South Lodge - Brodie Castle

19 Customer Reviews

• "South Lodge was exactly as expected, very clean & tidy with a spacious enclosed garden for an inquisitive spaniel."

  Watch out for the wildlife in the adjacent woods though! Very well equipped kitchen - we particularly appreciated the good sized mugs! Fantastic location for exploring the region, and walks around Brodie Castle & the nearby Culbin Wood. Firewood was a lot cheaper in Home Hardware in Forres than at the garage.

  Reviewed by Lesley5.0★Oct 2022

• "A comfortable property with what appear to be new carpets, sofas/chairs, large screen TV, and washing machine."

  WiFi worked well. The soft furnishings and bed were very comfortable. A nice touch to have bird feeders outside the kitchen window - so if you'd like to see lots of visitors then bring along bird food for the feeders (a note for owner - a clean of them wouldn't come amiss), Clearer information on the heating controls would also be helpful. There are obviously some damp issues so the dehumidifier in the lounge is requested to be switched on when you're outside the property as its a bit noisy. This isn't a problem - and better than experiencing dampness! Lots of trees around so don't expect to get much sun on the picnic table unless you're there in the height of summer.

  Thank you for your feedback, we are pleased to read you found the Lodge comfortable. It is going to be off line for the winter for work on the building and then we will refresh the interior. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ian4.4★Sep 2022

• "Looking a bit tired and careworn."

  The blankets had moth holes and the arm chair arms were a bit grubby. Otherwise a pleasant place to stay.

  Thank you very much for your feedback and it is good to read that you enjoyed your time at Brodie. We are sorry that you found the blankets were not in pristine condition and the armchairs not as clean as they should be. The housekeepers have been made aware of these issues. We are taking this cottage offline soon to address issues with building , once this work is completed over the winter we are then planning to refurbish it. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Laura3.8★Aug 2022

• "Lovely cottage in an excellent location, both immediately and more widely."

  Just what we hoped for.

  Many thanks for the kind comments, we hope to welcome you back to Brodie Castle or one of the other NTS properties. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Anthony5.0★Jul 2022

• "The cottage was very clean and the beds were comfortable."

  It was well equipped. The chairs in the sitting room had low backs which is uncomfortable after a while. Unfortunately the previous occupants had broken the door of the freezing compartment in the fridge. We did have frozen foods to put away but had to defrost the fridge to find out why the door to the freezer compartment would not close. It was very iced up from being open all the time. I managed to close it later by wedging a piece of card in the door! The key compartment would not open when we got there and we envisaged having to spend the first night in a B and B. We tried ringing the two numbers that Sykes had provided. One was a discontinued number and the other said Leave a message. The time was after five and the shed was very dark even with the torch we had. The code was correct but the door would not open. A piece of string was trapped in the door and my husband gave it a pull which popped the door open. When we were going home we had to leave the key on the top of the key safe because again we could not get it open. We went to the castle on the way home and reported this. The only other complaint was that the description said that there was EV charging available. But this was a mile away at the castle and the charge point was run by a company called chargepointscotland which has dreadful reviews online. You also need to buy a card in advance to use the charger. Also the internet connection is flakey so the app is unresponsible. We did not see anyone using the charge point all holiday despite parking in the car park two or three times a day to walk the dogs. Fortunately there was charging at Tesco in Forres. The highlight of the holiday was watching a variety of bird life, including two spotted woodpeckers, at the cottage. And the castle grounds are lovely with lots of quiet walks and very well kept.

  Thank you for your feedback which helps us identify issues that we might not have been aware of. It is good to read that the cottage was clean and the beds comfortable. We do have plans for South Lodge over the winter 22/23, some major work is planned on this old cottage after a visit from our Building Surveyor and then we intend to refurbish the interior. We are very sorry for the problems with the key, the key was an old fashioned large one that kept jamming in the key safe so we are planning to change to a Yale lock. We have been clear in our property details to say that the car charging point is situated in the main car park for the castle. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Carol4.4★Jul 2022

• "The cottage might have been redecorated recently but it looks tired and dated and needs a thorough makeover."

  We had no complaints about the cleanliness or presentation of the property but were aware of minor things - damaged furniture, lights not working, odd numbers of glasses. These sound like petty complaints but NTS holiday cottages are not cheap and although we enjoyed our holiday and were comfortable we left feeling that South Cottage did not present good value. It really does need some attention.

  Thank you for your feedback. We have a fridge freezer on order for the cottage as well as some new furniture, and a bathroom cabinet. We intend to take the lights down when the painter can come in repair the wall so that it doesn't look too unsightly. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alexander3.1★Jun 2022

• "The cottage has apparently recently been redecorated, but the furniture and equipment could do with a bit of an upgrade."

  The seating in the living room needs more cushions to be comfortable, and some of the kitchen equipment needs to be replaced (e.g. frying pans and casserole dishes with damaged surfaces). Overall, a pleasant place to stay, good garden, and the ease of access to Brodie Castle is much appreciated, but a little spartan and in need of some TLC.

  Thank you for your feedback. We are going to survey this cottage soon to see what is needed in terms of the building itself and also a refurbishment for the interior. We appreciate your comments. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Catherine3.1★May 2022

• "A bit disappointing to be honest."

  We’ve stayed at several NTS properties so our expectations are reasonably solid. This is by far the poorest property. It was very damp, to the point of catching your chest. The kitchen stank of cooked in grease, the smell permeated throughout the hall and lounge and there are additional residents in the attic who like to scratch around at night. It’s a pity as the property itself could be lovely. Great garden for pets and kids, walkable to Brodie Castle, walkable to Brodie restaurant. Needs some love and attention and it would be great.

  Thank you very much for your feedback which we take very seriously. The team at Brodie Castle have highlighted to the cleaner the lack of attention to detail in preparing the cottage and they will monitor the standards. We asked a company to come in and look for evidence of mice in the loft and deal with accordingly. A countryside property does attract mice in the winter because of the warmth. The property is currently offline for maintenance, painting and refresh of soft furnishings and a spring clean. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Geoff2.5★Apr 2022

• "Thank you. We loved the cottage."

  Just ticked all boxes especially in regard to enclosed garden for dogs and location. Immediate access to Brodie Castle grounds and path into Culbin Forest. We had amazing weather but there's an outside tap with hose for washing down muddy dogs and it might be possible to hang wet towels, jackets etc in shed. Many thanks. We'll be back

  Many thanks for your comments. You are very welcome at Brodie, maybe come in the summer to see the garden in full bloom. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Carolyn5.0★Mar 2022

• "Once we found south lodge it was fine, the name plate we couldn’t see in the dark and sat nav took us to a farm, the lodge was cold when we arrived but soon warmed up with the heating on, it was very cosy armchairs need updating otherwise everything lovely and clean, we had a restful time walks around castle grounds meals at Brodie shop and tour of castle only ground floor as our daughters in a wheelchair and lifts weren’t available in the 15th century."

  Staff very helpful and would recommend to anyone, Thankyou.

  Thank you very much for your comments about South Lodge. We have noted the comment about the armchairs. Great to read that you found the cottage clean. We hope your daughter managed to get a flavour of the castle. The library is superb. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Anthony4.7★Mar 2022

• "Hidden treasure near Brodie castle."

  Fir us the perfect spit to visit our family in Forres. Quick access to Tesco or Findhorn and other places along that part of Scotland. Cottage has all you need for selfcatering holiday.

  Glad to read that you enjoyed your stay at South Lodge, thank you for your kind feedback. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Kees5.0★Feb 2022

• "Nice little property."

  Understand it is due a refurbishment, which will be good in some ways, but I hope the owners can keep the character too. Heating seemed fine for us, particularly with the fire going in the evening. Hope to be back!

  Thank you for your feedback. The cottage is due some work in April, painting, new carpets and soft furnishings. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Bruce4.4★Feb 2022

• "Great stay with my wife, 2 kids and 2 dogs."

  Plenty of room for us all. Kitchen had everything we required with Plenty of cooking utensils and equipment. The property has single glazing and old looking furnishings but this all added to the character of the cottage, especially when we had the fire on. Great location for walks around the castle grounds and close by to other forest walks and tourist attractions. The only thing that disappointed us was the amount of dog mess in the garden left by previous guests. We couldn't let our kids play in the garden because of the mess. As a dog owner, we always pick up our dog mess. The irresponsible dog owners should have to foot the bill for this to be cleaned so that the next guests don't have to deal with this. Check in time is also very late. I would have expected a time of 3pm rather than 5pm.

  Reviewed by Gary4.1★Oct 2021

• "1. The dehumidifier was full and needed emptying."

  2. The rechargeable torch by the front door was flat and there was no charger. 3. The fridge needs defrosting 4. The light fitting in the twin room (the one by the RH bed) was damaged and so it was very difficult to switch it off. It was not damaged by us. 5. The battery in the clock in the living room had leaked and so I cleaned it up and replaced the battery. 6. The mugs are tiny! I had to buy a decent one in a charity shop. 7. Bowls are a bit small too. I had to fill it twice for my porridge. 8. There is a spiders nest to the LH side above the wardrobe in the twin room. Apart from that we had a good time.

  Reviewed by Anne3.8★Sep 2021

• "The 3 piece suite needs replacing as it's a bit old."

  The cottage needed cleaning on arrival as it was dirty, which is not great, it was not covid clean. Why you can't get in the cottage until 5pm when it needed so much cleaning I don't understand. We cleaned the garden for our dogs and previous dogs. Someone had been there with a long haired black dog which I vacuumed out of the carpet. A pale green carpet is not a good idea in an entrance hall. We put a dog towel down by the door to clean shoes/paws before walking on the carpet. I would have continued the hard floor in the bathroom and kitchen down the hallway. The beds are wonderful and extremely comfortable. The pots/glasses and cutlery needed washing before they could be used. How much do you pay your cleaners because I feel like I should send you an invoice. We noticed on your Web site that nobody was in the cottage until Tuesday evening so we phoned to see how much it would cost to stay. Considering you didn't have to send a cleaner in and we would just stay until Tuesday morning, we were stunned when we were quoted over £500 for 3 days. There wasn't any sway on this price which I think is so greedy. The national trust could have earned another £200 or £300, which we would have gladly paid but instead they earned nothing as the cottage is now empty until Tuesday.

  Reviewed by J2.5★Sep 2021

• "We had to defrost the freezer on arrival as there was so much ice in it the fridge door would not close, that was not a good start at 7pm at night after a long journey."

  Cottage cosy but quite damp. Great garden for dogs.

  Reviewed by Christine3.8★Sep 2021

• "1. Mid holiday service clean was supposed to happen on the middle Saturday."

  We stripped the beds and collected all of the towels together to make it easier for whoever was going to do this, and then went out for the day. Arrived home at 11.30pm, the service clean had not happened, we had to put all the bed linen back on late at night. Following morning, I left a message for the estate office, as per the instructions in the accommodation welcome book. We walked over to the castle, but there was nobody about to ask, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Walked back to South Lodge, the grounds keeper was there, who said that he would let the estate office know. We did not hear from anyone for the the entire rest of the stay, I rang again several times and only got the answerphone. The accommodation welcome book, said that there was also spare bedding for all of the beds, so I tried to make the beds up again with the spare bedding, but there werent enough pillow cases and no double duvet or sheet. In addition there were no spare towels. I had to wash and dry all of the bedding and towels myself, which is not easy considering there is no tumble dryer and very limited drying capacity on the outside line and the airer. It took a whole day of the holiday to do the washing and move everything around to try to get it dry, which is quite ridiculous considering how much we paid for the accommodation in the first place. I fully appreciate that in the current covid situation, things are difficult at times, I have no problem with changing the beds myself, but we should have been provided with clean bedding and towels half way through the holiday. 2. There was a leak under the sink in the kitchen, I was unable to tell anyone because nobody phoned me back. 3. Quantity of plates/cups/glasses. I appreciate that the accommodation is for four people, but only providing 4 plates, 4 bowls (3 mugs & 2 cups and saucers) several sorts of glasses of which there were also only 4, is quite ridiculous. I understand that they may not wish to encourage people to entertain or have other people staying, but only having 4 of everything is just ridiculous. 4. This property could definitely do with a washer/dryer, considering it is Scotland and it rains a lot. The house is old and clearly has some damp issues, it was fine in the summer but we still had to turn on the heating to get anything to dry. The outdoor clothes lines, whilst situated at the back of the property to be aesthetically pleasing, remains in the shade all day even in August, so nothing really dries. 5. Broadband connection is intermittent and kept dropping out, despite standing next to the router. 6. The house itself is very pretty and in a lovely location, with a great enclosed garden for dogs. We did have a lovely holiday, it was just spoilt a little due to the above.

  Thank you very much for the feedback and we can reassure you that we take all feedback seriously and endeavour to improve what we offer in our cottages. We have investigated the problem with the mid holiday service with our contract cleaners and they did go on the Saturday to do the mid week clean. The key box was empty so couldn’t gain access. We would have expected our contract cleaner to then come up to the castle and get the spare set, but unfortunately they didn’t. We apologise for this. We have also taken into account the washer drier situation and have instructed new appliances be found for the cottages as they are due renewal next year, but we agree, a drier would make life easier. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Louise3.8★Jul 2021

• "Lovely holiday in a comfortable cottage."

  We have stayed with the National Trust over quite a few years and their cottages are always of a good standard.

  Thank you for your kind remarks. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Nizar4.4★Jul 2021

• "No tea towels in kitchen"

  The Cleaning company forgot and we have reconfirmed with them the cloths to be left for our customers. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Douglas4.7★Jun 2021

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