Ivy Cottage Guest House and Self Catering Accommodation

Apr 14th, 2023

We stayed in The Bothy, a cosy, simply but beautifully furnished, self catering unit. Had everything we needed for a weekend away. Warm, and well equipped, big comfortable bed, just right after a day out walking. We didn't use the sitooterie, but the local red squirrels did. There's an enormous wardrobe/storage too, which we didn't discover until pulling back all the curtains on the first morning Jennifer was very welcoming and helpful, but hands-off in a good way. Thanks for a great stay.
Feb 4th, 2023

We stayed a couple of times in the B&B in the summer for some Munro bagging and it was excellent. Wanted to stay again in December for ski touring but the B&B was closed for refurbishment so we booked the self catering Guest Cottage which was fantastic. Perfect location in the centre of the village. So clean and comfortable. Amazing shower. We love Braemar and Ivy Cottage has always delivered.
Jan 5th, 2023

Oct 21st, 2022

*The reply to this review was edited by the owner of the cottage to defend her point without admitting that she wasn't being very nice and friendly when we tried to reach out for her help.* The cottage was very lovely. I do not deny that. However, there was just one sheer disappointment, which was so serious that I had to write it here. It was very disappointing that she made derogatory remarks about the problem that we reported. There was a heater near the entrance door, and my girlfriend felt a little cold because she was near the door so she wanted to turn it on to keep the cottage even warmer. When we turned it on, it emitted some toxic gases which smelt really bad and made us cough. Hence, we just asked the host why there is a strong smell of carbon monoxide. Having not studied Chemistry for many years, I forgot that carbon monoxide is actually an odourless gas and she retorted with an unfriendly reply that it does not smell but she will come to our cottage to check on it. First, she made a really loud sound when she knocked on the door. As soon as she opened her mouth, she sounded very impatient and kept asking if we were feeling that cold even when there was a big radiator in the kitchen. She could not understand why we wanted to use it. But my point was, why can't we use it when it was there in the first place? If it was not supposed to be used, she could just kindly remove it or tell us that no one uses it so that we won't even touch it. Additionally, she made indiscriminating remarks that carbon monoxide does not smell so there is an alarm for it, treating us as if we were knowledgeless people. She went on to explain that because it hasn't been used for a long time, so the source of smell would probably be from the dust that have been stuck in the heater for a long time. She also grumbled that she didn't understand why we reported this problem when she let us check in early and this cottage is a lovely place. She made us feel like we were not supposed to contact her when we encountered some problems. Everyone has a different level of cold tolerance. We were indeed feeling a little cold when we were near the main door, but the host merely assumed that because her cottage has always been kept warm, she did not expect us to ask a question about the heater. When we did, she thought it was bizarre and asked in a very unfriendly and irritated tone if we were feeling that cold, as if we have done something wrong. Her manner of asking that question really infuriated me. As such, we were really speechless and lost for words. She made us feel like we had to take it as it was when she clearly mentioned that we could reach out to her if we face any problems. Overall, she is a host that is unfriendly and uncouth. We called her to check the problem but she did not answer our phone so we just texted her to clarify. Nothing more, nothing less. We did not even expect her to reply immediately. But the way she handled our query really spoiled my day when we planned to have a very nice and relaxing end of the year holiday because she was so rude to us. Unfortunately, her treatment of us was very dissatisfactory and she did not say a word of apology, which compelled me to write this long review.
Feb 1st, 2023