Macdonald Forest Hills Hotel & Spa

Just recently back from a 2 night stay to celebrate my 60th Birthday with my family. Had a lovely relaxing time. Views were amazing from our window. Gardens so pretty and lovely walks nearby I had the back and shoulder massage and a facial which was fabulous. Spa facilities were of a high standard. Whilst rooms were a wee bit tired. They were very clean and bed so comfy. Staff were very cheery and helpful . Breakfast was lovely each morning, plenty of choice. We ate at the Rafters first night as we had 2 dogs with us. Not the biggest of menus but food ok. Only gripe is the prices, not cheap for alcohol and beverages. Overall would recommend for the beautiful location and ambience.

The location and grounds are beautiful. Most of the staff are friendly and helpful. Breakfast was tasty. The bed was huge and comfortable. Unfortunately the pool was out of action, which for a spa hotel is quite a big deal. The TV in our room was also out of action, and when I went to call reception to let them know, I noticed that there was no phone either. Not a big deal, but it did get me wondering what the £8 surcharge for room service was for - if you had to go order it yourself? There was no coffee/tea facilities in the room either, and when I went to get some tea from the bar, was given a pot and some paper cups. Again, not a big deal, but little details make a difference. Nice location, but no pool and no TV just took the edge off, as there's not a lot else to do locally. There were some inconsiderate guests in the lodges, drinking and being a bit too loud until a bit too late. Not the hotels fault at all, but be aware that the sound does carry in this remote and otherwise quiet location.

We came to celebrate my husbands 60th birthday. The location is wonderful with gorgeous views. The grounds are beautifully maintained, they must work very hard. The ladies at the spa were excellent and we all enjoyed some treatments. There were 2 failings for us, rhe lodge we stayed in unfortunately smelt quite bad on arrival, items in the kitchen were dirty including the knife set being full of mould. This is hard for cleaners to find so I understand the blame probably lies with past guests. The chairs were stained and let’s not talk about the huge hole in the ceiling in the entrance. The biggest issue for us were the bathrooms, they looked great, very modern but the downstairs shower is blocked so floods in one minute, the master shower comes out as a trickle and sounds like it’s taking off and the other shower won’t have cool water so you burn yourself if you dare to try. This left us without showers which to be honest wasn’t great. Finally, the restaurant had great reviews so we were excited to eat there. Im sorry to say it didn’t live up to expectations, , the risotto was bland and our pork was over cooked . We felt that although the staff were so friendly, it just wasn’t up to à good standard. I never write bad reviews normally so I’ve tried to balance with the good as we still had a good time but someone really needs to look at some work in the lodges as they don’t stand up to the amazing site.

My wife and I stayed for three nights here and it was excellent. The hotel itself is a bit dated but this could also be construed as its charm. The view from our room was stunning and the room itself was spacious and clean so no complaints there at all, the bed was really comfortable, in fact I got the best sleep I’ve ever had at a hotel, usually I don’t sleep right through but I did here. The restaurant is a bit pricey but the food was superb so I guess you get what you pay for. Breakfast was really good, a great choice of cereals and muesli with cold meats, fruit, croissants, various pastries, fruit juices, etc.The fully cooked breakfast was delicious but if we wanted the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for instance there was a £7 supplement added. Reception take your card details at check in and add any supplements (for instance room service is £8) and charge you at check out. The shining star of this place (apart from the stunning scenery) is the spa though, we had pre booked and paid for a deep tissue massage (me) and hot stone massage (my wife) on our second day and it was sublime, Helena my masseuse was incredible, although not without it’s painful moments (deep tissue massages are supposed to be!) it really was quite spiritual she is amazing at her chosen craft. This was my first ever massage so afterwards I felt a bit queasy but I was thoroughly looked after and pampered by the incredibly attentive Brendan, he was a superstar! The use of the swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna are included with the room and the facilities are modern and clean, not to mention professionally and politely served by all the amazing staff there. I would have given the hotel 4 stars because of niggly price issues but the spa bumped it right back up to 5! I would highly recommend this hotel, all the staff are excellent especially the wee wummin that serves the breakfasts (didn’t get her name) but she was a ray of sunshine in the morning. Well done everyone.