We have just returned from a Highland tour with Newmarket Holidays staying at the Highlander as a base on a half board basis. Although some people did have smaller rooms (the hotel seems to be split into two halves for accomodation) we had a larger one and have no complaints about it.. We doubted that the small wall mounted heater would warm the room but it did. Food was of very good quality and the staff friendly and helpful which was very much appreciated by all the guusts there as far as I could tell. I am just at a loss as to why this hotel gets such bad reviews, maybe some people expect all places they visit to be Five Star luxery !!

My wife and I have just spent four enjoyable days at this hotel and we are so glad that we did not read these reviews before we went, otherwise we might not have stayed there. We cannot agree with these reviews.

Our experience was quite different. We arrived to a warm welcome from management and were given a modern warm comfortable en-suite room where we settled in before enjoying a lovely meal in the Dining Room. During our stay both the dinners and breakfasts were excellent and the helpings more than sufficient; the service was also very good indeed.

The hotel is just half a mile from the local shops and Newtonmore itself is a lovely village in which to spend a short holiday.

We would encourage others to go and enjoy what we enjoyed.

Ken and Stephane Kennedy, Kent

I can only endorse the previous writer's comments about the Highlander at Newtonmore - there is nothing there I could disagree with. My wife and I also wanted a first class bus tour and INSIGHT was recommended. The Highlander is the "pits" but I didn't blame the hotel - I blamed INSIGHT TOURS. I was so incensed by the standard of the so called "first class" room I took the pix attached.

I wrote to INSIGHT and complained bitterly about the standard of the selected accommodation (after we completed our holiday). Other than the Marriott (Edinburgh), the INSIGHT selected hotels were one or all of shabby, cheap, noisy, grubby and smelly.

Their letter in response was pathetic and defended the indefensible. They even insulted me by offering AUD$100 off the next trip with them.

The only way I would travel with INSIGHT ever again would be if they were the last bus out of a war zone.

If you've ever stayed in a tired roadside motel in the heartland of America you will recognize the experience in this Scottish Highlands venue. It's just adequate, mind you, but you'll be glad to hear the door slam when you leave. As an example, there's no tub in the bathroom, but a tiny plastic shower just barely big enough to turn around in and a drizzle of water coming out of a shower head positioned for the convenience of an elf.
The "traditional Scottish dinner" is a complete bust, with indifferently prepared food. I suspect the legendary "Scottish thriftiness" trumps any graciouness and hospitality in the kitchen. The breakfast includes the usual British fare, but rather poorly cooked and presented. Unlike most British hotels, which offer a generous buffet breakfast, at this hotel you are brought only what they allow you to eat. This hotel is really a motel and is just barely adequate for sleeping for one night only! We stayed there as part of a tour group, so I don't know what the room cost, but it ain't worth much!