Steading Cottage - Craigievar Castle

25 Customer Reviews

• "Fantastically maintained and very cosy!"

  We had a lovely time here, and it was a very welcome getaway for the weekend

  Reviewed by Elizaveta5.0★Nov 2024

• "Stunning views of the castle from this detached cottage."

  Well appointed and plenty mod cons. The only thing that could be improved was that the windows don't open and so it is needing better aired. We weren't uncomfortable because of this, but the building will suffer.

  Many thanks for your feedback. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Jenny4.4★Oct 2024

• "We will be there next year."

  Reviewed by David5.0★Sep 2024

• "We had a very peaceful, pleasant time staying here, so close to the lovely castle and also a grand base for exploring many other great places."

  Reviewed by Alastair5.0★Sep 2024

• "Very nice accommodation."

  It was a very relaxed journey.

  Reviewed by Siegfried5.0★Aug 2024

• "Absolutely fantastic place."

  Lovely setting. So peaceful. Fantastic walks round the grounds, especially early morning, late evening. Lots to see and do in the area. Just perfect.

  Reviewed by Mark5.0★May 2024

• "Comfortable, cozy yet spacious space with a great view of the castle."

  Lots of lovely walks around the property. The location is brilliant, with loads of castles and other historic properties an easy drive away, and the cottage itself is in a quiet and very dark location on the grounds. The staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. The cottage had everything needed for an extended stay, including a washing machine; however, it would have been helpful if the kitchen had been stocked with simple necessities such as salt and oil (will definitely remember this on our next stay, although the nearby grocery store had everything we needed). A change I would like to see is the check-in time: 5 p.m. seems late, especially with check-out at 9:30 a.m. Another minor annoyance was the nonstop emails regarding our stay -- in less than one month, I've received 18 messages regarding this one booking. It's nice to be informed, but this is too much. However, despite these minor complaints, my family and I were happy with our stay and this cottage in particular, and we're looking forward to booking again soon.

  Thank you very much for your feedback, The Steading has just reopened after a refurbishment by our own NTS Refurbishment manager. In some of our locations we need a longer time between check out and check in to allow the staff time to prepare the multiple cottages at locations such as Craigievar. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Andrew5.0★Mar 2024

• "Comfortable and homely cottage, warm and well equipped."

  Spectacular trees!

  Reviewed by Susan4.7★Sep 2023

• "We had a short great stay at the Steading cottage with some pleasant walks among, particularly the beautiful old trees around the castle."

  We want to be back when the pink Castle opens again—just the place for a relaxing quiet time.

  Thank you very much for the feedback. The castle will reopen in 2024, you can follow the castle on our website https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/craigievar Property Owner

  Reviewed by Bo4.7★Aug 2023

• "The cottage was absolutely lovely, classically updated with everything you need."

  In a lovely quite, peaceful remote area close to the Cairngorms. Although there was very little mobile connectivity it did not bother us at all…I would visit the cottages again.

  Thank you very much for your feedback, we are planning a refurbishment of the 3 cottages at Craigievar in 2024. We also have a ongoing project to supply wifi to as many NTS cottages as possible. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Katherine4.7★Jul 2023

• "Clean and warm, good facilities except iron was missing."

  Reviewed by Anne4.7★Jul 2023

• "Gorgeous setting, meticulously clean, private, and reasonably priced."

  Thank you very much for the positive feedback, Craigievar is a great place to unwind. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Kimberly5.0★May 2023

• "Have stayed in all three cottages and it’s a fabulous spot to see Royal ..."

  Have stayed in all three cottages and it’s a fabulous spot to see Royal Deeside The only thing is it could do with more comfortable seating

  Reviewed by Robert4.1★Mar 2023

• "Very comfortable and well equipped."

  Liked the American style closets in the bedrooms giving lots of hanging and storage space. Only one problem the combination door lock on the front door did not always lock securely and required some fiddling with to ensure the catch located correctly. This needs some urgent attention.

  Reviewed by Michael5.0★Sep 2022

• "The cottage was perfect for our needs and had everything necessary for our weeks stay."

  There was no internet connection at the cottage but that wasn't important to us.

  Many thanks for your positive feedback, Craigievar is a great location for peace and quiet. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Anthony5.0★Aug 2022

• "Pros - lovely location on the estate, with plenty of walks and gardens to stroll through."

  Clean throughout, and generally well equipped kitchen. Efficient heating (needed even in summer!). Comfortable beds, warm duvet covers. Cons - horrid horrid lounge furniture! In this day and age, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a comfortable evening on a sofa which isn't a reject from an NTS property circa 1950. The sofa and armchairs in the property are awful! Uncomfortable, tiny, just impossible to relax in after a day hiking in the surrounding gorgeous countryside. We generally just went to bed early rather than try. This was disappointing, given we stayed for 2 weeks. I can't imagine what a few rainy days would have been like. Just awful, I imagine. Also, bring your own bath mat (as we did) as shower is an over bath type and extremely slippery. Also, surely, a hair dryer and iron are standard items these days?

  Reviewed by Stephanie3.1★Jul 2022

• "Great cottage, nice dining table, adequate kitchen, effective heating."

  A decent vacuum cleaner was provided so nice and easy to clean up. Only thing missing was an iron, (which previous visitors had broken), and a teapot would have been useful.

  Thank you for your feedback. We will replace the missing items. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Stuart5.0★May 2022

• "We had a wonderful week, the property was clean upon arrival and has a fully equipped kitchen."

  However, there were a couple of niggles, no toilet roll, no kitchen roll or sponge to wash up. These are just a few of the items which we have always had in some form at other properties. If just a roll to get through until we do a shop. The bed in the main bedroom was uncomfortable but despite this the cottage is cosy and comfortable. The proximity to the castle and the scenery and wildlife in the grounds is amazing. The area around the castle and the wider Cairngorms is simply srunning and largely untouched. We will definitely be back.

  Many thanks for your feedback. We are pleased to read that you found the cottage clean and a well equipped kitchen. We will notify the property manager about the supply of toilet rolls and washing up sponge. We will also check the mattresses and see if they are scheduled for replacement. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Chris4.1★May 2022

• "What a difference a week makes, the week before it was sunny and warm and our week it was mostly cloudy and rather cool."

  While I was happy with the cottage my wife found it cold unless the heating was on all the time we were in. However, I did think there should have been a shower mat available for the bath. Unfortunately, my wife overbalanced and hit her face and we had to leave on the Thursday, just in case there were any complications which, happily, there weren't.

  Reviewed by Charles3.8★Apr 2022

• "The cottage was well presented and very cozy in a beautiful surrounding."

  We often struggled to shut the door as it had a key pad not a key. There was also dirt in the bath which needed to be cleaned before we used it. However it was very warm and had all necessary equipment. A bag of logs to use would be a bonus even if we had had to pay extra as we would not have been able to fit one in the car it was so full. A lovely stay and would stay again.

  Thank you very much for your feedback. We added key pads to make it simpler for our customers, remembering to leave keys etc was problematic. We aren't sure why the bath wasn't clean and are sorry that you had to clean it. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Joanne4.1★Apr 2022

• "Cottage was ideal for our family."

  Very cosy & comfortable. Had everything we needed for our stay. Wi-Fi & mobile signal are a bit of a hit & miss but we knew that before we arrived.

  Reviewed by Elaine4.7★Apr 2022

• "A very comfortable cottage in a great rural/isolated location for peace and quiet especially in the evenings after tourists visiting the castle have gone."

  Some small gripes. Utensils in kitchen were good, but no tea pot. The Electric cooker needs upgrading, the strongest ring won't maintain the water boiling adequately if for example you make pasta. The website did not make it clear you needed to bring your own fuel for open fire. However these are small points and we really enjoyed the cottage.

  Many thanks for your feedback. We have passed on your comments regrading the kitchen equipment to our Property Manager to investigate. We have rechecked out listing and it clearly states that fuel is not provided for the wood burner. I hope these small irritations dis not affect your holiday and it is great to read that you appreciated the location. It is a very beautiful quiet area of the North East. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ian Macrae4.1★Mar 2022

• "This is such a cosy but well equipped cottage."

  It felt homely straight away. It’s in the grounds of the, fabulous, fairytale-pink Craigievar Castle so there’s about 60 hectares of woods and other paths / fields to roam ( our dogs were in heaven). The staff and volunteers at the castle - which is a ‘must-see’ are friendly and full of great stories of the area. It’s remote so no pub or restaurant within about 9 miles but you need transport if you go to the Highlands. Also, no WiFi and very limited phone connection if that’s important to you. We found it to be a really relaxing break from hectic life with the magnificent Cairngorms to explore and lots to do and see in the surrounding area including wildlife. When all the walking and cycling makes you hungry there’s great food nearby and everyone we met were friendly. We will return.

  Reviewed by Elizabeth5.0★Sep 2021

• "Lovely location and cottage had everything we needed except it would have been good to know in advance there was no mobile phone signal as well as no WiFi!"

  The members of staff at the castle, particularly John were very helpful.

  Good to read that you enjoyed your stay at Steading Cottage at Craigievar and that John was very helpful. We have rechecked and the details for the cottage on this website do mention that Wifi is not available. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Sarah3.8★Jul 2021

• "Beautiful location for the cottage right next to the wonderful castle, lovely ..."

  Beautiful location for the cottage right next to the wonderful castle, lovely walks including a more strenuous marked one up behind the property, Alford has good Coop nearby and plenty to see and do all around, great place

  Reviewed by Bernadette5.0★Jun 2021

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