Dormie Cottage, lovely bright and spacious bungalow with wood fire

Everything about the property was excellent and exceeded expectations. We left the property just as we found it and happy to do cleaning and bin emptying and washing up and bed making leaving little for the cleaner to do. Would happily use this property again.

Nothing

Location

The photos and cleanliness rating were wrong. We thought we arrived before it had been cleaned. The carpets and flooring are dirty. Couldn’t walk on floor bare footed the entire time we stayed there. We had to buy cleaning products to clean the kitchen. Worktops, cupboards, table, fridge, kettle, plates were dirty. We couldn’t remove the dirt from the kettle as it was ground into the top. Couldn’t use the wooden chopping boards as they were so old and needed to be thrown away. Found spiders behind sofa cushion, on floor and multiple cobwebs throughout the house, clearly this house hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned in a long time! Wardrobes were full of junk! Toys, dryer, cleaning utensils and an (unemptied) vacuum in the wardrobes so couldn’t hang our clothes up. One of the bathrooms is really old, has mould and needs ripping out. It even had a sign up apologising for how bad it looks which stated that ‘we have scheduled a contractor to address this’ which is the same sign a previous occupant complained about in May 2023! When we arrived we found pubic hairs on the toilet seat lid. When we booked the house it said there was a pizza oven in photos and description and so was looking forward to using it. It is no longer here and has been removed from the advert. Garden and exterior untidy, paint coming off windows and doors. Windows filthy. It is also not completely enclosed so unsuitable for small dogs to be off lead. Again people have been complaining about this going back to 2022! Would definitely not stay here ever again. Disappointed with booking.com for false cleanliness rating and previous positive reviews. We were really disappointed particularly as it was expensive. Not worth premium rental fee. We had been so looking forward to the holiday and desperately needed it. Really glad we didn’t book any longer than 5 days.

Location was good, walking distance to many shops and restaurants. Large well stocked kitchen. Good water pressure.

Dirty glasses in kitchen requiring washing before using, older bathroom had a moldy shower and hadn’t been cleaned recently (pink early mold in grout) but black mold along base, blue cleaner left in both toilets so they were not scrubbed. Wet linens left in washing machine. Weird sticky clear vinyl cover over the dining table made playing cards a nightmare, nothing would slide on that surface. Quite expensive for the quality.

Quiet , clean and very near the local amenities. We visited Balmoral so was a level commute!

Love cottage in center of Ballater. Great to walk to shops and golf course

Excellent location

The property for us was in a great location and very quiet. The property for us had everything and more we needed for our stay and provided recycling rather than just a one bucket does all, which we really like. Any questions we had after arrival were answered promptly and always satisfactorily, we were even accommodated with a last minute extension to our stay, excellent service. We didn’t use the fire, cook in the property as we were blessed with good weather and so can’t comment on these but you had plenty of facilities to do so. And instructions. Available by the host.

Nothing to report

The mould in the second bathroom is unacceptable. The sign states that the bathroom is in need on a renovation and a contractor is scheduled. If this is the case the room should be locked off to guests. This bathroom is a health risk. I am not sure how this property has a 9.3 for cleanliness. The fridge was dirty, particularly the shelving, the walls are dirty near the front door and the carpet is stained. This is not the result of one bad clean from the previous occupant but a buildup of grime over time. The bathroom off the main bedroom is also showing signs of mould. This bathroom needs a good scrub with bleach. Extremely disappointing.

Good location, comfortable and well equipped.

Not as clean as in the past.