not to be able to eat at the hotel, especially when we were residents. Location :great.

Lovely relaxing break in a junior suite. Food and service was very good in the brasserie/lounge. Enjoyed the leisure facilities albeit probably too many children in the main swimming pool at the time we visited.

Suite immaculate and well equipped.

Lots of facilities and a town nearby for shopping

The spa was never open. Unable to book any treatments

We are half way through our stay and having the best time , the staff are fantastic with a special shout out to Ethan who has gone out of his way to look after us. Exceptional service and would highly recommend, the facilities are also superb. Thanks to Ethan and Peter on reception for making us feel like VIP's. We will get back

Excellent pool/spa

Lovely well kept resort. Superb in every way. Grounds delightful as was everything else. We were lucky to get the booking due to a cancellation.

Den vänliga och hjäpsamma personalen. Utmärkt mat och fint gym etc.

A região é linda e o hotel é excelente.

Loved this place . A very excellent example of taking an old style mansion ( 1880's ) totally renovated to create hotel room type studio suites . Very excellent room interior design and top quality finishes and execution of design and construction . Also many duplex type one and two bedroom units developed around the estate property ( which we did not stay in btway ).

The breakfast fell short in comparison to everything else.

Very conveniently located for the gathering and village of Ballater.

A group of 5 of us booked this lodging back in March, traveling to play golf and see the sights. We arrived early, 12:40pm, they wouldn’t check us in early, just took our luggage to hold it till 4:00 check in. We were exhausted, having travelled almost 12 hours, but we had to occupy our time till check in. Thus we did and returned at 4, we got into our chalet, reversed floor plan, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths downstairs, upstairs open concept with another full bath an large deck outside amongst the trees. The bedrooms were small, the beds and pillows were superb!!! Never find that. The bathrooms are very nice, clean and updated. Upstairs it’s dated, 1980’sish, funny smell not sure if it was the rug or the old drapes, but clean furniture and kitchen. (Bring paper plates, and plastic cups, very limited and easier to use. The chalet is beautiful, tucked amongst the woods and easy walk to the restaurant in the castle.

It’s a great place to stay. You can do hikings and go to spa.

Space was very nice.

The suite was very hot, stuffy and difficult to cool down we were given a fan which helped a bit. The room was noisy from a large extractor fan above the swimming pool. We did not feel it was value for money.

The location

Poor value for money. Would have expected breakfast to be included in the price and for the price of the suite, there should have been robes and slippers, biscuits and bottled water included. The breakfast was over priced and it wasn’t a normal Scottish breakfast choice.

Very spacious room

The gave us a room without a balcony although in the pictures of the room we reserved there was clearly a balcony. Our room was at the end of the property, over a hangar of some sort, where all the AC and vents pipes were …super noisy. When asked why was this room allocated to us, although we paid extra for premium and a level 3 on booking, they just said is their last room and can’t do anything about it. Not a single water bottle in the room, no slippers or bathrobe. We arrived late and the property is clearly in the middle of nowhere, at least a small bottle of water for the extravagant price they could have done.

For £300 a night the view of the car park was unacceptable plus constant noise from the room above made to spoil my birthday treat.

Amazing rooms and location Good restaurant

Excessive price/quality ratio

Ausstattung, Personal, viele Freizeitmöglichkeiten wie Schwimmbad, Fitness, Snooker, Tischtennis, Squash, Tennis, Wanderwege direkt am Haus. toller Manager Andrew, der extrem bemüht war einen ruhigen Raum für uns im allerdings ausgebuchten Hotel zu finden. Tolle Bar mit guten gezapften Bieren und top Service!

Wenn man die Fenster öffnete, man ständig die Abzugsgeräusche des Schwimmbades hörte, also nicht in Ruhe nachts mit frischer Waldluft schlafen konnte, was wir so gerne getan hätten. Google Maps zeigt das Hotel weiter weg von der Straße, als in der Realität! Daher auch Autogeräusche! Unsere Suite 22 war aber trotz der Ventilatorengeräusche sehr geräumig, hochwertig ausgestattet, großem Balkon und sehr schönem Badezimmer!

We had a lovely stay in The Hilton overall, however we did have to move rooms as the first room we had was very noisy with people walking and moving around above us being very audible. This is due to the fact that it is an old building with squeaky floorboards and poor noise insulation! The next room was lovely but very very hot due to being above the swimming pool and the sun shining directly into the room for most of the day. It could do with some air conditioning to help! The staff were really pleasant nad helpful, the hotel is clean and rooms very well equipped. We had room only therefore did not try the breakfast on offer, we did have dinner in the Keilor Restaurant one night which was average, perhaps even a little disappointing in terms of the food quality and the restaurant is also very noisy! There are some great places to eat down in the town of Ballater so we chose to go there instead which was fantastic.

We have stayed at Craigendarroch several times before, always in one of the lodges. This time we chose a Junior Suite in the hotel. Everything was even better than expected. Lovely accommodation, friendly staff and great facilities. We will definitely return.

A vacation in the highlands of Scotland in May 2025 found wonderful weather, cool in the morning and up to 65 in the afternoon. Easy to walk along the River Dee. May in the area was filled with lambs... what a joy. the village of Ballater was fabulously welcoming with great options to get a meal. The offerings at the resort were fine too. Enjoy a great week seeing the beauty of Scotland

Very good

Location, accommodation was a bit of luxury

It was a lot of money for room only - breakfast and evening meal was included last time we stayed

We stayed at this Hilton for 3 nights in June 2025. The basis of our visit was personal travel and to visit Balmoral Castle for tours of the estate grounds along with the interior tours. This hotel is conveniently located to Ballater and its amenities. Unfortunately, the hotel doesn't earn a 5 star rating. Arriving late for the first evening, we ate in the dining room and the food was just so-so, nothing special. After that experience, we ate all of our remaining meals outside of the hotel. The room was adequate, nothing exceptional, and the bathroom was very cramped and small. Fortunately for us, the majority of our daytime hours were spent outside or away from the hotel. Overall, I would not rate the accommodations as superior even though we were charged for that classification and feel the hotel should be classified as "B or B+", not an "A".

Exceptional in every way.

Very nice, well-appointed accommodation. Beautiful grounds. Leisure facilities were very good.

The only thing that couldn't be helped was the suite was extremely hot. The windows for safety reasons could only be opened a fraction. Cooler air couldn't flow into the rooms. An electric fan was provided, but it couldn't cool the rooms down. Sleeping was impossible.

Great location for us. We are touring Scotland and we stopped here after driving through Cairngorm National Park on our way to Stonehaven. We spent 2 wonderful nights. Every meal was fantastic and Lucie is amazing. She is so friendly & kind and a very hard working waitress who was there all day from breakfast to dinner. She took great care to insure my meals were gluten-free and dairy-free. She is an asset to the establishment. The pool, hot tub and gym were clean and welcoming. We were there on a very hot day for Scotland and they brought us an extra fan to help cool the room. I enjoyed walking the gardens, so beautiful and peaceful. The coffee in the room for the french press was delicious . We enjoyed our stay and if ever we return to Scotland we'd book again! Thank you!

Grounds are beautiful... We arrived in the early evening. Staff were not super helpful and there was little direction as to where any of the amenities were. We ate dinner in the lounge, it was okay, but if we were staying longer than one night we would have eaten elsewhere. The pool area was nice, but hot tub was out of order. As we were leaving, a guest at the lodge was asking about additional towels - he was told that there was an extra charge for more towels. Having to pay for additional towels is absurd.

Lovely hotel in a beautiful area

We stayed here in June as part of a group of 14 with ages from 86 to 2 years old with all within the lodge area. Stunning views in a lovely location. The lodges were spacious and had everything you need from big beds to cooking utensils. Swimming pool and bar areas were fantastic. My young kids of 2 and 5 had a great time.

We liked the design of the room, the great bathrooms, the amenities, the restaurants. The location was excellent for visiting Balmoral.

No.

The texting service was super helpful. I asked for help with the wifi and they provided the info I needed. The front desk was very friendly and kind. Everyday the staff made conversation and provided guidance on places to eat and where to visit.

We stayed at the property for a week while visiting the Highlands. The resort is well run and the suites are clean and modern. The onsite pool and restaurants were a plus. The location is excellent for venturing to Balmoral Castle and other historic sites in the area. The town of Ballater has excellent casual and fine dining restaurants. This was a wonderful experience.

Lovely interior and all To a high standard. Excellent facilities and lovely studio room. Staff were all excellent, attentive and friendly

I didn’t think the food was as good as it could have been.

This resort is very special. Nestled in the Scottish Highlands within an easy hour long drive (max) from so many National Trust for Scotland properties to the onsite events like yoga and whisky tasting, you couldn’t possibly do everything the area has to offer in just two weeks. Flying into Aberdeen airport is a breeze, and once you arrive you will be made to feel very welcome by the friendly and helpful staff. Don’t forget to go to quiz night…we laughed so hard as we tried to win (we didn’t) and quiz master Martin was great. A tip of the hat to Lucie in the dining room and Bridget at the front desk. They contributed unbelievably to our terrific holiday.

The hotel was very clean and staff were great. Rooms look like they have just been upgraded. Only negative would be that the bar on a Saturday night closed at 10pm.

Leisure facilities were very good. Junior suite with lounge and kitchenette made stay very enjoyable.

Safe was faulty when we arrived,maintenance fixed problem only for the safe to break down again on day two of our stay.Just went without a safe for the remainder of our stay.

Great large clean rooms. Comes with microwave, kettle, fridge, sink, crockery and cutlery. Comfortable beds, good pillows and peaceful night's sleep. TV has channels and mobile casting. Good shower room. After busy day we stayed in room until morning, cooked microwave meals, watched You Tube, as rooms so comfortable and restful. Was met by friendly reception member. Plenty of car parking. On the NE250 route.

Resort and unit was plush and spotless, and upkeep was impeccable (It would have been nice to have directions for brewing coffee, as an American. Could not find it on Google). The staff was wonderful in all areas and casual restaurant was delicious. Rent a car! Great location for day trips to Highlands, castles, and coastal areas. Walkable to precious town of Braemar, and a stone's throw to Balmoral. Perfect vacay from beginning to end. Will definitely return.

Everything was great. The family were all there, for my Daughter's wedding in March, in Braemar. Thank you so much. Everything was perfect. Kind regards Zena Henderson

Place was so peaceful. Staff friendly and helpful .room was lovely clean lots off space lovely balcony with view .could not find a fault at all .will definitely be back

Staff very nice and helpful. Andrew the manager was lovely to talk to and shared about the history of the resort. The suite was clean and spacious just right for us. Definitely recommend this resort. There are a lot of amenities and on site restaurant and lounge.

Beautiful location, was given a free room upgrade to super suite. A short walk into Ballater. Facilities were first class. Huge swimming pool and spa free to guests.

On accommodation alone, 5 stars. Staff were lovely and accommodating. Restaurant was good but just that. Service excellent but food unexceptional. Okay but I've had better. A lot of it felt bought in rather than developed and cooked on site.

Facilities were good.

Car parking. Spaces are far too narrow for modern quality cars. Remove on space from each parking area and allow another 300mm width per bay?

We stayed in one of the lodge suites - 2 adults 2 kids. Beautiful room in a lovely building. Disappointing was the breakfast options. Hot breakfast only available from 10 am. A reasonably priced (for hiilton!) continental breakfast was available for delivery between 8 and 9 if you pre booked the night before (we missed that detail)). Another annoying detail was check out at 10 am! 10 am on a Sunday morning is pretty brutal!

No breakfast available

We have not actually been here yet I am trying to find out if dogs are allowed before I book it. We have a small well behaved Australian Terrier. Doesnt cast and she is very clean. There are great reviews and I would really like to visit for a week in February We sre DRI platinum members.

This is a hidden gem. Beautiful hotel, so scenic nestled on the outskirts of Ballater. The staff are more then welcoming and a special mention to barman Martin who goes above and beyond to ensure everyone is being taken care of. The restaurant provides delicious food at a reasonable price with great service and support local food producers. The spa and leisure centre is incredibly clean and has flexible opening hours. This hotel is fantastic and is well worth the price.

You must have a rental car to visit this location as public transportation is not available. From a bus station to the resort is very difficult to walk when the weather is not good.

We booked a morning in the spa facilities on Christmas Eve 2024 very disappointed to find the jacuzzi was out of order and the sauna was not very hot we had travelled 20 miles and felt cheated out of our relaxing morning a phone call would have help us to make our decision to travel to your hotel

Was a bit cold in the lounge and corridor downstairs but outside was -5 🙂

Nice Clean suite

Bathroom very small impossible to have more than one person using it at a time ( cleaning teeth etc.. ) Pillows ridiculously soft. Gave us both a sore neck as we just ended up with them so flat it was like lying on the mattress without a pillow. Cleaner attended one day in our 3 night stay and was surprised the towels were not changed in that time.

Very comfortable and spacious apartment rooms, with great facilities. We only spent one night but it was very relaxing and would definitely stay again.

Nothing to fault!

Fantastic stay over the Hogmanay period. Beautiful room and friendly staff

Poor check in and out due to very late check in (4pm) and early check out (10am) for aSunday check out and no cooked breakfast available until 10am.

I do hate to say this but I felt some of the staff required a little more training in the art of hospitality. Sometimes they didn’t quite match their surroundings….which are opulent.

Didn’t have breakfast would rather have had traditional room at lower price or breakfast included in price we paid

Thi sis the second time we have stayed at Craigendarroch Hotel, Ballater and again it exceeded our expectations with wonderful staff, excellent facilities in an ideal location

Excellent stay. The suite was beautiful and spacious with a kitchenette, eating area, large living room, large primary bedroom and 2 bathrooms. It was so quiet. We enjoyed looking out the balcony and all the natural views. Early November was a lovely time to be there. It was about 40-50 degrees, mostly sunny with just a little rain. There was still some fall color. It starts getting dark around 4pm so get out early. Lots to do in the area. The resort has a huge new pool and hot tub. The restaurant on site is excellent. Wondeful guest services- so friendly and helpful. All around wonderful experience.

The building itself is impressive, set in beautiful grounds. Didn’t use any of the facilities.

No breakfast available, either continental to your room or brunch served at 10am (small limited menu) Weather was horrendous ( not hotel fault) but no taxi service available or shuttle bus. It’s not a long walk to centre, but battling wind and rain up and down that road in the dark is not fun.

Room and facilities were excellent

Ok, to be picky, the jacuzzi could have been hotter and an nespresso machine in room would have made the visit perfect

Such a lovely hotel we had a perfect stay. Our suite was very spacious and so nice. The spa area is lovely, gym well equipped for a hotel and the staff were so lovely.

Stayed here for a week in a one bedroom suite, plenty room for the two of us. Small kitchenette but enough to prepare breakfast, some lunches and easy suppers. Only very small gripe is there are no coat hooks to hang wet jackets . Great to be able to cast our Netflix etc from our iPad to the TV . The pool area is lovely and it was generally quiet . Only ate in the restaurant once, it was ok but quality of food could be better. Plenty lovely places to eat in the surrounding area including The Highlander Bakehouse, Rothesay Rooms and don’t miss a treat of dinner at the Darroch Learg ( you can walk easily to it) . Room was only cleaned once during our stay. Laundry room with good size washers and dryers, these are free. The snow arrived whilst we were there but the ground staff worked hard to clear paths and carpark. The reception also supplied ice scrapers and de-icer if you’ve forgotten to take. Overall a comfortable stay and plenty to do in the area.

Perfect location, so peaceful plus we had snow too! The suite was fantastic and top quality.