Balmacara Hotel

We came into the restaurant after calling 3 times with no answer, we managed to get a table, but with that, the service was below average. We both ordered burgers, and we weren’t inform of any of the items on the menu being unavailable, so I added on mushrooms and peppercorn sauce to my meal, no issues with ordering that. Food came quick which was good, but no time while waiting for food and receiving it was I informed that there was no peppercorn sauce or that the chef “forgot” the mushrooms. I had to ask the waitress about my add ons and she was confused as to what I’ve ordered… showing clear signs of lack of communication between them all. Which affected our experience. Food was mediocre for the price. We had high hopes as it is apparently a high rated hotel/ restaurant. Hopefully this was a once off experience and no one else experiences this shocking service. Never paying £4.50 for a bowl of mushrooms again.

We chose here as it was close to Isle of Skye and half the price of hotels on the isle. It is currently in middle of being refurbished but that didn’t really impact on our stay. The staff were lovely, friendly and helpful. We had evening meal which was nice, though the pork belly dish I had could have been enhanced with some vegetables but this may have been my fault in not reading menu correctly & my mums steak was on tough side - but that happens sometime!! Breakfast is run on continental buffet style where you help yourself to tea coffee etc which was a bit disconcerting for my elderly parents, but the cooked breakfast was perfect. Would definitely recommend the scrambled egg and poached salmon So why only 4 dots not 5 - on night we were there they run out of white wine! We had a lovely Sauvignon blanc with our meal but that was last bottle. The only wine they had was Chardonnay which to be fair was drinkable, but again my elderly parents struggled as they only drink Sauvignon Also little things like hooks on bathroom doors for towels and full length mirrors in bedrooms would help. Overall I would recommend this hotel and would probably stay again (but make sure I had a bottle of Sauvignon in case as back up! 🤣)

Easy check in, room clean, fantastic power shower, just what i needed after a 6 hr drive. Had a cracking pint of Guinness at the bar. Will definitely return with my wife at a later point in the year and maybe try some of the food, only reason I give this place 4 star as the pillows are rock hard, so maybe pack a spare pillow like I did.

Excellent service from the staff, they were very helpful with every request . The food is very good , we have a great dinner and breakfast, but the best of all is the staff, they are very friendly and kind helping guest . The views of the loch are stunning and very close to the Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Casttle

Friendly staff and good value but avoid Room 10! The room has one window directly above a very large electric air vent which vents the hotel kitchen. As a result the room is noisy from the fan and smells of gas. Window frame was peeling, there were random screws left on the window frame & the shower head doesn’t stay in place. Needs some attention to detail on the maintenance and a duct for the kitchen extraction. In a good spot.

A lovely clean hotel with a fine sized room. The dinner menu was very restricted. The room was very noisy - there was the beat of heavy music playing into the wee hours. We tried to use the what's app to communicate with hotel staff but to date I am awaiting response. It clearly is not monitored. We did mention at reception but were told it was coming from the bar. Astounding views across to Skye from the front of the hotel.

On arrival we noticed building work ongoing with windows being changed out and one side of the building with heavy equipment and an exposed wall with plastic sheets on it. This didn’t fill us with confidence for our stay but we remained confident. Our room was overlooking the loch as requested which was nice and the room itself was modern and had a comfortable bed. During the night a very bright green light lit the whole room up making it difficult to sleep. Our sleep was further disrupted by a group of men in the bar at the base of the stairs in the hotel chatting and laughing till around 12. There was no sound proofing around our door which allowed this noise and the lights from the hallway to keep us awake. In the hotel is the restaurant for evening and breakfast meals. We decided to stay for both. Our evening meal was somewhat disappointing with a very limited menu lacking anything fresh apart from a decent fish pie, but for £20 there should have been some kind of vegetables or some kind of side within the price. The same goes for the breakfast. A very limited breakfast menu and continental options. Fried and poached eggs all over cooked.