Balmacara Hotel

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2026

deborah

We had a very enjoyable stay at this hotel. While the property is older, it is well maintained and has been kept in excellent condition. The staff were consistently friendly, welcoming, and helpful throughout our visit, making us feel right at home. The location is another major advantage, with convenient access to dining. The dinner was very good. Overall, this hotel offers a comfortable stay, great service, and an excellent location. We would happily stay here again.

Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2026

Wendy

We were in a room that had only been in operation for 2 weeks so there lots of things that still needed tending to. The lighting all run off one switch was no good……drywall wasn’t finished around socket outlets etc etc…… poor finishes.
The staff on the hand were trying so hard but not quite up to the quality that was advertised. They were super friendly and great to chat with. For me it just didnt live up what was advertised.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 Jun 2026

Catherine

The room was a bit tight, but everything was clean. Our dinner was very tasty, however the service was a bit confused. We enjoyed sitting outside and watching the lake.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2026

Monika

Clean spacious room, comfortable bed, great food at the restaurant. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Parking space and availability could be better. Good base for daily activities at Skye if you do not mind driving

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2026

Seneca Maria

Clean hotel with amazing food and staff.

Family

8/10

Excellent

31 May 2026

Dan

Initially annoyed at check-in when the rooms that I paid for were not provided. Booked two Standard Twin rooms, and got two Queen rooms. They were able to separate the beds in one room, but not the other. I was told by the front desk that I would have needed to contact the hotel in advance if I wanted standard TWIN room, which is exactly what I had booked (!). Then one room came with a handicapped bathroom, which normally wouldn't be a concern. But the entire bathroom is an open shower room. Everything gets wet; almost no shelves to place things on; no lighting above the small/low sink. Miserable experience.

The hotel has recently been updated, and everything is nicely refurbished. The new floor to ceiling heating units and bathroom towel heaters were all on upon arrival, so the rooms were unbearable hot (over 80F) with no way to cool the room down.

On the bright side, the restaurant food was incredible.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

30 May 2026

Don

Room was a bit small although clean. The highway was a bit noisy. The buffet was large and lots of good food.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

28 May 2026

Michael

Accomodating staff. Rooms were clean but a little small

Friends

8/10

Excellent

28 May 2026

Frances

A little noisy

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 May 2026

Diane

Great location for visiting the Isle of Skye. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Located next to a Spar which was great for picking up goodies your days out.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 May 2026

kurt

Staff was very nice and helpful. breakfast and dinners were good.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

20 May 2026

Jean

We’ve been traveling Scotland for a week and this was the most expensive stay, yet the accommodations were lacking. Cons: The bed sagged, you could hear people walking above you and the noise from the neighboring tv. Pros: it was clean, they had nice linens, and the staff were very friendly. Their restaurant was very good. Breakfast at the hotel had many options, however they were reluctant to refill after the tour bus left. Way too pricey for what we got.

Friends

6/10

Pleasant

19 May 2026

Jane

The room, though on the small side, was clean and adequately equipped although a dirty cup was left on day 2 and tissues not replaced. The evening meals were tasty, although service was rather chaotic. There did not seem to be sufficient glassware and cutlery to service numbers on site. Breakfast on the second day was dreadful. There was a large group who all turned up together, overwhelming service and causing huge queues. The hotel does not seem to have adequate systems in place to regulate flow of guests. I think they need to decide if they wish to prioritise full paying guests or coach parties, as we felt overlooked. It is very expensive for what is offered.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 May 2026

Harold

Great steak dinner!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2026

Adrian

This is an old Scottish Hotel with a modern reception, dining and extension. It has retained the best of both worlds and of course is on the sea front. We had a ground floor room in the extension with a small individual patio and facing the sea loch. We could park directly outside so bag carry was a few yards. Food excellent, perhaps over generous portions! Excellent shower ample hot water and good local toiletries. Bed large and comfortable. WiFi sound. POD based coffee. Staff excellent. Happy to go again.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 May 2026

Arlene

Breakfast had good selection.

Family

8/10

Excellent

14 May 2026

Stephen

Staff was very helpful. Breakfast was good.

Self

2/10

Poor

13 May 2026

Leonardo

Overcharged and was not given the view I paid for

4/10

Poor

13 May 2026

Renée

Breakfast was fresh , staff friendly but for the price there is no fridge in room Can hear every step of the person walking upstairs.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2026

Natalie

Balmacara Hotel was one of the best properties we stayed at in Scotland. Wish we could have stayed longer than our 2 nights because our view was AMAZING! We had a breathtaking view of Loch Alsh, the mountains around it, and a very clean, spacious room. The staff was very friendly, and so helpful even assisting with our luggage. We were able to rest up after our scenic trip from Inverness to Kyle, then had a fantastic meal downstairs in their restaurant, with another beautiful view of the Loch and mountains. We enjoyed the Scottish White Crab Meat-locally sourced, Pumpkin & Sage Ravioli, Butter Greens with Grana Padano Cheese and Chocolate Clementine Tort. All the food was prepared fresh, served at proper temperatures and mouth-watering delicious. The restaurant deserves a fantastic separate review, as the food was impeccable and satisfying, served by Jeevan who was courteous, attentive and friendly, and the meal came without sticker shock from being overcharged. Breakfast was also good, offering a large variety, something for everyone. I especially loved the yogurt and muesli, coffee machine, fruits and pastries with variety of jams.
We LOVED everything about this hotel, even down to every detail, like how they saved us a parking spot on our 2nd night, knowing we were out late exploring Isle of Skye!
Words alone can not express how WONDERFUL this property location was, while the employees were so kind and helpful. We will visit here again!!

Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2026

Dwayne

Staff very nice and food excellent

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2026

Marnie

Dinner at the restaurant was delicious. View from our room was a trailer park but I assume a lakeside view would have been more expensive. Parking was barely adequate.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

06 May 2026

Todd

Food was AMAZING. Staff was awesome. Only two negatives. First, the parking is barely enough for the guests. You sometimes have to fight for a spot because people will come to the restaurant to just eat. Lastly, the floors are hardwoods. If you are on the first floor, you will absolutely hear every step above you. We had to engage the desk clerk when the people above us moved furniture over a 3 hr period. I assume it was kids pushing the chairs. Staff and food was perfect though.

10/10

Exceptional

03 May 2026

Gloria

-

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2026

George

Views spectacular food excellent great spot to stay

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2026

Sandis

Great hotel, rooms are spacious, staff are helpful.

Business

8/10

Excellent

19 Apr 2026

David

Stayed in 4 highlands hotels. This was hands down the best food and most modern rooms. Downsides were dinner service was very slow and rooms too warm. The latter could be a problem in summer.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

18 Apr 2026

Stanley

Location & Breakfast.

Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Apr 2026

Mark

Cold plates for a supposedly hot breakfast isn’t good.
Just warm the plates!!!

Self

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2026

Jo

A lovely stay at this bright fresh hotel. Nicely refurbished and staffed by helpful and friendly people. The breakfast was superb and the dinner was very good. This is a little gem of a hotel.

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

05 Apr 2026

Sophie

Original room mis-sold as a king bed, when it was a double. Moved to a king room which housed a loud unit containing heating pipes. Some staff were more helpful than others.
Bed was reasonably comfortable.
Breakfast was lack lustre for the equivalent cost however the coffee was nice.
Hot water in the room got scalding hot

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2026

Clare-Anne

Fantastic stay, acomodationg staff, very comfortable and relaxing stay

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

04 Apr 2026

Paul

Very expensive hotel/building site.

Struggled to park in the car park doe to all the tradesmens’ vans.

Checked in having paid £233 fo a family room and immediately got upsold breakfast for another £34.

Got room key (33) and although the room itself was nice, the ambience was somewhat diminished by the jackhammer and steamrollers laying the new car park. There was a digger within touching distance of my balcony.

We asked to change rooms and th receptionist tried to charge me again for setting up a child’s bed in the new room (43).

Bar was full of workmen in hi viz vests. Felt like a Travelodge.

Dinner was great but they tried to overcharge by billing the wrong wine. When pulled up, they blamed not having the right wine on their till system but failed to apologise.

Breakfast was a zoo. Full of workmen hoovering up everything like locusts.

Massively disappointing. I realise that improving the hotel in the “off season” makes commercial sense, but it ruined our experience and the cost should have been reduced or at least we should have been warned about the work going on….

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2026

Grant

Our room on the ground floor of the new build area was spacious and well furnished.
Menu for evening meal gave a wide choice. Our dishes were presented well. Breakfast was largely buffet with option to order other items.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2026

Margaret

Great for Solo traveller. Felt really safe. Could park right outside my room. Breakfast had a good variety to choose from. Meals in restaurant were great. Not too long to wait.
Staff were fantastic and very attentive. Nothing too much trouble. Good location before heading up to Skye. Looks out on the water. Not too much highway noise.

8/10

Excellent

26 Mar 2026

Alan

Only downside of this hotel

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2026

Aziz

Friendly and responsive staff. Very convenient location.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2026

David

I was upgraded to an Excellent room and staff were all really courteous

Self

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2026

Dylan

Room was comfortable but mattress was lumpy with the springs bulging.

Food was amazing and they catered to my gluten and dairy intolerance without a problem!

Shower was good too.

Place has an amazing view and was very clean.

Staff are very friendly

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Feb 2026

Nelson

While there was no elevator to the second deck the staff was very nice. Romul works in the dinning hall and very helpful.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jan 2026

Theresa

On arrival we were told they'd upgraded our room at no extra cost which was a lovely surprise. The room was spacious, clean and very well kept. The staff were very friendly and helpful, especially Singh. Would definitely stay again.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Jan 2026

Kieran

The breakfast was not free as you say in your review site. I had to pay extra for it. It was however worth it: Anywhere that serves Vegetarian haggis always gains for me.

I have to highlight one major egregious point about the hotel: The 'optional' service charge of 12%. This was disgusting, and to have a line that says \"if you are unhappy with the staff and wish the charge removed, please ask\" is just obscene. To guilt you into paying extra for something you've already paid for? Not good enough.

The hotel was fantastic, but that one line ruined it for me. I'm giving 4 stars for the overall stay as everything else was good, but that one item, not good enough. Oh, and the food is mislabelled: fish are not vegetarian friendly.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

31 Dec 2025

Simon

Friendly staff, great room

6/10

Pleasant

30 Dec 2025

Bhargav

Staff were excellent, and breakfast was good but amenities and room conditions is poor

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

21 Dec 2025

Vinnie

We only stood one night during our road trip through Scotland. The view on a clear morning is exceptional. There is a store right next to the hotel. A great place to stock up for your day's adventure. We recommend the mussels at their restaurant!

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

13 Dec 2025

Michael

Absolutely magnificent stay. Deepak and his staff did an amazing job and we will definately be back next year. Well done.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Dec 2025

Sarah

Very good stay. Nicely set out and in a lovey spot. Staff were kind and room was good and spotlessly clean.

Business

8/10

Excellent

01 Dec 2025

Roisin

Lovely clean spacious room. Good shower. Comfy bedding. Really friendly staff.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Nov 2025

James

Lovely fast & friendly check in . Room was very clean, tastefully decorated with excellent water pressure in the shower.
Local Spar shop next door as everything you need if you're traveling too .

Lovely hotel , kudos to staff & owners.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2025

JOSEPH

Great room, great location

Self

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2025

Grant

A vert short visit and did not have the opportunity to dine in the evening or breakfast in the morning. However, very friendly and warm welcome on arrival, room was clean and comfortable, would definitely visit again.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2025

David

The staff were friendly and courtious, the food was good, the hotel was clean and tidy and there were plenty parking spaces, all round,it was a pleasant experience

Business

8/10

Excellent

07 Nov 2025

Colin

Staff were very friendly and helpful, always with a smile.

Food was good and everything was clean and tidy.

Heating / water system outside of my room was quite noisy at night for some reason. Not so good if you are a light sleeper.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Nov 2025

Jacob

Nice spot close to the Isle of Skye.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Oct 2025

Mark

Nice, but food is very expensive.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Oct 2025

Gene

Short but sweet

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Oct 2025

Gordon

Indifferent welcome, clean room.

10/10

Exceptional

19 Oct 2025

Richard

An excellent hotel, with great facilities and superb staff

8/10

Excellent

18 Oct 2025

Wendy

Tasty breakfast and extremely comfortable bed. Great staff, very helpful.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Oct 2025

Vinnie

Staff was friendly and the room was satisfactory. We loved the views across the street. The real gem was the Mussels appetizer! A must order

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Oct 2025

John

The plus side: the meals, clean comfortable room, friendly staff. The negative side: my room window was immediately above the kitchen extractor fan, which came on at 06.40 both days, audible, plus cooking smells entering the room though the window was closed. Very sensitive fire alarm sensors, so an alarm was triggered at 00.45hrs apparently by someone having a shower and filling the room with steam. Also unfortunate was the road surfacing machinery on the road and lay-by outside the hotel, working through the night! Distinctly audible from my room. Not quite so noticeable the second night as they had move along the road a little.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2025

Nigel

Modern, clean and very well run. Lovely views from the front (once the rain stopped…) Bed was a little tired and the walls were thin enough to hear the TV in the room next door. The guest directly above my room dragged their chair over the solid wood floor several times, which was irritating, but hardly the hotel’s fault. Good value though, which coming from a Yorkshireman, is high praise…

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Oct 2025

Patrick

The only issue, no heat in one section of the hotel.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

04 Oct 2025

Lisa

Room was just clean enough. Dirty shower grout and filthy baseboards.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2025

Ryan

Great

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2025

Wayne

Great place to stay before isle of Skye. Large rooms. Great restaurant. Breakfast (included) was delicious. There is a grocery store next door too.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2025

Angela

This was a great place to stop on the road from Skye (detouring through Applecross). The staff were warm and welcoming after an exhausting ride.

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2025

Tim

Very nice hotel with reasonable rates for the area. Our jumping off point to the Isle of Skye. Friendly and professional staff.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

21 Sep 2025

Chi Kit

Good and bad

Basic condition of the room is good and the shower is spacious and user friendly. However we ordered a room for three adults, but the extra bed is just an added-on, is small, and rather low when compared to the overall level of the hotel. Also the bed is preparing when we walked in our room at 6pm and not before. It is rather unprofessional and unacceptable.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2025

Christine

Lovely stay

Delicious food and coffee! Comfortable and clean. Professional and accommodating staff, would stay here again. Close to Skye Bridge

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2025

Sheila

Very nice and quiet location.

8/10

Excellent

18 Sep 2025

Lynda

There was no elevators and we had to carry our luggage up a steep set of stairs. Room over looked an alley way that smelled and had garbage. We thought we were getting a sea view based on description. Staff were excellent and really took great care of us.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Sep 2025

Gregory

Nice place with friendly staff. Wi-fi suspect.

Spent only one night. Very clean rooms and friendly staff. Nice place to stay as you’re passing through highlands.

My only complaint is the wi-fi signal was non existent in the room we were staying. Couple that with poor cell reception, it was difficult to plan next day and communicate.

6/10

Pleasant

06 Sep 2025

phil

Comfy rooms but service lacking. Waited about 5 minutes at the front desk while the guy was on his cell talking. Checked in, went to the bar, same guy said he’d be right back to serve us, he came back 10 minutes later which by then another couple was also waiting. Dined there for supper and asked for fish with salad instead of chips, server said she’d have to check with the kitchen. Never saw her again, food arrived with chips by someone else. Finally the dinner bill had 20% gratuity automatically added. Not recommended.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

05 Sep 2025

gail

No teabags, tissues and coffee not in hospitality tray on arrival. Fire alarm went off at 9. Went downstairs and told to go back to bedroom. It was handled badly.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Aug 2025

Verified traveler

Space was clean and updated. Bartender was lovely!

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

30 Aug 2025

Miranda

Comfortable and quiet, staff had some difficulty understanding our food allergy and could not provide options (Ie we ask for a steak just seasoned with salt but were told we had to have the pork belly instead.)

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Aug 2025

SARABJIT

Convenient location. Beautiful view of the lake.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2025

Monica

The staff made a real effort with us and our young son. They were really friendly, welcoming and informative. The hotel was in lovely condition, freshly decorated, nice attention to detail. Anything we needed they provided with efficiency and a smile. It was a real pleasure to stay there and we would have liked to stay longer.

Leisure Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

29 Jul 2025

Thomas

We got there and they said there was no reservation even though i showed them the confirmation. Very schetchy place. We found another hotel later. The receptionist told me other pe6had similar problems with them. i think they're avoiding paying Expedia

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2025

Trantran

Excellent enjoyed this place especially the friendly staff

Leisure Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

23 Jul 2025

Andre

Basic and charmless at an exorbitant price and NO WIFI in room. The staff is not local and got my room wrong (I ordered twin beds and preconfirmed online). The restaurant is also very basic and my fish and chips took over an hour to be served (they said the kitchen was understaffed). There is no 4G here and the wifi only works in the lobby. My room (no. 12) had no connectivity. All this for $400 pounds per room!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2025

Scott

Exactly what we needed. Booked at the last minute and arrived after the designated time, but staff was amazingly accomodating--could not have been more pleased.

6/10

Pleasant

05 Jul 2025

Howard

This has two stories, no elevator and I'm 75 and had to carry my bag to the second floor

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

30 Jun 2025

Allan

Small quaint location with good amenities.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2025

Girivasan

Great location with a view of the lake. Comfortable rooms. Good breakfast options. Convenience store next door

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2025

Ashima

Great location and the view

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2025

Amanda

Nice view of Sky from your bedroom!
Staff extremely friendly. Breakfast lunch dinner available as well as bar and tea.
No ac but has a fan and can open windows it’s nice, however the midges in summer will get in. 1 hr drive to the storr

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2025

Susan

Perfect. Good location, easy parking outside room. Amenities were very good, condition of hotel was excellent. Would happily stay there again.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2025

Neil

The property has had a lovely renovation in the last few years. The rooms are comfortable and modern. The location and aspect are great. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. Food and service in the restaurant is excellent

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2025

Shawn

The property is well maintained. The staff is really friendly.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

31 May 2025

Deborah

Average stay

The TV reception did not work. Room had long hair left on the bathroom floor 😩 We paid a fortune for 1 night. $600 so overpriced Food was good. Needs a lot of maintenance

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2025

Gary

Convenient location to Skye. Comfortable enough.
Restaurant and bar were reasonable and nice to have on site, though you should make a reservation ahead of time.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2025

Jean

We had an amazing view of the lake and our room felt like a little apartment. It was so great!

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

27 May 2025

Leah

The ambience of the hotel was very good. The food is pricey at the restaurant but the quality of the food was very good. The cleanliness of the room wasn’t great. There were tufts of hair on the carpet and the carpets looked pretty old and stained. Very expensive room rent for one night. Breakfast was reasonable. The front of the hotel could do with a wee garden / landscaping to match the ambience around.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 May 2025

Veronica

All very good

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

16 May 2025

Hazel

Decent service in the restaurant would be good!

Lovely clean hotel, obviously recently upgraded. The only thing which let it down was service in the restaurant which really wasn’t the best. New staff were great but unfortunately the experienced staff member we met wasn’t going to be much of a mentor. Bottle of wine just dumped on the table and left .. not what I expect from a 4* hotel. Buffet breakfast ok but not wonderful. ( no choice of eggs(only scrambled), no seeds & nuts, limited cheese & cold meat )

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 May 2025

Brandie

Ask to stay in the newer rooms

The Balamarca was one of the few hotels we could find space in during a busy weekend. Overall the space was clean and nice. The staff were very helpful and friendly. It is an older building with a newer addition. We stayed in the older part and noticed the floors weren’t completely level. However, the rooms had been renovated with clean modern bathrooms. The beds were a little uncomfortable as it had an older spring-type mattress and a mattress pad that kept getting out of place under the thin flat sheet that covered it. I would stay there again but would ask to be in one of the newer rooms as I assume that they would have newer beds.

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2025

Tom

Relaxing Stay

Had a fantastic stay, you couldn’t get a better location, very relaxing and the staff were brilliant ( a special mention to Manish who was very friendly and helpful ) We dined at the Hotel and the food was delicious, the Breakfast was also very good.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2025

Roy

Great friendly service

Great friendly service. Good location.

Friends_and_family Family