Name: Loch Kinord Hotel
Address: Ballater Road, Royal Deeside, Dinnet, Aboyne Aberdeenshire, AB34 5LW, GB

8/10

Excellent

09 Jul 2026

Jennifer

The lodges were nice.beds were a little uncomfortable ok.
Disappointed they didn’t have a washer/dryer (laundry) as advertised.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

16 Jun 2026

Bonnie

We only had one night stay here but it was quiet and we all rested well! We stayed in one of the lodges and it was immaculately clean and pleasant.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2026

Pablo

Great small hotel to stay at when traveling in the Deeside area. The staff is kind and knowledgeable about the area and the rooms are clean. We didn’t get to try the food there. Would definitely go back for another stay.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Apr 2026

EDGAR

Beautiful, classic room with poster bed in an ancient but well-maintained building, giving a full Scottish feel. The hotel is close to Loch Kinord natural reserve, which provides picturesque and serene walks.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

16 Apr 2026

Sian

Friendly staff. Clean room. Reasonably priced room. Breakfast and dinner quite pricey for what was on offer.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2026

MARK

The lodge was very spacious, the rooms were clean, had everything you needed including a cooker, microwave, dishwasher and fridge.
All you need for a home away from home. Next time we will probably bring our own food stay a little longer and have a good look around the area.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Mar 2026

Audrey

Room was lovely. Can't comment on food as didn't eat there.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Laura

Very clean & comfortable, easy check-in and out

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

05 Sep 2022

Abigail

The Loch Kinord Hotel was perfect for our weekend at the Highland Games. It was cozy, but a little out dated, however we had everything we needed for the stay.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2022

Derek

Loved friendly hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2021

Andrew

Excellent service, comfortable rooms, food excellent. Would go back.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jul 2021

Julian

Amazing hosts who couldn’t do enough for you

Would definitely return and highly recommend

Food in the restaurant is better than any restaurant we have ever eaten at !

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jul 2021

Frances

Was very overpriced it is an old building which was beautiful but rooms very very small beds were hard and uncomfortable. Bathroom was tatty . We had to pay £20 extra for breakfast but would have rather went to a cafe and got something instead

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2021

Verified traveler

Lovely staff, friendly, helpful good service without being intrusive. Traditional, comfortable hotel , good food and efficient service .

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2021

Susan

Excellent

We had a lovely stay at Loch Kinnord. Everyone was really friendly, the food was excellent and our room was really quaint and comfortable.
Will definitely be returning.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Oct 2020

David

Nice place - staff great - a bit let down by the room.
Small and a bit cramped with no view.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

25 Sep 2020

Nix

Room ok and clean but nothing special. Restaurant was closed and no bar food

Self

10/10

Exceptional

03 Aug 2020

Casey

Lovely place to stay and great breakfast! Craig was a wealth of information on places to go in the area and beyond!!!

Friends_and_family Pet

4/10

Poor

12 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Terrible

Miserable!

Arrived to this dog friendly hotel and were greeted by a friendly manager who showed us to our room. When we walked into the room the curtains were closed but it was made up nicely enough with a balcony. Unfortunately, the room was tiny - definitely not big enough for two adults and a big dog.
Having said that, apart from the peeling wallpaper and orange gunk around the taps it was adequate. There were tea and coffee facilities in the wardrobe, I’m not sure where we would have plugged the kettle in if we had wanted to as there was no surface space - perhaps the floor?

My husband was advised on popping downstairs that the only time available for us to eat was at 6.30pm as they were fully booked. Later, when I took the dog out for a wee walk I asked a bit more about this as I had presumed we’d be factored in for dinner at time of booking as with most country hotels with nowhere else to eat in a 5 mile Radius. I was advised that we had been and that 6.30 was a reasonable time to eat dinner. I entirely disagree when we had not long arrived - check in is at 4pm and after a long day walking we needed showers and some chill time.

The bar area was quiet to say the least. No music and no other people. I asked about popping the rugby on at a low volume and was told this wasn’t possible.
We decided that given the time of dinner, lack of atmosphere and general feeling of the hotel, we would go into town.
A £20 taxi there and we found ourselves in the balmoral bar which

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Enjoyable stay

We booked a room on the spur of the moment as it was too late in the day to travel south. Craig, The Manager, made us very welcome and was extremely helpful, professional and efficient, he is a great asset for the business. We would definitely stay here again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2019

BILL

The hotel is a great base for walking in the northern Cairngorms. Its also only a few miles to either Aboyne or Ballater which has bars, restaurants, supermarkets etc etc

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

We were treated like royalty. Such a class act establishment. Every question we had, they had an answer and a kind response. They gave directions and suggestions and made our time in Cairngorm so special. The food was delicious. The breakfast was out of this world. We don’t have anything bad to say and we have run out of superlatives to describe our stay.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Aug 2019

Neil

Highly recommended.

Excellent hotel , Superb restaurant with great service.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

26 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Friendly staff; very helpful; nice lounge and garden area; good food; good service;
Only thing needing improvement was the bed and the room we slept in.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

23 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Whilst the dining and bar areas were ok, the bedroom was inadequate. It was very small, the bed was uncomfortable and the shower was extremely poor with weak water pressure, but excessively hot. All in all the room was very tired and in urgent need of an upgrade or a lick of paint as a minimum.
The staff were very friendly and helpful, however there was no enquiry as to how we enjoyed our staff when checking out, probably for fear of the reply.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Excellent food. Decoration appropriate. Comfortable

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

A true taste of Scottish hospitality from a pleasant owner and staff. Food was lovely, room tastefully decorated in tartan, with a terrace that caught the afternoon sun.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2019

Verified traveler

Lovely location. Nice, friendly staff. Good food and service

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2019

peter

Great to be back

Not stayed here for few years and it has just got better. Great food brilliant choices of whisky. Good staff.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2019

James

Deeside Gem

Great place!Staff were very good.Food for dinner was superb.Excellent breakfast,perfect poached egg and quality of produce top notch.Would return tomorrow if I could.

Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Dec 2018

David

Only people there.

We where the only people at the hotel. Only people having an evening meal. Only people having breakfast. Only people in the bar in the evening. Meal was good. Breakfast o.k. Room comfortable. Not much else going on. Lady at reception, at the bar, waiting on in restaurant and making the breakfast. Was very friendly.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Nov 2018

Verified traveler

Beautiful hotel, clean & comfortable!! A lovely surprise!

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2018

Norrie

nice hotel in nice location for touring deeside and surrounding area

10/10

Exceptional

17 Oct 2018

Beth

This is a charming family run hotel nestled in a gorgeous part of the Scottish Cairngorms. It has a lot of tasteful and updated Scottish charm. The owners and staff were friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Breakfast was excellent. They also have a lovely and charming restaurant that serves gourmet good and is reasonably priced. After a long day of driving, this was a welcome find. I would go back to the Loch Kinord Hotel and recommend it to anyone traveling through this amazingly beautiful region of Scotland.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2018

wilfred

Very comfortable hotel in perfect surroundings.

Warm welcome. Immaculate bedroom...two delicious dinners and smoked haddock for breakfast...excellent off road Parking....all in all the Loch Kinnord must rate amongst the best hotels on Royal Deeside.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Sep 2018

Gillian

Top place to stay.

We had a great stay after playing golf at Ballater golf course , room comfortable, service very good, food brilliant, could not fault this hotel or staff,

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2018

Susan

Happy to recommend

Accomodation was fine as we were travelling from Inverness to Stonehaven so this was a stop heading in that direction. Breakfast was fine - full scottish available. Staff were very friendly. Happy to recommend.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2018

Francis

2 night short break

A couple of nights while in the area for a wedding. Excellent stay at the hotel. Good food, comfortable room and fabulous location. If you can stetch to it pay fror a room with a view as ours was a reasonable rate - with a view to match that budget! Would we stay again - yes. Only downside was WiFi - which was very variable

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2018

Feringhi

A good hotel which makes a perfect centre for tour

This is a good centre for touring spectacular Deeside, providing you have your own transport. Nearby Ballater and Aboyne are both assets.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jul 2018

Carla

I absolutely loved everything about this hotel!! It is so quant and is absolutely adorable!!

8/10

Excellent

02 Jul 2018

jimmyandeffie

trip to steam train\n

lovely food and Belhaven best
and lovely seating area outside bedroom

8/10

Excellent

05 Jun 2018

Sheila

We were on 3 night break travelling around the highlands. The hotel was good,staff were helpful.Located on a main road was not a major problem as there was not major traffic while we were there especially at night.The village has no amenities so there was a 5 mile trip to get to the nearest village with other restaurants.There was a bus service that passed the door so if you did not want to drive yourself at night it was possible to take the bus or get a taxi.Food in the hotel was good with a fairly decent choice for dinner.For breakfast I cannot understand why so many hotels still do not use fresh fruit rather than tinned .

Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 May 2018

EJJ van

Right in the heart of the Cairghorns

Loved this place due to it's location and coziness. Good food, very nice service and owner couple. Job well done!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2018

A.

Overall OK but could have been better. The room was cold the first night we got there and the duvet was very thin.

Also, the second night we decided to have dinner at the hotel, which ended up being rather pricy, as the only option was to have a 2 or 3 course set meal (2 course for £25.99). The food quality however was good and we liked it very much.

Breakfast was again OK, rather mediocre both in terms of variety and quality.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2017

Colin

Fabulous Stay!

We were let down by another hotel whilst visiting Aboyne for a wedding and the Loch Kinnord Hotel was the next suggested hotel and we are so glad we chose to book up. It was a lovely hotel and even though we didn’t spend that much time in it when we did the staff were beyond helpful. The breakfast the next day was both delicious and well needed after the night before!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Sep 2017

Verified traveler

GREAT FIND!

Fantastic hotel, although I really ordered the wrong room - a single room. Very comfortable, a superb team led by Andrew, the consummate host! Looking forward to going back!

10/10

Exceptional

09 Sep 2015

Verified traveler

Lovely inn built in 1800\"s

This hotel has great ambiance. The owners and staff are very friendly and engaging. Be aware that there is no elevator and if your room is on the top floor you will be climbing narrow stairs with your bag. The room itself was very nice and very clean. Comfortable bed. They have an amazing chef and every meal was fresh, hot and delicious! Would definitely stay here again!

Partner

4/10

Poor

11 Aug 2015

Ray

Disappointed

Small room. Shower was not up to standard as the nozzle continued to fall off it's fitting and the water pressure was not strong enough.
Quite expensive but appears to be in keeping with the area.
The evening meal was not of the standard expected for the cost.

8/10

Excellent

06 Jun 2015

richard

Great people, rooms a bit small and tired

This hotel is all about the team. Brilliant management, motivated staff, good food. The only issues are those of the fabric. The hotel could really do with some TLC , a bit of paint, and a few simple fixes. An example is the shower, brilliant, lovely hot water, great linen but no soap dish at all, hence the juggling act with soap, shampoo etc. it seems odd that people who are so thoughtful and caring could miss basic stuff like a soap dish or shelf in the shower.

Really good food, lovely local produce and a good selection of drinks, reasonably priced.

The real winner here are the people, they just can't do enough for you.

Location wise it's very handy as a base for loads of day trips.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2014

Verified traveler

one night at the Loch Kinord Hotel

We only stayed for one night and was very impressed with our bedroom. The bedroom was ground floor with patio door opening onto a veranda with table and 2 chairs. This would be delightful in the summer.