Torridon Estate - Achnasheen

Chris H

This is a truly unique experience. Do not book it if you’re expecting a cookie-cutter hotel with mints on the pillow. You’re staying in a family home; well lived in and obviously well loved by the family. It is first and foremost a home with kids, and everyone knows that kids bring their own special kind of chaos.||On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Sarah, who made us feel very much at home. The building itself is huge and beautiful, with an interior full of historical interest. We were shown up to our suite, which frankly took my breath away. It’s by far the largest and most comfortable room we’ve had on our NC500 adventure, and made me wish we were here for more than just one night. The bathroom alone made me want to move in permanently.||We’d read through the thorough advance information sent us as soon as we’d made the booking, and therefore had brought our evening meal with us. Sarah explained the breakfast options and let us know it would be served in our room - a really delightful touch. We were then left to our own devices, which we very much appreciated as we were both tired after a long day and just wanted to rest.||The location is stunningly beautiful. The estate is bordered by the loch on one side and mountain on the other, with surrounding woodland. I imagine it is midge central in the summer months, but out of season it is cool and pleasant. If you’re the type that needs a thriving nightlife, this is not for you.||If, however, you’re looking for an extraordinary experience, do yourself a favour and book a night or two here. You won’t regret it.

Saskia S

The Torridon Estate was the perfect place to end our vacation. The enchanted house and the charmingly decorated rooms transported us back to another century. There are wonderful walks by the lake and in the forest in the immediate vicinity. The people were very caring and the breakfast in bed was the best idea we've come across on our vacation. Because we loved it here so much, we extended our stay twice. ☺️ Many thanks to Felix and everyone else, we will come back!

Paul S

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: this isn’t a Hilton Hotel. However, it’s a beautiful old house in a superb remote location, that the owners are working on renovating. The hostess is the friendliest and nicest person you could meet. If you’re staying for an extended period with your family, you can end up feeling part of their family. Yes, the house is old and a bit run-down, but it’s authentic and very spacious and the owners have gone to some trouble to make each room attractive and well-appointed. Continental breakfast is served in your room. Evening meals must be found elsewhere. The grounds are extensive and set in gorgeous countryside.

Nicktrip

This is an impressive building in an equally impressive surrounding (Torridon is simply majestic). But this only the first impression. The inside of the building has an intense feeling of abandonment and decline. Things are thrown everywhere, dust all over the place, hallway was cluttered and rather dirty and a general sense of decadence everywhere around. Our room was much better, well in order and with a good taste. The bed was very comfortable. In a closer look, though, I could see some spider webs on the (not so clean) windows. There was a small breakfast table in the room (apparently the huge dining room was not open for the guests, and it was messy as well). The breakfast (served in our room) was a joke, very poor considering the high rental price. Not recommended.

Leo Monferini

A true haven of peace in the heart of nature! I stayed in an absolutely adorable traditional estate, run by an incredibly friendly couple.

Yes, this authentic place might surprise those who are looking for something sleek and sanitized, but that’s exactly what makes it so charming. The building has a rich history, and you can feel it. The rooms are super cute, I slept like a baby, and the setting is breathtaking. You’re surrounded by nature, far from the chaos, and it’s pure bliss.

For those who seem to struggle with authenticity and can’t cope without sterile, soulless hotels, maybe the Club Med or some impersonal all-inclusive resort would be more up your alley. But if you’re looking for a genuine experience, far from tourist traps, and want to reconnect with nature and unwind, this is the perfect spot. So to all the complainers, there’s always a chlorinated pool waiting for you somewhere else ?

Tom Barbour

Sarah and Felix were great hosts, the room was lovely and spacious, the estate is incredible with incredible views over the loch. Especially loved the fresh water swimming spot in the river. Would happily come back! X

moonlitnight

The photos for this b&b were a bit deceptive and unfortunately didn't give the whole picture of what it's actually like. ||I really wanted to like this b&b as I do enjoy a big historic house and it's in a beautiful location. The host was pleasant. It does seem like a lot of effort is being put in.||On entering our room I was hit with the smell of foost (mould) which seemed to be strongest around the wardrobe and bed. The floor shook in an alarming way when one of us was sitting on the bed and the other walking across the floor.||The room was fairly clean, there were however a lot of crumbs on the chairs at the breakfast table and there seemed to be a big black stain (?mould) on the couch. ||The bathroom was huge with a modern shower and old style bath (that had chips in the surface). ||The bed was also large (seemed bigger than a king) and comfortable but again hit with the smell of foost.||Breakfast came with warm croissants, rolls and cold porridge oats with berries.

A W

We’ve tried to make contact with the owners eleven times since arriving and leaving but have not received any response at all, hence this objective and honest view of the property to warn others.||1. No guest information at all is sent before, or provided within the property: We walked to the main house on arrival as we had no key instructions, walking up the unpaved drive. We rung the bell several times, no answer, then randomly found one of the estate’s students who sent us back to Lochside cottage only to find no key in the key safe. A repeat trip to the main house and they had the key all the time. Nearly an hour just to get into the cottage. We searched for guest information but there was nothing whatsoever, leaving us to figure out everything, refuse, heating, appliances, ancient Sky box (5 channels/no BBC) fire safety, etc.||2. Uncleaned and filthy: We quickly realised the cottage itself was really filthy, floors covered in dirt and grit and clumps of dog hair (guest book showed the previous guests clearly had the same breed as the mountains of dog hair!). The dishwasher was full of sludge and dust covered every flat surface. Bedclothes were washed (albeit old and yellowed) and toilets we think had been cleaned, but the rest of the house was awful.||3. Uncontactable owners/estate office: Many unanswered calls, three trips to the main house (no answer/no one there), email sent, voicemails left, we gave up and spent £25 on cleaning products and half a day making the cottage habitable.||4. Unsafe and Non-Existent Security: Two GROUND floor windows can easily be opened from the outside. The front door lock was paltry and rickety, one shove and you’d be in. The owners might argue the estate grounds are safe but there are a constant stream of strangers - walkers, main house BandB guests and maintenance vans - passing the house so it’s not as private as the marketing suggests (vehicles often race past the house, watch your kids stepping out!) There was exposed mains electrical wiring too, which is unforgivable.||5. Not As Advertised: The house was advertised with the outside hot tub (a key reason for booking) but with no instructions, just a severed section of hose coming from the tub itself and no owners around, needless to say it was falsely represented. There was really poor attention to detail which made it far from “luxury” as billed. No dishwasher tablets, unreplaced crockery, both bathroom door locks unusable, broken DVD player/no DVDs provided, no decent soft furnishings, etc. The furniture is cheap “brown” furniture as they say in the antique trade and not luxurious at all.||On the positive side, Torridon is stunning but there is plenty of much better quality accommodation in the area and the way Lochside Cottage is marketed is materially dishonest. It was clearly renovated some considerable time ago with little attention since, paint peeling off the ceilings, windows and walls, (painful!) gaps in the wooden bathroom floor, unsanded OSB steps up to the bed upstairs (splinters), it’s very tatty overall. The WiFi is good at 50mbps, enough to stream but as a family cottage, who wants to watch TV on an iPad? The kitchen is well equipped with new(ish) appliances but no-one is cleaning them properly or checking the inventory of items and you will find yourself making do with loose frying pan handles, sharply chipped crockery, missing plates and other items.||Generally the standard of accommodation is high in the area and owners have elsewhere have been brilliant in our experience, we would advise avoiding the estate and it’s properties, just read all the reviews carefully which also reflect much of our review.