Torridon Estate

Apr 12th, 2023

We visited this place this summer and loved the beautiful setting and nature around the estate. Sadly, the riverside behind the building was untidy and used as a storage. The historical estate is impressive, but The 1 star evaluation refers purely to our overall impression of the B&B quality and services offered. We were negatively surprised by the lack of a minimum of politeness and hospitality of the hosts. We were asked to arrive between 5 and 7pm, and although in time, we had to search and call for someone for over 30 minutes, until we found the gardener by chance. He was willing to help, but only another 10 minutes later, a young lady arrived. She had to search first for the keys before we got the room eventually. After that, we never saw anybody again, not even when we left. No information was given to us, not even on whether we can use common spaces. The breakfast quality was poor (same as on the picture shown by others), and was served in the room, although restrictions were dropped everywhere else. The front door garden was used to store a street food trailer, and overgrown. The room windows were dirty and with dry paint sprinkles left behind, impossible to open because the frames were glued together by paint. Heating was improvised with an insufficient electrical heater, because the nice old radiators didnt function. This historical building definitely deserves better treatment than that! Dear host, a B&B is a business, and the host who keeps a B&B has obligations towards their guests, who are well paying clients after all! We fully understand, you are busy with more important and creative stuff, than welcoming your guests, or looking after them, but true Highland hospitality, as stated on your website, looks different! Calling yourself artists, musicians, cooks, gardeners and visionaries, is admirable, but not the first priority your B&B guests, from which you expect to pay these high prices, and certainly doesnt excuse rudeness.
Dec 13th, 2022

During a week's trip to the North-West, my mum and I stayed in a variety of places - a chain hotel, a modern purpose-built B&B, a small older hotel, expensive golfer hotels. The Torridon Estate might not have been the most comfortable of the places we stayed but it was definitely the most special. We had a lovely, informal welcome and were shown to our "room". It was more like a mini-suite with a spacious dining area and, through an archway, a twin room with huge wardrobe, sofa and comfortable beds. We had a view of the river and it was very peaceful falling asleep to the sound of the water. Another bonus was that the shower was great - very modern with excellent water pressure. Yes, it is difficult to get dinner. The local hotel sometimes offers meals to non-residents but this is not guaranteed so, as one reviewer found, you are looking at a drive on a single-track road to Kinlochewe. It's not a particularly challenging road - good visibility - but it is off-putting if you have already driven far. Next time we go, I think we will have an early dinner there and then drive to the Torridon Estate. We had a delicious breakfast delivered to our room in the morning. It's not a cooked breakfast (apart from the boiled eggs) but it was nicely-presented, there was more than enough and my dietary requirements were taken care of. One thing to note for the whole area is that, by the end of September, some hotels and cafes were closing for winter or reducing their opening hours. Make sure you plan ahead. This is not a fancy hotel, things are a little bit shabby because they are old and have been well-used, the heating was provided by small electric heaters. However, it was full of character. It felt like a family home with some rooms for guests. We felt it had lots of character. Perhaps, as Scottish people with lots of experience of staying in older houses, we had a better idea of what to expect. We hope to go back in the future. Thank you for a really special stay.
Nov 28th, 2022

Hello everyone, I have read many of the positive and not-so-positive comments about this establishment, and I wanted to leave my impression; we arrived at Torridon State around 5 pm, and our first lousy surprise was that there was no possibility of dining anything and the nearest site has considerable distance along complicated roads. Still, if it rains, in all places, a prior reservation is required, the owner did not give us any help, so in the end, we did not have dinner; if you go to this establishment, have dinner before. In any case, our next surprise was when we went to sleep, the toilet was used and the sheets, as you can see from the stained photograph, unfortunately, it was too late, we were tired, and the weather conditions were not good, if we had not left at that time, we slept as we could outside that bed of course. Breakfast: the truth is that a bit of fruit and some cereals in small boxes is not what I call a great breakfast. Still, in any case, seeing what we find at night, we prefer to make use of nothing else and not have breakfast in this establishment; I always have a maximum; if what you see is like this, imagine what you can not see. I understand that each establishment has its public and that the owners are sovereign to maintain an offer like this; it is unacceptable to have dirty public lodging with unacceptable hygienic conditions, at least for me. Anyway, I do not want to talk about this establishment's heating or other elements because it is clear that this note was not a good experience; it is evident that the owners have different passions, and the hospitality industry is not one of them.
Nov 1st, 2022

We stayed here for two nights. The location is excellent - at the end of Torridon village and within easy (although single track roads!) reach of Sheildiag and other locations in this beautiful part of the Highlands. The "Artist in Residence" group of young adults that seem to run the place (owners were not around when we were there) are very polite. However, after that much is not great about this place - it is not a good value. First - the photos are deceptive. Yes - big old estate. No - beautifully landscaped and maintained. All is run down. It looks and feels like a poorly maintained working farm. Even inside is not well maintained. Room comfortable although obviously old - but hospitality and accommodations do not equal any of the other fine B&Bs we have stayed in on this trip. The house is "quirky" as stated on web site. We lost water twice during our trip - apparently they pull it from the stream and cannot seem to keep the tank full. No shower for me on the last morning. Internet is also very flaky - most often not working. And as others have said - the b'fast is really minimal. There is a sense of "stinginess" here versus warm Highland Hospitality that we have experienced in other places. Basically it feels like running a B&B is simply a sideline to all the other things they do - we are here to provide a nightly fee that will help them maintain this huge property but they are really not interested in doing the minimum that would make for a good experience. You are basically on your own.
Aug 2nd, 2022