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"We've stayed in Dalvorar many times over the last 10 years, always loved it, hence regularly returning."
However it has been redecorated and refurbished, and we really didn't like it. The biggest bed now takes all the space in the smallest bedroom. The biggest bedroom has terrible wallpaper and superfluous canopies over the bed. The living room has awful murals over all the walls and is dark and dingy night and day. The light is not good enough to read in there. There was some beautiful furniture with mirrors that made it feel much lighter before, also a nice footstool come games table which was lovely to use. The bathroom has a weird plain yellow "picture" and what you might call naive painting all over the bath. The kitchen revamp is good although you have to be 6 foot to reach most cupboard space. Why you have put plastic flowers and a plastic lemon tree in there I really don't know. We won't be staying in Dalvorar again and I see from the website that the other apartments have been redecorated in a far more sympathetic fashion. We love Mar lodge but don't like what has been done to Dalvorar.
Reviewed by Christine4.1★Nov 2024
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"We had another great stay, only made this four star as we really were not taken with the new decor which seemed out of keeping with an Victorian shooting lodge."
Putting a double bed in the middle of a room seemed very odd; and why fill the flat with plastic flowers? Apart from that we had another wonderful time and the staff and accomodation were otherwise first class
Many thanks for your feedback and comments about the decor. The King sized bed was moved to the middle of the room so that guests could take in the wonderful views from the bed.
Property Owner
Reviewed by William5.0★Sep 2024
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"Lovely staff & an amazing place to stay."
Very good kitchen setup & untensils. The window catch in the main bedroom was missing & as the balcony had limited opening it was quite stuffy due to the broken. An incredible place to stay.
Thank you for your feedback and we have asked the maintenance team to look at the window catch. We have to restrict access to the balcony to comply with the local licensing.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Heather5.0★Jul 2024
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"With regards our stay at Dalvorar :
1."
There was no hot water from the bath/shower on our first day. After numerous requests (most staff had returned home after check in time) a handyman did attend on the second day and switched off a limiter under the bath which rectified the problem.
2. The bedroom used by my wife and I was not cleaned correctly and a sanitary towel has been left under the bed.
3. The photos provided by yourselves when we booked the property did not reflect the extensive refit changes made. Whilst the kitchen and toilets were sympathetically upgraded the bedrooms and sitting room were very different. Changing the decor from understated Hunting Lodge to Fairytale Castle/Paint by numbers could only be for the wedding market and not for clients who have been visiting Mar Lodge for over 25 years.
4. In the kitchen the large plastic trees (orange and lemon) in the kitchen do not really back up your eco stance. The overhanging artificial plants are a fire hazard.
At a cost of over £200 per night I see no reason to return.
Thank you for your feedback. We do have emergency contact numbers for the staff at Mar Lodge listed in the Welcome Folder. We understand from the team at Mar that the Estate Maintenance team dealt with the issue with the water as soon as they were notified. We have had very positive scores for the cleanliness for many years now, having stayed with us over 25 years you have no doubt witnessed the usual high standards. So we are really surprised that you found an item under the bed. As you note the apartment has been refurbished this year and has received alot of positive comments from all our guests that have stayed.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Philip1.6★Jun 2024
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"This was the second consecutive year we stayed at Mar Lodge and again very much enjoyed the piece and quiet during our stay."
We appreciated the warmth of the apartment when returning from a wet and windy walk. We did wonder on the safety of having a shower as the plastic curtain could be a little constricted and clingy. Also the bath hot water not hot enough to have a bath and not as hot as in the two hand basins or the sink in the kitchen.
thank you for your feedback, Dalvorar is scheduled for a refurbishment in March/April 2024.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Alec5.0★Oct 2023
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"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to feed back my disappointment with my recent stay at the Dalvorar flat in Mar Lodge."
I would very much like my feedback forwarded to the NTS, which owns and manages the flat, and to receive a reply.
Two points. One, the brass edging on the carpeted trap door (for underfloor heating perhaps?) in the living room was loose and thus both a trip hazard and rather sharp -- a potential bare-foot-cutting hazard too. We put a book on top of it while we were there but it needs to be repaired.
Secondly, the thing that really spoilt my holiday: polyester in the sheets in a super-expensive top-of-the-range holiday let, really? I have always struggled to sleep in bedding that isn't 100 per cent cotton or linen and often travel with my own sheet -- but I didn't this time because I just assumed the bedding at Mar Lodge would be fine, given how much the rent was (cheap-and-nasty bedding is usually more of a problem at the cheaper end of the market).
The problem -- quite a common one -- is that the bedding overheats in hot weather and gets clammy, which is what happened to me last week.
I had broken sleep for four nights out of a seven-night stay and it spoilt my holiday and made me really quite angry.
While stripping the beds as requested at the end of our stay I found a label that said sheets were 50 per cent polyester, 50 per cent cotton -- this is less cotton than you get in a bed at Travelodge. It's really, really shocking in a place that presents itself as so grand, supposedly, and charges so much.
I'd like to hear an explanation as to why the NTS thinks 50-50 poly cotton sheets are ok.
My husband also points out that now global warming is heating up even the Scottish summer, other places we've stayed now have electric fans in bedrooms as standard, and suggests the NTS does this at its properties too.
Thank you for your feedback and the team at Mar Lodge will look at the carpet trim that you mention in the living room. The team would have been more than happy to repair it while you were staying in the apartment if it had been reported. The sheets that we use are provided by the linen hire company, if we had known about the issue with poly cotton sheets we would have come up with a solution for you. We are more than happy to accommodate requests and these can be sent through to Sykes in the first instance and they liaise with the property teams.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jenny3.1★Aug 2023
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"It was all just wonderful except the shower."
The place was amazingly clean with spacious rooms, furnished beautifully and all had amazing views. The estate itself was a haven of beauty! The shower though was over a very high side Victorian bath with mixer taps and long shower curtains. Getting in and out the shower was difficult for short legs and there was no hand rail. The mixer taps were difficult to use to get a comfortable temperature once in the shower, as very low done. If water was too hot or too cold there was no room for manoeuvre in the shower. Shower curtain too long and got trapped under shower mat and in own feet making things a bit slippy. There was nowhere in the shower to put toiletries as bath tray (if used) left a gap in the curtains which then flooded floor. Note also there are no lifts in the building if you were relying on them. Not an issue for fit and healthy people just means a few trips up the stairs with luggage. Everything else was just brilliant though! Well worth a visit!
Reviewed by Ann4.7★Jul 2023
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"Gorgeous place, wonderful setting."
Beautiful old-fashioned apartment but with all the facilities required. A joy!!
Reviewed by Gavin5.0★Jun 2023
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"Mar Lodge is a wonderful place to stay especially if you value tranquility and outdoor activities."
Reviewed by Catherine5.0★Mar 2023
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"Very happy staying at Mar Lodge, definitely a favourite, we will be back again."
Reviewed by Christine5.0★Mar 2023
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"A wonderful holiday apartment."
...my only (small) gripe is the shortage of cooking pans - I brought some of my own this year as I remembered from my last visit. Also kitchen knives are nearly all blunt. But a great place to have a walking holiday, and the Mar lodge estate is gorgeous.
Reviewed by Christine5.0★Nov 2022
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"A very special place to stay."
"Must have" a grab rail in the bathroom as the bath is beautiful but high-sided.
Repairs to the gutters and downpipes as the rain was cascading down into the foundations. "Nice to have" full length mirrors in the bedrooms plus a new shower curtain in the bathroom as the current ones have an unpleasant smell.
Thank you very much for your feedback. Your comments have been passed to the team at Mar Lodge for them to action.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Margaret4.4★Sep 2022
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"This was one of the best properties we have been lucky to stay at."
Simply breathtaking.
Many thanks for your very kind comments, we are very lucky to have such a beautiful estate in the National Trust for Scotland.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Scott5.0★Aug 2022
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"A beautiful location and property."
The apartment was very comfortable.
Lovely walks on the doorstep for us and the dogs. Difficult to find places to eat as everywhere was bokked up.
Being placed in a first floor apartment with no lifts was an issue for bringing up the luggage and not convenient with two dogs, sadly this was not made clear when booking
There was no welcome pack which we thought was appalling considering the high cost of the accomodation, tea bags but no milk. We have stayed in smaller places with fantastic welcome packs.
Thank you very much for your feedback about Mar Lodge estate, we are very lucky to have such a glorious estate in our portfolio. As you say Dalvorar is situated on the first floor and this is clearly noted on our listing on this website. We set out tea bags, coffee and sugar for the guests but we will be looking at the welcome tray we offer at all of our properties in the near future. Once again thank you for your comments.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Kerry3.8★Aug 2022
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"What a memorable holiday."
Scotland at its best.
Thank you, Mar Lodge is a gem in stunning scenery. We look forward to welcoming you back to Mar Lodge.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Rowan5.0★Mar 2022
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"Very comfortable apartment in a lovely old lodge."
We thought it might be cold given the location and type of property, but we couldn't be more wrong! Very cosy (possibly too warm in the bedrooms!) and well kitted out. Great for dog walkers as the four-legged friends are allowed too.
Thank you very much for your kind comments. Glad you enjoyed your stay at Mar and we hope to welcome you back.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Graeme5.0★Mar 2022
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"Flat is comfortable."
Heating variable either too hot or too cold and adjustment has to go through staff so cumbersome although staff very attentive.
Flats position not really great for dogs since it’s so far from outside and fire doors are very heavy.
Radio reception poor
Reviewed by Wendy4.4★Feb 2022
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"Very much enjoyed it, but there were two things that would have made a difference."
...an extra small cooking pan in the kitchen would have made self catering much easier, and a good reading light ( maybe a better bulb in the standard lamp, or an extra standard lamp) so that we could both be able to read in the living room in the evening.
Reviewed by Christine5.0★Feb 2022
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"Having visited Mar Lodge over 40 years ago, I was delighted to see that accommodation was now available."
We weren't disappointed. We loved our week's holiday and will, definitely be back.
During our stay there were some very stormy weather but when Braemar was experiencing power cuts, the Mar lodge generator kicked in and all was well. A special thanks to the Mar Estate staff for dealing with the many fallen trees and keeping the walking trails open. Also thanks to all the housekeeping staff who were excellent.
What a wonderful job the estate is doing with forest regeneration!
Thank you very much for your kind words about Dalvorar and Mar estate. It has been an extremely challenging winter for the staff at Mar Lodge with the various storms that have passed through the area. Good to read that the generator did the job and the housekeeping team are a real asset.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Elspeth4.7★Jan 2022
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"What a great experience!"
Wonderful location, fascinating history (tour recommended) and fantastic walking from the door. We loved our few days at Mar Lodge and would definitely recommend it.
Reviewed by Hazel5.0★Oct 2021
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"Having teenage boys it would have been 110% if a swimming pool was on site."
Apart from that we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.
Reviewed by Lorraine4.7★Jul 2021
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