Paye House - Cromarty

Paye House is a very comfortable and lovely cottage.

Very spacious, warm and with good facilities. Great location in the village within easy walking distance of everything.

We were returning visitors to Paye House.

We come back because we like the house and Cromarty so much. It’s a treat to be there. Our only quibble is that fuel for an initial fire was absent.

Paye House is an older property so presents it's own foibles, mostly adding character to our stay (some creaky floorboards, shutters).

Well furnished and spacious (just the 2 of us). The heating was in the midst of being updated and was off for a couple of days (old property, unexpected problems, hot water was ok) but NTS staff supplied additional heaters to cope. Good location, Cromarty being small enough that everything is within a 10 minute walk.

Thoroughly enjoyed our break at Paye House.

A great property full of character in a fab location.

A wonderful property in the heart of Cromarty, steeped in local history.

Beautiful homely vibes, lots of space, and dog friendly. Charming little cottage garden, that overlooks Hugh Millers garden next door, perfect for that morning coffee. Loved the reading nook and such a fabulous lounge, with comfy sofas. We loved our stay here and highly reccomend it!

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!

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!

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.

Superb holiday home, spacious and warm.

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

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.

Clean, well equipped, roomy, full of character.

Lovely people. Fantastic location. Loved it!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

We had a great stay in this beautiful cottage.

Would definately stay again.

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.

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

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.

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!

A beautiful & well appointed house in a fantastic location.

I will be back :)

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.

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.

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.

Paye house was exceptional.

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

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

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

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.