Garden House - Brodie Castle

32 Customer Reviews

• "This was a wonderful holiday,the property and the estate that it is situated in was wonderful."

  Everything was very clean and had ample provisions supplied. The walled garden next to the property is lovely and the noise of people enjoying it was very nice but not intrusive. Everyone on the estate was very pleasant and helpful. It also helps that the weather was great. Lovely bit of luxury thank you.

  Reviewed by Lynn5.0★Oct 2024

• "Had the best time ever."

  The cottage was absolutely perfect, the location within the grounds of Brodie Castle and surrounding area was ideal for walks and sightseeing, could not have asked for anything else. Already booked again for next year, can't wait.

  Many thanks for your lovely comments. The cottage is in a great location so you have plenty of the grounds to explore and also have the Playful Garden and Cafe closeby if you don't want to drive anywhere. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Sarah5.0★Aug 2024

• "Had a lovely stay at this property, really clean and has everything you need included."

  The enclosed garden was excellent for our dog and the castle grounds are great for walks. The location is definitely great for day trips. Would definitely book again.

  Reviewed by Donna5.0★Aug 2024

• "The property was very nice and we all really enjoyed our stay."

  The gift tray was excellent and the surrounding area was magnificent

  Reviewed by Simon5.0★Aug 2024

• "Lovely cottage in delightful surroundings."

  Very handy for the whole Moray Firth coast.

  Reviewed by Anthony5.0★Aug 2024

• "Fantastic holiday cottage, well maintained and a beautiful location."

  We look forward to visiting again.

  Reviewed by Stephen5.0★Jun 2024

• "Great place to stay."

  Maybe a bit big for just two people but we loved. We took our dog out walking in the castle gardens every day. Only downside was the downstairs toilet and no en-suite, but we soon got used to it.

  Reviewed by Iain5.0★May 2024

• "I was disappointed that the 3rd bedroom had to be accessed via the 2nd bedroom and wasn’t a separate space caused bedtime issues."

  Everything else was lovely

  We have amended the description to make clear that the bunk room is off the twin room. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Christine3.8★Mar 2024

• "Lovely, peaceful, comfortable and well equipped cottage on Brodie Castle estate."

  Really enjoyed our stay and the national trust staff on the state were all very friendly and helpful. It was very cold when we stayed but made use of the efficient and effective log burner. Listed as 3 bedrooms but 3rd is a very small room with bunk bed accessed through the 2nd bedroom. Phone signal (O2) limited and very poor Wi-Fi was a problem. Would be helpful for signage once on the estate to find the cottage more easily.

  Thank you for your feedback. We have amended the description to make it more clear that the bunk room is off the twin room. We are working on a project at NTS to add or improve the wifi at all our sites. Property Owner

  Reviewed by James4.7★Mar 2024

• "At a cold time of the year its great to be able to relax in warm surroundings and lounnge around in lightweight clothing."

  Everything was built for comfort and my dog was very happy there,plenty of open space outside to excersize him.hope i can get similar dates for next january.

  Many thanks for your feedback about the property. Unfortunately we have had to make the decision to remove the private access to the Playful garden after the grounds have closed due to problems with damage and dogs using the garden as a toilet. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ronald4.7★Jan 2024

• "The cottage was absolutely stunning inside and out."

  The attention to detail in the styling and design of the interior was evident and made our stay all the more enjoyable. Would recommend and definitely plan to return in future.

  Reviewed by Peter5.0★Jan 2024

• "Access roads to the cottage were pot holed and we found out that the dustbin men were refusing to use it to the cottage."

  The road was also used by delivery trucks. The cottage itself had a few maintenance problems, ie cracked windows, doors hard to open and close. The draught excluder at the entrance hall was broken so any mice or rats could enter as you could see a big gap. They had a teapot...but no milk or sugar bowls. Also no breadknife or measuring jug. As for the key lock which was a padlock with numbers on we had been warned it was hard to open but luckily enough my husband is a ex locksmith so eventually did manage to open it. When we arrived we went to the castle as we did not know where the castle was . We could not find anyone to advise and we tried the two emergency contact numbers which were not answered and we even texted the Duty Manager to which we had no reply at all during our stay. We were lucky to find someone in the welcome shop who could tell us where it was.

  Thank you for your feedback, we do have some time scheduled now to carry out maintenance at the cottage which includes the windows and locks. The kitchen inventory is checked regularly and we apologise for the missing items. The Welcome Centre is manned when the cafe and shop are open and the staff will be happy to help with any queries, we are sorry that you couldn't contact the staff by phone we are not sure why the phone wasn't answered. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Lesley4.4★Oct 2023

• "Lovely cottage, good situation, handy for so many things and places, or just walking through Brodie Castle grounds."

  This was our second visit to a Brodie Castle cottage, both visits have been perfect!

  Reviewed by Anthony5.0★Sep 2023

• "1. Die Fenster in allen Räumen lassen sich nur mit Gewalt öffnen."

  2. Das Fenster in dem sehr kleinen Badezimmer lässt sich überhaupt nicht öffnen!! Es ist unmöglich, zu lüften. 3. In der Küche ist kein einziger Kochlöffel. Es ist unmöglich, die Küche zu lüften, da auch dort das Fenster nur schwer aufgeht. Der Dunstabzug funktioniert nicht!!! Es gab keine Rest- keine Biomülltonne. Die anderen Mülltonnen vor dem Haus waren randvoll. Die in der Beschreibung aufgeführten zu verwendenden Bio-Mülltüten waren nicht vorhanden. Es gab keinen Föhn, keine kleinen Teller oder Tassen und Untertassen, nur große Becher. 4. Herr Peter Spohr hat alle 4 angegebenen Telefonnummern angerufen, niemanden erreicht und auf AB gesprochen Er hat eine ausführliche E-mail geschrieben. Alle Telefonate und auch das E-mail wurden ignoriert!! Wir haben ferner zweimal bei der zuständigen Dame im Gartenshop Beschwerde geführt. Keine Reaktion!. Zuletzt am Freitag und Vortag unserer Abreise, war ein junger Mann dort, der dann die überquellende Mülltonne wegbrachte und halb geleert wiederbrachte. Wenigstens hat er unseren Müll entsorgt, den wir sonst hätten stehen lassen müssen. 5. In keinem der Schlafzimmer gab es einen Stuhl. Wir waren gezwungen , aus dem Esszimmer zwei schwere Stühle hochzuschleppen. Die Schlafzimmertüren ließen sich nicht schließen. Wir sind vor allem sehr verärgert, dass auf 3 - 4-fache Telefonate und unsere e-mail niemand reagierte. - Der junge Mann behauptet, Telefonate und e-mails werden täglich abgehört. Umso schlimmer. - Wir haben den Eindruck: Das Wichtigste für Sie: Die übrigens sehr hohe Miete ist bezahlt. Und alles andere ist Ihnen egal. Wir sind mit dem Garden House sehr unzufrieden. Für diese Mängel ist es zu teuer. Wir werden es keinesfalls weiterempfehlen. Dr. Bärbel Kunstreich-Grißmer, Winfried Grißmer

  Many thanks for your feedback which we do value. The windows are from about 1880 and the housekeeping team have reported that they are very stiff due to their age. We are aiming to look at the windows in the Autumn when the cottage is quieter to see if there is anything we can do to ease the frame. The holiday team have rechecked the inventory to ensure that a hairdryer is provided. Once again thank you for your comments. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Baerbel2.2★Jul 2023

• "We had an amazing week at the Cottage."

  It is perfect for small children. The girls loved the playful gardens and we would go out every morning to play with the 'dings', spot birds and say hello to the giant brodie bunny. It is a really idylic spot.

  Reviewed by Nicola5.0★Jun 2023

• "Lovely property in fantastic setting."

  Access to the playful garden was a bonus and was lovely to walk around in the evenings. Brilliant to have fantastic walks straight from the door of which the dogs thoroughly enjoyed. Lots to see and do in the area. Wi-Fi wasn’t working when we stayed but really didn’t make any difference to the visit. Will certainly be returning again.

  Reviewed by Susan5.0★May 2023

• "We had a wonderful time at the Garden House and the Brodie Castle Tour was very good."

  We did pre-book and pay for the tour before our holiday as nowhere in the booking details did we see that the Castle tour was complimentary with the cottage booking although it was. The cottage was lovely, warm, and the beds comfortable and having a dining room adjacent to the kitchen was great. One downside was the wifi which didn't work all week despite a visit by a BT engineer, apparently it's not worked for a while. We were looking forward to cosy evenings in with Netflix but had to "make do" with film on 4! On the whole we had a lovely time at Brodie, lots to do and see, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

  Reviewed by Chistine4.4★Apr 2023

• "A wonderful period property in an unusual location."

  It had some great features including the actual large size of the house itself and the tasteful/comfortable furnishings. It had excellent WiFi access, really good central heating, a very well equipped kitchen and enclosed gardens front and rear (great for a dog). The downstairs bathroom was a negative for us which would put us off renting again. Not ideal having one loo when 6 are staying at the property and the stairs are a bit dodgy for going to the loo during the night so not ideal for elderly or infirm visitors. We also found a basic furniture item was needed... The upstairs really needed some chairs (for the dressing table in the master bedroom and in the other rooms). There were some lovely additions as a national trust property: free entry into the castle tour, unlimited use of the playful garden, complimentary biscuits, tea and coffee all delighted us. We really appreciated the inclusion of towels and loads of loo rolls that were also provided in the rental cost.

  Reviewed by Joanne4.4★Apr 2023

• "The cottage has all you need for a nice stay in the area."

  Also access to Playfull Garden is a nice plus. Also no contact possible even not 24hr service number! Found a way out with unscrewing the hinge. So the start of our holiday was not perfect. Costed 2 hours to sort that out ourselves. Contact was only once with Julie and I asked her what went wrong but despite my text and voice messages , no news ! So this was not a good experience and something to improve. Kind regards Kees and family

  Thank you for your feedback and we are really sorry that you had a problem accessing the key safe. We have contacted the property team about the emergency contact numbers and will update this response when we have heard back from them. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Kees4.7★Feb 2023

• "Second stay at the cottage , love the cottage and location"

  Reviewed by Gail5.0★Dec 2022

• "We enjoyed our stay at Garden House very much as well as the walks in the grounds, including of course with Brodie Illuminated!"

  The NTS staff/volunteers we met at night were very friendly and helpful. We have a few minor recommendations for you to consider. The house was quite warm upon arrival. We are not used to a heated bedroom and a very warm living room, so we turned off the heating and aired to cool the rooms down. Which was a waste of your money and the natural resources used. Maybe you could set it at a lower temperature and guests could turn up the heating upon arrival? (By the time their luggage would be out of the car and everything unpacked, the rooms would be warm.) Then it would be nice to have some hooks for the kitchen towels and drying cloths, as well as a couple in the bathroom. We borrowed lamps for the bedside tables in the twin bedroom from the other bedroom, maybe you could put two lights in the twin. Also, an additional table in the living room would be great. There are two there, next to the couches. But some nice but rather heavy lamps are on them and we were afraid to damage something if we would move them, so we brought in the footstool/table from the dining room to serve as a coffee table. A lot of text that may give a very wrong impression. Our main feedback is that we enjoyed our stay very much, the house is furnished really tastefully and everything you need (and more) is there. You can start a walk straight from the house and within a short driving distance, there are any more options, it also seems a great area for cycling. It was lovely and quiet and we heard an owl quite near us on a couple of nights. On Sunday morning, two roe dear were grazing just across the path from the kitchen window. So thank you for another wonderful stay in an NTS accommodation!

  Thank you very much for your feedback and we have passed on the comments about the lighting and heating to the team at Brodie. Great to read that you enjoyed the gardens and the local wildlife. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Elaine5.0★Nov 2022

• "This was nice cottage in a good location."

  The walks in the castle grounds were excellent especially for the dog.The cottage was well equipped apart from two small items there were no egg cups and no bucket for hot ashes.Unfortunatly this is not a cottage for the eldery as there was no toilet upstairs and the stairs were not very user friendly.perhaps they could covert the bedroom with the bunk beds into a jack and jill toilet Because of the toilet situation I would not stay here again

  Many thanks for your feedback and glad to read that you enjoyed the location and the walks. Thank you for your suggestions, the property came online in 2021 so it is unlikely that we will have the funds to create a second bathroom at this point in time. We have tried to be clear about there being one bathroom. We do have other cottages around Scotland that are single storey and we do hope that you will try one of our other properties. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Robert4.1★Sep 2022

• "Lovely property, spacious house and a beautiful location."

  We loved having access to the playful garden and walking the dog around the grounds. Staff at the castle were really friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour.

  Many thanks for your lovely comments about the Garden House at Brodie. It is in a great location so that you get the private access to the Playful Garden after closing time. We hope to welcome you back to Brodie or one of the other NTS cottages. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alexis3.8★Aug 2022

• "Beautiful cottage, we really enjoyed our stay."

  Being able to access the gardens was fantastic and they were stunning. There were a couple of things to make the experience even better such as lamps in all bedrooms. We just borrowed one from the master room. Log kit for the fire as stated in the details. It was August so not a problem but would've been nice as a couple of evenings were chilly. We couldn't open the bathroom window so it stayed damp. There were a couple of windows with smashed glass (not us) it seems a few are difficult to open due to the way they were painted. Tiny niggles to a gorgeous property in stunning setting in a fabulous location. Will recommend to friends.

  Many thanks for your feedback about the cottage. The team have some panes of glass on order but the delivery has been disappointedly slow. We will chase it up again with the supplier. The windows are from about 1880 and the housekeeping team have reported that they are very stiff due to their age. We have noted your comment about lamps and we intend to add some more. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Catherine4.4★Jul 2022

• "Lovely house, comfortable and well equipped."

  Beautiful gardens made for a relaxing break

  Thank you very much for your positive feedback. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Kay5.0★Jul 2022

• "Needs another bathroom."

  Inaccurate postcode, it took us to a house on the opposite side of the estate. The name of the cottage is "Garden House" not "Gardeners Cottage". The key was not in a key safe but hung on a nail. Be extremely difficult to find in the dark if there was no-one to ask .

  Thank you for your review. We have asked the property manager to recheck the co-ordinates and directions to Garden House and the directions are accurate. Thank you for reporting the problem with the key safe and we arranging for a Yale lock to be fitted as the original key is too large for a Key Box. The property was refurbished in 2021 and in the short term there are no plans/budget allowance to add a 2nd bath or shower room. We will note this for the future. The listing does note the house sleeps 6 and there is one bathroom. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Anne2.8★Jun 2022

• "Wonderful location and loved access to the estate."

  Perfect for dogs and families. Safe as both gardens fenced off and could sit outside. One of the best cottages in that respect. Higher rating given if hairdryer and comfy mattresses provided. Also too hot as can’t open windows upstairs and no fan. Also lack of bedside lamps.

  Many thanks for your comments about your stay at Gardeners Cottage at Brodie. The mattresses are new when the property came online in August 2021. We have noted the comments about the bedside lights and the hairdryer as passed them onto the property manager. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Shona4.4★Apr 2022

• "We had a fantastic break, the property was exactly as described and more."

  We had access to the castle gardens and our 2 dogs absaloutley loved it.

  Thank you very much for your comments, it is great to read that enjoyed your stay in Gardener's Cottage which is our most recent addition to the cottages we offer at NTS. The gardens are great and plenty of space to wander the grounds. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Scot5.0★Dec 2021

• "Thank you to the NTS staff who arranged for the Xmas Tree, fireplace decorations and the welcome pack of McLean biscuits & shortbread."

  What a wonderful surprise & much appreciated!

  Many thanks for your feedback about your holiday in Gardener's Cottage. Glad you to read that you enjoyed the little extras we offered. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Stephen5.0★Dec 2021

• "Prope9was excellent, nicest self catering accommodation we've ever stayed in."

  Only two points we'd raise - 1) the keys were not located as described in the listing so we had some trouble on arrival gaining access and contacting someone on site for help. 2) due to the old style doors and windows the property was quite cold and draughty in the hallway which could be improved significantly by a draft excluder at the front door as this door just pops open in the wind and very cold air comes in. This would put us off staying here again in the winter or colder months. Other than above, could not fault the property and absolutely loved our stay.. 5 star!

  Thanks for the feedback. We will place a draught excluder for the property to help as I recognise this would be an issue. Thanks for the positive feedback Property Owner

  Reviewed by Catherine4.7★Oct 2021

• "We recently moved from living in this area & were excited to hear this cottage had been recently refurbished & ready for holidays."

  It's an absolutely beautiful & very spacious cottage & the location couldn't be better. The staff were really helpful whenever we needed anything & the cottage is really well equipped. There was plenty of space in the shed for bikes. We loved being in the heart of Brodie castle grounds - we have a 3 year old & 9 month old who loved having access to the playful garden & being so close to the adventure playpark, walled garden & duck pond. We also had a great time exploring Culbin forest & spending lots of time on the quiet beaches on the other side of the forest, visiting the farm shops at wester hardmuir & kinloss, & fun at Byres farm. Great area for running & cycling. We would highly recommend this cottage & will definitely be back!

  Reviewed by Kirsty5.0★Oct 2021

• "Had a lovely peaceful week in this beautiful house."

  Very comfortable and clean with a well equipped kitchen. Loved the access to the castle’s’ Playful Garden’ at the rear of the house. All in all a very relaxing stay.

  Reviewed by Janice5.0★Sep 2021

• There are no reviews featuring this term Show all reviews