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Braeriach - Mar Lodge Estate

(Ref. 1060439)

Braemar, Moray, Aberdeenshire & The Coastal Trail Show on map

4.6

Sykes rating

  • 4 Guests

  • 1 Bedroom

  • 1 Bathroom

  • Pets Yes

Features

  • Electric vehicle charging
  • Four poster bed
  • Off road parking
  • Cot available
  • Highchair available
  • Washing machine
  • Dishwasher
  • Games Room
  • Broadband / WiFi

Reviews & Ratings

Accuracy of the listing
Cleanliness
Comfort
Facilities and Maintenance
  • All reviews
  • lodge (10)
  • mar (10)
  • apartment (8)
  • property (7)
  • place (7)
  • staff (7)

23 Customer Reviews

  • "Our 5 th time at mar lodge, our second in this apartment."

    We love Mar lodge and the surrounding area. We met a lot of staff this time and had a good chat with them and they answered all our queries. The apartment was so warm and the views amazing.

    Reviewed by Sheila5.0Oct 2024

  • "Stayed at Braeriach n Macdui and Bynack at mar lodge for the past 15 years and it’s never failed to please us."

    Reviewed by Sheila5.0Oct 2024

  • "Great location, lovely and peaceful, beautiful property and apartment."

    No need to say any more!

    Reviewed by Richard5.0Mar 2024

  • "Mar Lodge is a wonderful place to stay and enjoy the area."

    Reviewed by Catherine5.0Mar 2024

  • "This was our third visit to Braeriach and we do enjoy our stays there."

    It’s clean, warm, comfortable and all staff around Mar Lodge are very welcoming. My one complaint is the cooker. The grill section warms up to a luke warm temperature, but you could never cook anything under there. I notice that others have said similar and the response is that it’s been checked and it’s fine. I would suggest turning on the grill and waiting a little longer, like I did, and then deciding if it’s fine or not.

    Thank you for your feedback and we hope to welcome you back to Mar Lodge. The team have checked the grill and it is now working and heating up correctly. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Susie4.1Feb 2024

  • "Extremely comfortable."

    Property, well furnished with antique furniture as well as up-to-date furniture. A great place to stay and relax. A great amenity being the ability to walk straight from the property on quite a variety of long walks in the hills.

    Reviewed by Lesley5.0Feb 2024

  • "We’ve stayed several times at Braeriach apartment and as always perfect!"

    Reviewed by Sheila5.0Feb 2024

  • "I have stayed at Mar Lodge on numerous occasions."

    Beautiful apartments and area. Temperatures on this occasion hit minus 9 deg. After a walk in the surrounding hills I ran a bath which was Luke warm at most. I complained to staff and then Sykes. It appears Health and Safety has gone mad, as Aberdeen Council have made the NTS fit temperature limiters to their baths in their properties. This was NOT mentioned in the property details on Sykes website. I appreciate keeping people safe but the long soak in a deep bath, a main feature of the apartment, is now ruined (unless you want to boil a kettle 12 times). No compensation offered either despite being a loyal customer for many years. Bitterly disappointed. Offer of a £50 voucher for use within 2 years not really good enough considering it’s now nearly £600 for 4 nights in January when most other apartments were not occupied and some even had workmen in decorating during our stay. Conflicted as we love the place usually but likely may not return.

    Thank you for your comments. As you are aware the local authority asked us to fit the thermostatic valves, this was part of licensing conditions and to meet Scottish Buildings Standards. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Stuart2.8Jan 2024

  • "Always love coming to Mar Lodge."

    Great impromptu tour from Doroti which we really appreciated. Coat hooks in the utility room would be a great addition particularly on wet walking days.

    Reviewed by Dorothy5.0Nov 2023

  • "We stayed for three nights and enjoyed it thoroughly."

    Lots of character and big comfortable rooms. It has an eat in kitchen as well as a dining/ lounge room. The kitchen is fully equipped, including a dishwasher. There is also a washing machine but no dryer. The king size four poster bed is very comfortable with a view through large windows to the grounds and hills beyond. Parking is in the courtyard at the rear of the building. The way in isn't obvious at first but as you drive down the dramatic front driveway towards the building, turn left and then immediately right between the main building and the small red and white building at the side. Follow the road around to the rear of the house and the entrance is there.

    Reviewed by Gregory5.0May 2023

  • "Lovely apartment in a great location."

    Excellent bed & very spacious living room & bedroom. Cold weather so on request heating was increased immediately. Staff very helpful & friendly. Lots of good walks close by.

    Reviewed by Philip5.0Apr 2023

  • "Wonderful place in a beautiful setting !"

    Wakening up in a 4 poster king bed with nature flooding through the large bedroom window on a sunny morning really recharges one’s batteries!

    Reviewed by Tom5.0Apr 2023

  • "Lovely flat."

    Sofa beds provide extra space at good value for money.

    Reviewed by G T5.0Feb 2023

  • "The toilet door handle was quite tricky to open."

    At one point I thought I was stuck in there. Never before been instructed to remove sheets etc.- is this considered an improvement? Top oven in cooker does not work. Extra guidance for leaving was sent on the Sunday, I only found this on the Monday when I arrived home. Pointless assuming people on holiday will check e-mails.

    Thank you for your feedback which we take seriously. The team at Mar Lodge also receive the feedback as well as the NTS Holidays Dept. We have checked the door handle and the top oven and they seem to be ok. The guidance that is in the apartment and sent by Sykes is just for guidance only and we hope that receiving this when you got home did not spoil your weekend. We are aware that Fireworks were let off on the estate during the weekend of your stay and it disturbed local residents, livestock and pets. We received a number of complaints from locals about it and hope you were not disturbed. Fireworks are not permitted at Mar Lodge or any other NTS properties so we were very disappointed to have not been asked if they were allowed. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Mary3.4Jan 2023

  • "Lovely property in a beautiful setting."

    Staff helpful and friendly.

    Reviewed by Darrell5.0Dec 2022

  • "Superb location."

    Very well maintained. So peaceful too.

    Reviewed by Peter5.0Nov 2022

  • "This is the most unwelcoming place we have stayed."

    A note informing us of problems with the water supply was uncaring particularly given the 5pm check in - which is far later than any other cottage we have stayed at. Waiting for boiled water to cool could have been avoided by leaving a litre bottle of water to get us started. And don’t say ‘why not have a nice cup of tea’. The justification for late check in was cleaning needed ‘because of the pandemic’, which also required us to ‘keep out of the way of other guests’. But NTS then organised a ceilidh (which was excellent) where we clearly got very close to other guests. This does not square. The fact that there were a number of maintenance problems (I left a note explaining) detracted further. Such a shame as this could be a fabulous place. The how to find the property letter we received from Sykes told us Victoria Bridge might be closed. That turned out to be a year out of date. NTS is running this place as if it were still the 19th century.

    Many thanks for your feedback after your recent stay at Mar Lodge estate. We have discussed your feedback with the team at the estate and we do agree in that we should revert back to a check in time of 4pm and that the signage for social distancing is not needed within the Lodge. We apologise for the inconvenience with regard to the water. We were informed by Aberdeenshire Council on Thursday 1st Sept that we needed to ask our customers to boil the water and didn't receive the follow up visit from the Council and confirmation that the supply was alright until Monday 5th Sept. We understood that all mention of the Victoria Bridge refurbishment had been removed from the communications that are sent out but on investigation we found that one field in the database still had mention of it. This has now been removed. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Ian2.2Sep 2022

  • "An exceptionally clean and furnished apartment."

    Perhaps needs a little updating regarding paintwork and the shower above the bath could be difficult for older or less fit clients. The location is perfect and the NTS staff are very helpful. We have been returning to Mar Lodge for 15 years.

    many thanks for your feedback. The team do have a rolling programme of refurbishment and refresh for the holiday cottages and apartments. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Sheila4.7Apr 2022

  • "This is an extremely well appointed property."

    It is warm and comfortable, even when it’s snowing outside! A very minor quibble is a lack of signage for the car park. Fortunately my husband had been before, so he knew where to go, but it could be confusing, especially if you’ve just driven a long way.

    Reviewed by Valerie5.0Mar 2022

  • "Another perfect stay at Mar lodge, beautiful place, spectacular surroundings, ..."

    Another perfect stay at Mar lodge, beautiful place, spectacular surroundings, friendly helpful staff, fabulous accommodation

    Many thanks for your very kind words. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Angela5.0Mar 2022

  • "Your apartment was very clean , there was coffee and tea left out for us on arrival, the bed was very comfortable, we felt like we were in Downton Abbey was very posh , the heating was on so it was cozy after our walks up on the hills , would definitely recommend this place."

    We got guided tour around Mar Lodge. Myself l live in Braemar as a child so this was great seeing the place again and actually staying in Mar Lodge was brilliant

    Many thanks for your lovely comments and these have been passed onto the team at Mar Lodge. You are very welcome To come back and stay with us again. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Suzanne5.0Oct 2021

  • "The service provided by Sykes was excellent."

    I know Mar Lodge well having stopped at it as a child for sandwiches when doing local Munro’s and this prompted our booking. The property doesn’t fail to deliver and the apartment has a very grand appearance however the standard of the facilities inside (washing machine, cooker, dishwasher, bathroom, kitchen utensils etc) didn’t match the price or the feel of the property. We very much support the initiative of NTS in what they are trying to achieve with the Mar Estate and we’re sorry to give this feedback but some small changes (increasing the amount of crockery, not having inventory listings on the inside of cupboards, having knives that work etc) will make a huge difference.

    Thank you for your feedback. When we came out of lockdown the whole of the selfcatering industry were given guidelines by their various governments. One piece of advice was to reduce the amount of crockery that could be handled by customers. We are now starting to increase the level of inventory in the kitchens to pre-lockdown levels. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Gareth2.8Sep 2021

  • "Fantastic accommodation, clean, spacious and well equipped."

    Quiet location , surrounded by majestic countryside views. Stunning location with nearby Braemar restaurants and shopping.

    Thank you for your kind comments and we look forward to welcoming you again to Mar Lodge. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Karen5.0May 2021

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Summary

  • First floor apartment
  • One four-poster queen-size bedroom
  • Bathroom with roll top bath, shower over, basin and WC
  • Cloakroom with basin and WC
  • Kitchen/diner
  • Living/dining room with two sofa beds.
  • Biomass central heating
  • Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher
  • TV, DVD player, CD player, WiFi
  • Fuel and power inc. in rent
  • Bed linen and towels inc. in rent
  • Travel cot and highchair available on request
  • Off-road parking in rear car park
  • Access to Mar Lodge Estate
  • Private water supply
  • Sorry, no smoking or vaping
  • Shop and pub 4.1 miles
  • Two well-behaved dogs welcome
  • Holiday guests have access to the estate grounds outside of the regular opening hours
  • Electric vehicle charging is available at this property with prior arrangement via donation to NTS
  • The stag ballroom, grand dining room, library and drawing room at Mar Lodge can be hired separately for private events – please contact the lodge for further details on +44 (0)13397 41276
  • Mar Lodge Ranger service runs a number of scheduled walks and events throughout the year- information on these can be found by visiting here
  • The opening times, visitor facilities and entry prices of all National Trust for Scotland properties and attractions can be viewed on their website here

The property

Lying within the depths of the Cairngorms National Park, you will find the splendid National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge, which houses this stunning first floor apartment, Braeriach.

The perfect choice for a pair seeking a countryside escape amidst the breath-taking scenery of Scotland, Braeriach is one of several luxurious apartments within this traditional country lodge, affording wondrous views over the estate’s Caledonian pine forest, making it a true haven for a rural retreat.

After exploring the vast grounds on a morning walk, venture into your country retreat for lunch, with a well-equipped kitchen/diner presenting all the appliances you need during your self-catered stay, including a washing machine and a dishwasher for your convenience.

Choose to eat in the kitchen, or for a more formal dining experience, venture into the living/dining room, which continues the grandiose décor and furnishings of the property with a beautiful dining table and chairs resting behind the plush seating arrangement.

A quiet evening can be spent relaxing before the TV as you watch a favourite DVD, or simply enjoying the company of your loved ones, with this room hosting two extra guests on sofa beds, offering a comforting setting to fall asleep in.

The elegant bedroom is home to a majestic four-poster king-size bed, where you will feel like royalty as you drift into a slumber.

Freshen up in the bathroom making use of the classic roll top bath for a relaxing soak or enjoying a refreshing shower, preparing you for a day of adventure in this exciting area of Scotland.

Make memories you'll never forget with the ones you hold dear at Braeriach.

This property can be booked alongside Refs. 1060441, 1060442, 1060443, 1060444, 1060494, 1060500, together sleeping up to 55 guests.

Exempt from needing a Scottish Licence to Short Term Let

EPC Rating: Band C

Mar Lodge Estate

Resting within the heart of the Cairngorms National Park is Mar Lodge, a beautiful Victorian sporting lodge that has been carefully restored by the National Trust for Scotland to offer wonderful holiday accommodation amidst one of the country's most iconic landscapes. With eight properties in total across the estate, Mar Lodge is ideal for large family gatherings or celebrations, providing couples and small groups with a perfect country retreat too. The picturesque lodge itself has been split into five luxuriously furnished apartments, including Dalvorar, Macdui, Braeriach, Derry and Bynack, whilst the remaining three, Claybokie, Garage Cottage and Creag Bhalg rest within a high-walled garden facing onto the river within the estate's pine woods. The main lodge is a true delight, with high ceilings, grand hallways and a fabulous billiards room, open to all apartments within the lodge at a small extra cost, the perfect space for socialising with your loved ones. This prime Highland estate has been visited by nobility since the medieval period and is now recognised as one of Scotland's most important conservation sites, with ongoing preservation work to maintain the beauty of the ancient Caledonian pine forest and to protect the native wildlife. If you're seeking a holiday rich in breath-taking scenery and outdoor adventures, then Mar Lodge Estate is a superb choice. Take walks through wooded glens, stroll alongside crystal clear burns and soak up the marvellous mountain scenery, with this estate being home to four of Britain's five highest mountains. Plenty of excitement can be had on a holiday here, with thrilling mountain-biking routes being perfect for adrenaline-seekers, the River Dee offering some of the best salmon fishing in the world, and classic sports like shooting and stalking being popular too. Head into the nearby village of Braemar for all your self-catering needs, home to a highly recommended local butcher, alongside some delightful cafés, shops and pubs to enjoy throughout your stay. Attractions nearby include the Queen's Balmoral Castle and Estate, with royalty often visiting the area since the estate was purchased by Queen Victoria in 1848, you can now visit too and attend a fascinating guided tour. Less than fifteen miles away is the Glenshee Ski Centre offering 40km of pistes for skiing and snowboarding in the winter months, so you can find excitement here all-year-round! History lovers will delight at the ease in which an array of wondrous NTS castles can be reached, including the fairytale delight of Craigievar Castle, Crathes Castle, home to diverse wildlife and an impressive interior, and Drum Castle, one of Scotland’s oldest tower houses, all just a scenic drive away. Enjoy the wonders of this location from the luxury and comfort of Mar Lodge Estate.

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About the location

BRAEMAR

Ballater 17 miles; Aberdeen 59 miles.

The village of Braemar in Royal Deeside sits amongst some of the most beautiful scenery Scotland has to offer. Nestling in the River Dee valley within the Cairngorms National Park, Braemar and the area around it are a treasure trove for the outdoor enthusiast, boasting 24 Munros, the highest 18-hole golf course in the country and close proximity to the Glenshee Ski Centre. The village offers plentiful opportunities for relaxation as well in the many cafes, shops and restaurants. The famous Highland Gathering in September, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth, is a spectacular feast of highland games, music and dancing. Inverness, Aberdeen and Perth are a great day out, are accessed through great scenery, and are well worth a visit. Royal Deeside boasts many rare wildlife and plant species such as capercaillie, roe deer, red squirrels and golden eagles. With Braemar and Balmoral Castles and the Royal Lochnagar Distillery in this area, there is indeed something for everyone in this delightful part of Scotland.

This property offers the following short breaks:

  • Winter
  • Off-season
  • Last minute
  • Christmas