Woodlands Glencoe — Hotel in Great Britain

Not a luxury or 5-star experience what we were looking for. Let's start with the good points, great location, and we got lucky with our cottage too. We were allocated into Cottage 11, which was private enough, a functional hot tub, and nice wee kirks in the cabin. Of course Smeg appliances, Nespresso machine and cozy Sigma mattress are all adding up to the luxury feel, but when you pay £300 / night in low season, you do expect all of the above in your cabin. When you got over those. You do realise the functionality is rather average and certainly not 5star. Toilet and sink were in the same "cupboard", which rather reminds you of an experience on a train or cruise ship - not ideal that you have to wipe your feet if you wanted to brush your teeth, because the water dries very slowly. Having said that, the fan in the bathroom and in the main room do very little for air circulation, and the cottage gets overheated very quickly. We tried to open the window, but the handle is clearly broken, and it is not possible to do so. Also, no option to eat inside, and there are no stools to sit on. Which wouldn't be an issue if the property wouldn't draw your attention to extra charge if any guests stain the Egyptian bed sheet.So never mind the blustery wind, you eat your breakfast outside.

Service in this property is non-existent. Throughout our stay, we only got in touch with just one receptionist, who for some reason couldn't be bothered with anything. When we arrived, we were asked, if had stayed here before, after saying no, she just said, there is a booklet in the cabin and we can find all the information we might need. Not very personal and certainly nowhere near 5 star. The cabin has a few switches and kirks which are all written in the booklet, but it would be a much preferred way, to actually come with the arriving guests to the cabin and explain how things work, instead of telling us off you go. Not 5 star, nor luxury. I also RECENTLY got diagnosed with dairy intolerance. When we made the booking, we were not aware of my food allergy. Hence, we never told the establishment prior. But after seeing first morning breakfast basket, I took the effort and went and spoke to the same girl at reception, who really couldn't care less and told me to write it on the supply list (???) and then she will modify the breakfast for us, I told her I can't eat certain items, cheese, pastry, butter and yoghurt ( pretty much everything what they serve), and it would just go to waste, which is unsustainable. I went back looking for it in the cabin and eventually found a small sheet, wrote the food allergy on the piece of paper and left it inside the breakfast basket for them. Next morning, we got the same items as prior. So again, everything went to waste, also got a small reminder, that the property will charge us £95/hour for any late check out - after 10am - very nice. When I went to check out , the same girl was at reception, who asked if we loved everything and when said about breakfast she asked if I filled out the online supply form. Which she never mentioned the day before, that it was online, and I stood there like it was my fault that they didn't know, and that's when I mentioned that hold on, I told you yesterday, I left the note in the pack, and still you didn't care. In my opinion,in 2024, no establishment should ignore anyone's food allergy and B with doing so. Theygo against their sustainability commitments, with wasting so much food unnecessarily. After all this chat, all I got was a sorry, nothing else, suggesting the establishment takes customs for granted and it is all about the Instagram and Social mentions, than looking after their paying guest. My review easily could have avoided, if they showed sympathy. Having said all that, I loved the location, but we left with a very bitter taste in our mouth, we won't return and also won't recommend this place, for £600 - you will find better.

Update after the response, taken a star off, because they blame me not telling them prior about my allergy. Told you twice...

We had a disappointing stay at the Seabeds at Woodlands Glencoe. TLDR; Privacy issues, false advertising, disgusting customer service.

There's a significant issue with 1) privacy 2) false advertising 3) customer service, specifically the manager, Chris.

Privacy: The pictures of the view that Woodlands posts all over their social media and website make the view (which is the reason we chose Woodlands over other hotels) out to be 100 times better than they are. We stayed in Lodge 1, and we had an obstructed view of the loch with zero privacy as there was an occupied residential home less than 15 meters away and busy road less than 10 meters away. Every night when we used the hot tub, there was someone from the home outside with the side door open and lights on. Additionally, the workers that came to check the hot tub would come at different times every morning, sometimes multiple times, without any warning. There HAS to be a better system.

False Advertising: We walked over to the opposite end at Lodge 7 and were shocked at the difference - no obstruction, full view of the entire loch and mountain valley, and there’s more distance between the lodge and the main road. This is what you are shown in all of their advertising. If you're staying in Lodge 7, I can guarantee you wouldn't want to switch to Lodge 1.

Customer Service: When we asked if it might be possible to switch, the unit manager, Chris, came over and lied saying they were fully booked for our 3 night stay, and there’s nothing they can do about it. That was pretty comical as their own site showed availability for the same nights.

After spending several hundred pounds, on top of adding their “bonuses” to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday (over £75), the customer service was despicable. The unit manager blamed the lodge decision on "random selection", in addition to stating “that no one has ever complained about this lodge”, despite the fact that these complaints are in several reviews. All of this is not conducive to the five star hotel Woodlands Glencoe is trying to be. Lodges 1 and 2 are not the same as the rest of the lodges, should not be priced the same, and should not be up to “random selection”. There should be a clear disclosure. This was by the far the worst hospitality I've encountered in a while.

Images of their “note” which is just for show, of the view from our lodge, of the view from lodges 4-7, and of the images they upload to their site and Instagram.

PS. The bonuses were a let down. The chocolate cake was stale. The rose petals were fake. They provided a candle with no lighter. The wood we paid for was left outside and was too cold/damp to start a decent fire (we had to purchase separate fire starters). Heating was chaotic and would blast sometimes and then be freezing. Their fancy lights weren't synced up according to the wall control. The sofa was abysmal. Check-in and check-out times are comical and not industry average. Only bonuses were the projector to watch movies, breakfast, and the robin that visited us...

I visited here on a lovely day in April. It is well worth consideration for anyone looking to visit the lochaber area 👍

The location is amazing, with absolutely stunning views from the facilities and many of the accommodations available.

It is very accessible as it is just off the A82, with regular bus routes and a good walk to/from glencoe.

For anyone staying, the accommodation is well maintained, with a high standard of cleanliness. And there is also more conventional accommodation in the form of apartments and a house, as well as pods.

The pods all come with hot-tub facilities which is lovely, and a great provision for guests staying here.

There is even allowance for specific lodge address requests for revisiting guests and also a variety of options of additional extras available to purchase during your stay.

I was impressed with the 9 hole golf course available, which is playable throughout the year - which is fantastic.

There is also the ability to rent out segways or e-bikes on the premises. Which is great as there are some good trails around this area. There is even the option of booking a bit of archery on site, which is wonderful.

The reception/club house also has a great outdoor area with lovely views and a food truck providing refreshments and food.

Even for day trips, I would highly recommend, there is plenty of parking and you can visit and play 9 holes or simply rent out an e-bike or segway for the day.

It is a lovely place and looks to be getting even better as there is currently a sauna being built with stunning views over the Loch.

Overall, it is well worth a visit or a stay. For a more active outdoors experience compared to a conventional air bnb or hotel in this area.

The staff were all fantastic too. Can't speak highly enough of them :)

Air bnbs and hotels are generally quite expensive in this area on a per night basis. So the price is very competitive and the location is awesome. Highly...