Bynack - Mar Lodge Estate

We had the most amazing stay in Bynack at Mar Lodge.

It is really spacious, we were 15 for a celebratory get-together & the sitting/dining room was ideal & all bedrooms were a really good size. The housekeeping team couldn’t have been more helpful. The setting is absolutely stunning & there is lots to see & explore on the estate. We highly recommend Mar Lodge.

Having stayed in Bynack apartment in the past we as a family were delighted to return and introduce the younger grandchildren to the joys of the area and the unique accommodation.

Sykes did ask how we would like the bedrooms set up as in twin or double beds. This wasn’t done as requested but perhaps it wasn’t possible in which case why did Sykes provide that option. In no way did this spoil our stay so it is not a complaint against The National Trust Staff just an observation of how Sykes set out the application process. The Housekeeping Staff were very friendly and helpful when we needed their assistance.

Great location for our mountain walking club.

Excellent facilities for our group of 15.

The kitchen is small for 8 people The heating in the downstairs bedroom was off most of the time Very sporadic The shower is on the wrong wall and sprays out to wet the whole floor I know it’s a wet room but you don’t expect it to get soaked with every shower possibly a glass panel instead of a short curtain will help Wash basin to small only any good for washing hands .

Bynack at Mar Lodge is a very special place.

Highly recommend. Sykes were generally great - only issues is some of the info is general eg said explicitly to bring tea towels but were provided and request to unzip beds was not acted on.

A fabulous property that accommodated the whole family for a weekend celebration.

Bynack was extremely well appointed with a great kitchen The living room and dining area held all 19 of us with ease. The bedrooms were really comfortable. There are enough essentials left to get you started. The major supermarkets deliver to the property. It was a truly memorable weekend at an excellent property and I highly recommend it. Things that would have helped me is at the booking stage more information on the layout of the property with the additional apartments. I would have booked a different apartment which would have given us the whole wing of Mar Lodge for the weekend. I would have also found useful a layout of the bedrooms to allocate appropriate rooms in advance. Lastly at the property itself some of the rooms didn't have any towel rails to hang towels and we didn't find anywhere appropriate to dry wet clothing and swimsuits without bringing them all through the property.

All the guests for my wedding stayed in the apartment and loved it.

It is a very beautiful, unique and comfy spot perfect for a gathering of friends and family. Every staff member was truly kind, friendly and amazing especially Sophie and Louise. To avoid any confusion, I recommend arriving to check in during the daylight. All instructions for checkin were clear in retrospect but it was difficult to see the road to the back entrance in the dark.

Everything was 1st class.

Well stocked kitchen with utensils, pans etc. Bedrooms were very spacious and comfortable. Dining/sitting room also very comfortable. The accessible bedroom may not be suitable for most types or sizes of wheelchair though as the door wouldn't open too wide because of the proximity of the bed to the door. It would be OK for anyone ambulatory, but maybe needed a walking stick, like the person in our party. Very spacious throughout. We had 8 in our group and there was plenty of space for everyone in the sitting/dining room and even when we were all in the kitchen, it never felt crowded. Gorgeous walks around the grounds, and friendly staff. We would definitely like to stay again in the future.

We have stayed many times and enjoy it very much.

I understand that you don't want electric cars being charged without payment, but I do think that it should be possible to charge an electric bike if the battery is not removable. There must be way to do this without guests having to bring an extension cable to put out of their window.

We had a wonderful family gathering at Bynack.

There was room for us all as we could accommodate unexpected extra bodies using the z beds. The staff were very helpful and available. Could do with some large milk jugs, a bigger teapot and some vases. Other everything was wonderful. We will come back.

Lovely experience staying in a NTScotland property.

We enjoyed the spacious rooms, original decor and beautiful setting. Staff were friendly and helpful and responded promptly to any questions.

What an incredible place!

A truly wonderful apartment in an amazing location. The service provided by Louise and her team was second to none. She was quick to respond to email queries before the visit and provided a friendly welcome as well as being on hand during the week to ensure that we had a wonderful holiday at Mar Lodge.

We have visited Mar Lodge for a number of years and the location is spectacular that’s why we keep going back.

It is quite remote but Braemar is close by with a small Spar for essentials, a couple of small cafes, my favourite art gallery & of course the recently refurbished luxury hotel. It is noticeably around Mar area much busier post covid with campervans galore & cars which was quite a nuisance when trying to walk along the road within the Mar estate even the private roads (where they should not have been) we had to stop numerous times & in one instance had to move into the undergrowth as a campervan was so wide. To be fair the road sign is too small for drivers to see. We were there off season so goodness knows what it would be like in the height of summer. The lodge itself is lovely but not luxury so it makes for a comfortable stay when you have children & dogs. The only down side is the kitchen it’s really small for the size of lodge & the cooker oven caused me no end of troubles trying to get it to the right temperature but that could just be me. Maybe some simple instructions near the cooker would help. Other than that it is great for large families or friends to get together in the most wonderful location with numerous hill walks & best scenery you could ever want on the doorstep. As per usual our very large family get together, all loved it. We will be back.

We had a fantastic time.

Our holiday was a family reunion with guests aged from 8 to 87. We were helped by stunning weather but we all had a blast. The rooms are stunning and we absolutely loved using the billiard room for a small extra charge. Wildlife we saw on our walks and cycles included stags at close quarters, a slumbering adder and an eagle. We didn't want to leave. The electronic door stops were prone to malfunction and the alarm in a couple of them kept going off. We also brought our own knife sharpener, but the apartment would benefit from having one of its own. But those were the only small quibbles during a great week.

We have stayed in Bynack on many occasions and it remains our firm favourite.

Excellent stay as usual.

Have been visiting for over 20 years. Went to book for next year £2286.00. 65% increase from this year’s £1385.00. It is disappointing the National Trust for Scotland/Sykes, has increased accommodation by so much making it extremely expensive for visitors and future generations to visit. It’s a shame this 65% increase in price will deter visitors to NTS sites.

Fantastic accommodation in a beautiful setting.

A floor plan showing relative locations of the flats within the building would be helpful if looking to book a number of flats for a larger group.

The toilet next to the kitchen has no lock.

There was no ironing board available The cupboard with the cleaning tools (vacuum, brush etc) which used to be open is now locked. The door to room 7 had to be wedged open as the han dle was broken.

We had issues with the Cooker, it did not always seem to be at the heat level we thought we'd set it to but we managed, and the staff were excellent, they allowed us to use a cooker in another part of the building for our Christmas turkey.

The overall stay was brilliant, please say thanks to the NTS Staff at Mar Lodge.

Very impressed with Sykes booking process and the level of communication pre, during, and post vacation.

Mar lodge Byncak was an excellent property, I would not hesitate to stay again. The accommodation was first class, in terms of cleanliness and the equipment provided. There is obviously a very dedicated team of staff, cleaners, maintenance, etc at the property.

We really enjoyed our stay at Bynack apartment in Mar Lodge this January.

It was very warm, clean and comfortable with instant hot water throughout. The bedrooms were lovely and the lounge with dining area was great. Also a great idea to have 2 sinks and 2 dishwashers in the kitchen. We also enjoyed hiring the snooker room and had a lot of fun with tournaments between young and old. Some managed a lovely walk up the hills, and others a meander in the grounds. Something for everyone. It was great.

Beautiful stately home where the whole family could relax in comfort.

Spectacular scenery - walking every day. Staff on site were so helpful and welcoming. The facilities were good. The only issue was the oven, which didn’t work efficiently - cooking is essential as the location is so remote. We also felt check in time of 5 and checkout time of 9.30 was unhelpful. We had stayed before when it was administered by The National Trust and we got in earlier and check out time was later. The cost was high and we had travelled quite a distance so we would have appreciated a 3 or 4 o’clock check in and a bit more time in the morning to get 17 people (four of them young children) out! However, we all had a wonderful time and we do hope to stay again.

We had a great stay in a very comfortable and well kept property.

our only quibble was that the cooking was a little erratic as the hob and oven temperatures had to be guessed as the markings had worn off the cooker with cleaning.