The Larches

16 Customer Reviews

• Verified booking

  "Superb location, stunning views of the mountains."

  Not too far from loch ness, Inverness and fort William. The cottage was cosy and tidy, we were a party of 10 from the ages of 5 to 54 and everyone enjoyed their stay thoroughly. The log burners were not used but we all imaged how they would have enhanced the experience even more, oh yes we also had a dog amd he loved it too. Thanks to Joy and the team for a wonderful Highland home.

  I’m really glad you had a great time. It’s a lovely part of the world!! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ishtaq5.0★Aug 2025

• Verified booking

  "Best holiday ever!"

  Very comfortable base for a multi generational gathering. Very easy to find. Best holiday cottage I've ever booked. Great views from the fantastic conservatory. Keen to return! Minor issues: dining room overhead light is a little dim, a brighter bulb would aid board games! A lamp with a longer cord in the back bedroom upstairs so it can be turned off without getting out of bed would be helpful. Also the option of a lighter weight quilt. It would also be helpful to have a shower wall bracket in the upstairs bathroom and shower curtain, to make it easier to use as a shower.

  Reviewed by Debbie4.1★Aug 2025

• Verified booking

  "What a perfect location and property for a multi-generational family holiday in the Highlands."

  There is acres of living space both inside and outside for both grandparents and teenagers/toddlers to be happy. Well-equipped kitchen with plenty of utensils (not always common). A few more local tips and board games with all the pieces would be helpful, but not essential. A thoroughly cosy retreat where all the family were able to have a lovely break whether playing football in the garden or reading a book in the sunlounge, climbing the local mountains or visiting the Highland Museum. There's something for everyone in close range and a great welcoming base.

  Thank you I will get some games … thanks for your lovely feedback Property Owner

  Reviewed by David4.7★Aug 2025

• Verified booking

  "Very nice, authentic cottage, fully equipped and perfect for 8 people and a dog ..."

  Very nice, authentic cottage, fully equipped and perfect for 8 people and a dog ; ) - Cairngorm mountains and lakes are next door

  Thank you for the lovely feedback Property Owner

  Reviewed by Guenther5.0★Aug 2025

• Verified booking

  "We thoroughly enjoyed our stay - thank you!"

  One minor issue was a bedroom curtain rail which has been loosened and reconnected loosely, resulting in it coming away when the curtains were pulled. We have reconnected in the same way but thought you should know. That aside, The Larches is a lovely home (rather than house) in which we were very comfortable. It is situated ideally for exploring the area, though we found relaxing in our home from home was lovely too. We hope to return soon!

  Thank you for letting me know. I’m planning to get all the curtains redone but waiting until September when it’s not let out… thank you for reattaching them!! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Mike4.4★Aug 2025

• Verified booking

  "The cottage was lovely but needed a few bits like shower head dish waher and ..."

  The cottage was lovely but needed a few bits like shower head dish waher and sink kept blocking and most of all didn't really enjoy stairing at a red skip stuck outside the conservatory as that was where we mostly sat to admire the views

  I’m so sorry the skip didn’t get lifted before your stay. I’ve not been well and I meant to return to the property before your visit to finish throwing stuff out. I’m sorry for the dishwasher problems too. I will endeavour to resolve these issues asap Property Owner

  Reviewed by Andrew4.7★Mar 2025

• Verified booking

  "Our stay at the house was fantastic x we had the most amazing time x The house ..."

  Our stay at the house was fantastic x we had the most amazing time x The house is a few minutes drive from shops, cafes etc and 3 minutes from the wildlife park x everything you need is in the house and there is an amazing large garden x our dog loved it x we will definitely return x thank you it was fabulous

  Reviewed by Jane5.0★Oct 2024

• Verified booking

  "Garden was excellent my dog loved it."

  The kids 3 kids all had a great time they loved the garden the space and the toys left for them to play with especially the little kitchen. There are a few maintenance issues that require attention the plugs in sinks are all faulty and don't come out the chain is missing of the bath plug which is equally hard to come out. The broken spindle on the stairs is a hazard for the young children going up and down stairs. The sofas and bed downstairs are all too low and not suitable for older members of group who couldn't get up and down from them the sofas are due to age and wear but the downstairs bed is a very low type which doesn't make it ideal as it is perfect for people stating in groups to locate those who can't use the stairs. The kitchen was very well equipped had everything we could possibly need and more. However again first impressions was the loose door falling off on the most used cupboard for the plates and bowls etc. We were very unlucky with the weather however it did not ruin our stay and the house property was very good overall the lack of a TV expect the small one in living room was good for encouraging the family to sit around the large dining table and in the conservatory which is where we spent most of our time in the house with the double sided fire keeping everyone warm and relaxing to watch. The location is quiet and away from main roads to really relax but yet only a five minute drive from a kingussie coop if odds and ends needed and ideally placed to explore Aviemore and the surrounding area. We would definetly consider staying again and looking at other sykes cottages properties

  Hi David Thank you for your feedback… I have not been able to get up to the property recently due to a diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment thereafter. I will alert our cleaner and maintenance man about the issues. I plan to redo the kitchen, replace that low bed and fix the flooring in the downstairs bathroom, dining room and kitchen in the autumn. I’ll get the broken spindle fixed too. I’m sorry you had those issues but am glad it didn’t ruin your stay. I’m also sad you didn’t get good weather ! Property Owner

  Reviewed by David3.1★Jun 2024

• Verified booking

  "The house was lovely and absolutely spotless."

  My only complaint would be the size of the fridge. With having 10 of is staying it made it difficult to have a lot of fresh food stored in the fridge and we had to go shopping most days but apart from that everything was great. I would definitely recommend this house for friends and family if they wanted to book somewhere. We had a family trip for my mums 70th birthday and had family from Glasgow, Ireland, Dundee and the Orkney Islands inuding 2 children and a dog. The garden was very spacious and had a tree house and Swing which the kids loved.

  Reviewed by Donna4.7★Mar 2024

• Verified booking

  "This property was amazing, and perfect for the purposes of our stay."

  It was set in a beautiful location and there was lots a or room for all 10 of us. It was also fully stocked with plates and cups etc, which you don’t always get when you go away. We brought extra amenities but didn’t need them all all! The only thing I would say is it probably isn’t great for 10 adults as the bunk bed room is tiny and the beds creaky and didn’t feel too safe for the weight or an adult. Two of us had to sleep on sofas which wasn’t great. I’d say it’s absolutely perfect for 8 adults and two kids though because the toys and books in the bunk bed room were great!

  I agree the bunks are better for kids although full size. We will look at getting a pull out sofa bed … something we used to have maybe need to revisit this … thank you for your feedback Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ashleigh4.7★Dec 2023

• Verified booking

  "The Larches is undoubtedly a property with a unique charm and bags of character in a stunning location."

  However its a real shame that we can’t publish the photos as part of this review, as this property was extremely unclean and unhygenic. Blood stained bedding, torn mattresses and pillowcases, rusting kitchen utensils, dirt on floors and the bedding hadn’t been changed from the previous guests who departed the morning of our arrival. We spent the first 2 days washing and drying the bedding and had to buy new baking trays and a frying pan from the Tesco supermarket. One of the bedrooms we didn’t even use because there was dried blood stained into the mattress itself. The property is nothing like the photos on the Sykes website, all of the upholstery is tired, grubby, worn and run down. We’ve complained to Sykes who say they can’t help us despite confirming that the photos we have submitted show the property is clearly unclean and has obvious issues (the owner apparently doesn’t think that blood stains and bodily fluid stains on mattresses are a hygiene/cleanliness issue). The property has a small guest book, I note that cleanliness was mentioned several times and that several pages have been ripped out so clearly feedback isn’t taken particularly well with regards to this property. A real shame as the location is stunning and the property has bags of character, quite simply it just hasn’t been looked after and needs a thorough deep clean and restoration work throughout. I paid £914 for 4 nights and I can honestly say I feel genuinely wronged about the experience, this was a special trip for us and the state/hygiene of the property impacted our ability to enjoy our time there. After seeing the photos, Sykes informed us we should receive a refund and that the owner had agreed to this - but then Sykes messaged us again a few days later saying there has been an error and no refund has been agreed ? Very strange and confusing, our experience with Sykes has been staggeringly poor. I reluctantly write this review as I had hoped our feedback and complaint submitted to the owner via Sykes would be dealt with seriously and the owner recognise that our photographs and account constitute a breach of section 8.1 of the hire agreement, sadly the owner has failed to recognise this. I can only suggest that anyone considering coming here gets an assurance prior to booking this accommodation that it has had all bedding updated and replaced and a deep clean given throughout. We are in the process of escalating further - if the owner would like to reach out to us directly to amicably discuss the condition of the property and our stay, we would be happy to have this discussion.

  The problem arises with the fact you didn’t complain about the issues at the outset… you should’ve left the property if it was found in the state you describe. We had issues with a previous cleaner and addressed these. Our new cleaners were working for your stay and we have had no issues since they’ve been employed. Everything was clean when you arrived. Admittedly some of the quilts were old but they were clean but in response to your claims we have changed all the linen as some of it was old but it was cleaned. Over time quilts get worn and stained. These were covered by new quilt covers but all linen was freshly laundered and put on the beds. My belief is that you are trying to get a retrospective refund instead of complaining at the moment the “problems” arose. You could’ve contacted myself or Sykes on day one and we could’ve helped. We both would’ve helped at that stage and would’ve compensated you if you had communicated the problems before choosing to use the house for the rental period. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Sam1.3★Sep 2023

• Verified booking

  "We arrived at 5pm and could not unlock the key storage due to a change in code we were not updated on."

  The rental property did not have the new code and notified me they’d contact the owner. Thankfully, the owner’s number was in a book at the cottage and I was able to reach out myself after not hearing back from the rental company. The owner called back a few hours later with the new code and was very nice and apologetic. We never heard from the rental company. The clean was okay - there were quite a few crumbs left on the floors and trash in some of the baskets. The downstairs toilet was a bit wobbly, but no major maintenance concerns to note. The owner asked us to leave the heat on due to a bad valve that’s in the process of being repaired - we did not have heat issues during our stay. The written directions provided to access the property were a little confusing, but Apple Maps got us there perfectly. The location was beautiful and the cottage itself was very nice.

  We have addressed the issues with the key code and heating valves. Sorry for these inconveniences. We also have new cleaners so hopefully things will be better for future guests. Thank you for your feedback Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alexis3.8★Sep 2023

• Verified booking

  "We had a fabulous week at The Larches."

  The house was beautiful and set in an amazing location. The conservatory was bathed in sunlight in the morning with amazing views over the mountains. The log shed was well stocked and we made use of this on chilly evenings. The bedrooms were all lovely and the kitchen had everything we could need. The activities and walks on offer in the area were fantastic and we only touched the surface. We climbed Cairngorm Mountain, paddleboarded on the stunning Loch Morlaich, went mountain biking at Laggan Wolftrax and had an amazing day at the Highland Wildlife Park. A few small points to make The Larches even better for next time: One bedroom door wouldn't close fully and a clothes horse for wet things would have been useful. We would highly recommend The Larches and would love to come back. Thankyou so much.

  Thank you Leah…. We will get a clothes horse and address the issues with the door … Property Owner

  Reviewed by Leah4.7★Aug 2023

• Verified booking

  "Das Haus war ausreichend, 2,5 von 5 Punkte."

  Aber Sykes Cottages: Nie wieder! - Die Dusche im unteren Bad war verstopft - Die Waschmaschine defekt und mit alter Wäsche befüllt - Kein Spiegel im Bad - Ein Wespennest direkt am KeySafe KEINES der Probleme wurde gelöst, Sykes regierte weder auf 4 Anrufe noch auf 7 Mails. Wir mussten abreisen ohne Kontakt aufnehmen zu können. So etwas haben wir in noch nie erlebt.

  Sykes did not manage your booking well and I’m very disappointed with the experience you had with them. There was an issue with the washing machine and you were supposed to have been informed prior to your visit. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your stay Property Owner

  Reviewed by Sebastian1.9★Jul 2023

• Verified booking

  "The house was stunning and in a fabulous location."

  Thanks Catherine … very glad you enjoyed your stay Property Owner

  Reviewed by Catherine5.0★May 2023

• Verified booking

  "Lovely holiday home - everything we could have wanted!"

  Apart from the hairdryer…. Next time !! Thank you Property Owner

  Reviewed by Richard5.0★Feb 2023

• There are no reviews featuring this term Show all reviews