Paye House - Cromarty

29 Customer Reviews

• "The actual property looks way better in reality than it does in the COVID time photos on the website!"

  We had a great stay it is one of the nicest holiday homes we have ever stayed in and in the best location. The kitchen is very well equipped and the sofas are really comfortable, the whole house was lovely and warm. The only improvements we could think of would be to install a walk in shower and bigger beds!

  Thank you so much for your lovely comments — we’re thrilled to hear you had such a great stay and that the property exceeded expectations! It’s always wonderful to hear when guests find it comfortable and well equipped. We really appreciate your suggestions too and will certainly pass them along to the team. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Vickie4.7★May 2025

• "Myself, my husband and our son had, overall, a lovely 4 night-stay over Christmas at Paye House and Cromarty never disappoints."

  Cooking Christmas dinner for the three of us was a little challenging, as the kitchen is only very basically equipped for cooking. The bedroom accommodation is also basic, which, having stayed there before we knew about in advance. The double beds are comfortable but small for couples and the twin beds are extremely uncomfortably hard. Though not luxurious and basic supplies like toilet roll, hand soap etc were rather stingy, Paye House is an ideal dog-friendly base for pottering around the village, just across the road from the wonderful Fishertown Inn!

  Many thanks for your feedback and we do appreciate all comments to help us improve what we offer. We are working out our plans for the next set of refurbishments and we are hoping to refurbish Paye House over the next winter. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Pauline3.4★Dec 2024

• "We were touring Scotland and stayed in five Sykes properties all of which were lovely but Paye House was our favourite."

  It was so welcoming and homely despite being a quite grand old house. Debbie from the National Trust was so lovely and helpful we could have stayed forever. Thank you for making our stay so happy.

  Many thanks for your lovely comments. Its a lovely historic house and the town of Cromarty is a great spot to see dolphins, individual shops, great little coffee house and a little cinema down by the harbour. Property Owner

  Reviewed by John5.0★Nov 2024

• "Superb holiday home, spacious and warm."

  Great attention to detail and great facilities. Would recommend to family and friends

  Reviewed by Anne5.0★Nov 2024

• "Paye House was lovely."

  We had the most wonderful week in the most wonderful village. The accomodation was spotless. The kitchen catered for all cooking needs. The beds, linen, heating, fire place, board games etc made the cottage very comfortable. Cromarty and Paye House did not disappoint. Truely a lovely place.

  Reviewed by Julianne5.0★Sep 2024

• "Clean, well equipped, roomy, full of character."

  Lovely people. Fantastic location. Loved it!

  Reviewed by Mark4.7★Aug 2024

• "Paye House is in the heart of Cromarty and a perfect location for exploring the highlands, beautiful scenery."

  A comfortable accommodation perfect for a large family with all amenities needed for a stay. The only downside that we found was the beds uncomfortable with roll on all beds. Having stayed in many cottages over the years we would have hoped for a welcome basket with the basics to allow for tea and coffee making on arrival but no such luck. We arrived at 7pm after a 11 hour drive to reach the cottage and with no shops etc open in the village this made for disappointment in the stay. We had to travel back to Inverness to find an open shop to stock up on provisions.

  Thank you very much for your feedback. We have noted your comments about the beds and will investigate. We have new sofas, soft furnishings and art work planned for Paye over the winter. As with many Highland Villages they only offer a small local or Spar shop. We would always encourage customers to stop in Inverness or Dingwall where there are larger supermarkets with longer opening hours. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Deborah4.1★Jul 2024

• "Personally I would have liked the back garden to have been more inviting."

  It needed a clean and tidy up to be able to sit outside. Outside seating is something I really enjoy!

  Reviewed by Lezley5.0★Jul 2024

• "The Paye House is very comfortable, beautifully furnished and full of character."

  It is right in the centre of Cromarty, opposite a pub (The Fishertown Inn) which does good local beers and gins, and a small but well done (and reasonably priced) menu to cater for all dietary needs. It is a stone’s throw from the waterfront, and there are dog walks from the door. We did find a few maintenance issues, which maybe had not been reported by anyone else, but the charming young gentleman in the Hugh Miller Museum was really quick to act when we pointed these out. I would happily recommend this as a place to stay.

  Many thanks for your feedback and we are sorry that you had some maintenance issues. Glad to hear that the team at Hugh Millar's sorted them out quickly. The house is in a great village, you can see the dolphins off the coast, easy to get to the West Coast or Inverness and even a little ferry to the Black Isle in Summer. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Jane E H4.7★Jun 2024

• "We had a wonderful week at the Paye House."

  The house is old (by a couple 100 years) so visitors should not expect modern accommodation. However, the kitchen was very functional and perfect for the four of us. The washing machine (which is also a dryer) worked and the bedrooms and baths were comfortable. We had a lovely time in Cromarty and did a lot of walking. The area is beautiful and we felt that a one-week holiday needed to be longer. A couple of recommendations: Upgrade the kitchenware, the knives are so dull they are hazardous. Some of the pots and pans were old and dirty. The floors in the house were a bit dirty, so a scrub between visitors would be great. Supplies were rather limited for a week stay, e.g., there were two rubbish bags provided but as a group of 4 we needed more. The rubbish bin was mostly full when we arrived. Despite these recommendations, I would return to the Paye house today, as the location and ambiance are wonderful.

  Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you had some issues in the house and we have passed on your feedback to the property team to rectify the issues. Cromarty is a great location, indeed, one of Scotland's most famous crime writers has a home there as well. Holidays Dept NTS Property Owner

  Reviewed by William3.4★May 2024

• "Had a great time, cottage was lovely and clean."

  Beds were very comfortable. If you like modern and sleek decor this isn't for you. Otherwise it was fantastic!

  Reviewed by Jennifer5.0★May 2024

• "We had a lovely three night stay at Paye House and didn’t want to leave."

  A lovely cottage with everything you need and so perfectly placed for everything in Cromarty. Can’t wait to return next year.

  Reviewed by Paul5.0★May 2024

• "When we arrived there was half a toilet roll between the two toilets, no hand soap, no dish cloth, no matches and only two dishwasher tablets."

  Some dishes and baking trays in the cupboards had food residues on them. The radiator in the kitchen did not work reliably, the runners for the top basket of the dishwasher were broken, the main oven door did not close readily. Kitchen knives and scissors unusably blunt. Disappointing.

  Thank you very much for your feedback. We are sorry that you had some issues during your stay and the house not prepared to our usual standard. We have updated the team in Cromarty about the problems you encountered and we are looking into the kitchen equipment. We do publish local contact numbers in the Welcome Folder in case of any problems and the team would have been only too happy to help as soon as you encountered the problems. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Mike3.1★Feb 2024

• "Paye House is a wonderful period cottage with everyone you need for a stay."

  We were so welcomed by the locals as we explored Cromarty, such a magical place to explore. I would highly recommend Paye house and would not hesitate to stay again in the future.

  Thank you for your kind words. Cromarty is a lovely village to stay in, lovely shops, views out to the Firth and near to Chanonry Point to get the best view of the Dolphins. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Leon5.0★Aug 2023

• "There a lot of dead flies in cobwebs on the windows in the living area"

  Reviewed by Sarah-jane3.8★Jul 2023

• "Spacious and well-appointed house in a lovely location."

  Highly recommended. The key box is at the BACK door, accessed through a tall, anonymous gate up the cobbled lane beside the house. Quite a few small maintenance/cosmetic issues, but I guess this must be normal for a high-throughput property. Wi-Fi works (intermittently) in north rooms of the house, but not in south (back) ones. Best to park down on the seafront after unloading since the streets and lanes in the vicinty are very narrow.

  Thank you for your feedback and comments which we appreciate. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Robert4.7★May 2023

• "We had a great stay in this beautiful cottage."

  Would definately stay again.

  Reviewed by Donna5.0★Mar 2023

• "Radiator in the kitchen wasn’t very effective throughout the week and the heating in general was inadequate at the beginning of the week."

  Minor points - no dustpan and only 2 black plastic bags. Apart from that the house was lovely and very comfortable. It was a great week.

  Many thanks for the feedback and a plumber has visited the house and all the issues have been resolved. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Morag4.7★Jan 2023

• "It is a very well run property with very "home like" feel in a beautiful village."

  Thank you very much, glad to read that you enjoyed your holiday in Cromarty. we hope to welcome you back. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Marta Anna5.0★Jun 2022

• "We had an absolutely wonderful stay in Paye House which was very comfortable and beautifully presented."

  Cromarty is a joy. I would highly recommend this property and we very much hope to return.

  Thank you very much for your kind words. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alexander5.0★Jun 2022

• "A beautiful & well appointed house in a fantastic location."

  I will be back :)

  Thank you for your feedback and we look forward to welcoming you back. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Elena5.0★Mar 2022

• "Lovely period house in a gorgeous Black Isle village."

  It was bitterly cold when we arrived and the central heating didn't seem to be working. However a call to the caretakers sorted this and they provided more fuel for the open fire too! Great service. Really enjoyed our stay and will be back!

  Many thanks for your feedback. I am glad that our Property Manager was able to sort out the heating for you and provide some extra fuel. Cromarty is a unique village. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Lee4.1★Feb 2022

• "The spacious cottage has a warm and cosy feel to it and despite COVID procedures limiting/removing some items normally available there (books etc), it was well equipped and provided everything we needed for home cooking etc."

  We loved Cromarty itself; the residents are wonderful custodians of its rich history and are very welcoming. A great base from which to explore the surrounding area and beyond. Alix (property manager) was very helpful and we appreciated the provision of a table and chairs for breakfast on the patio.

  We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Paye House. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Susan5.0★Sep 2021

• "Delighted to see on my 2nd visit this year that the garden had been tidied up and shrubs clipped."

  Disappointed however that there is still no outdoor seating provided.

  Reviewed by Stephen4.1★Sep 2021

• "The house is lovely, Cromarty a brilliant place to stay for a week."

  It was let down by unnecessary stingyness in things like the dishwasher tablets. only 2 were left for a week’s stay, and as an additional Covid measure, they also asked us to put a full load on at the end, even if everything had already been washed and put away. So only 1 tablet for the rest of the week. The boiler was very noisy at around 4.10am every day, and just before midnight. Minor niggles in an otherwise idyllic place.

  The Trust only leaves enough consumable materials for the evening of the night of arrival, which includes washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets and hand soap. The expectation is that guests will furnish the rest of their cleaning supplies. Running the dishwasher on the day guests leaves is an additional safeguard brought in because of the pandemic. The hot water boiler can be noisy, the thermostat cuts in when the temperature of the water drops below a certain level as a prevention against Legionella. If guests are disturbed by the boiler it may be prudent for them to turn off the heating and hot water over night. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Beatrix4.7★Aug 2021

• "Paye house was exceptional."

  We loved everything about it. Comfort, location, history & facilities all A*

  We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Paye House Property Owner

  Reviewed by Rachel5.0★Aug 2021

• "Once again we have enjoyed a Holiday in Cromarty - a couple of minor issues at property we would have preferred to have not had to deal with 1."

  Some Dog fouling in garden - we cleaned up but Dog Owners need to be responsible and perhaps the Scoop the Poop message needs to be reinforced 2. The Bath/Shower Drain was not draining at all well, we purchased some Drain Buster from local store which cleared the blockage Above didn't adversely affect our holiday but were avoidable

  Many thanks for your comments and glad you enjoyed your holiday. We will continue to reinforce the Dog fouling message at the cottage and we hope that our dog owning guests follow the reminders. Thank you for bringing to our attention the slow draining bath, and sorry that you had to buy some Drain Buster. The cleaning team do treat the drain when necessary but we will certainly keep an eye on it. Property Owner

  Reviewed by S4.1★Jul 2021

• "Very lovely characterful house in great location."

  Few niggles - WiFi only really worked in the lounge - realise is old property with thick walls and in the country ! - we were OK with it, others might not be......... The TV in the lounge is very small for the size of the room - not much bigger than a computer monitor. Could do with an upgrade so can watch films etc Garden - could do with some garden furniture

  Thank you for your comment about Paye House. Yes unfortunately WiFi doesn't work well in any house with solid walls. We will look at a larger screen TV when we come to replace it. The garden furniture was removed just before the Pandemic and we hope to be able to source some new garden furniture as it is a pleasant garden to sit in. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Gayle4.7★Jul 2021

• "Whilst I found the accommodation and facilities at Paye House up to its usual high standard, I was disappointed over 2 specific aspects to the booking: 1."

  There was no seating available in the rear garden. In previous years there has been a picnic bench there. Fortunately I had brought a collapsible lounger, without which I would have had no means of relaxing in the garden. 2. The rear garden has been poorly maintained - weeds and overgrown shrubs were everywhere and detracted from what would otherwise be a very enjoyable place to sit and enjoy the setting.

  Thank you for your feedback, we are in the process of sourcing some new garden furniture for Paye House. During the pandemic we were unable to carry out routine gardening as we would normally carry out. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Stephen3.8★Jun 2021

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