The Auld Kirk

The owners Helen and Kevin are amazing people and took a lot of time to chat and answer questions. The Auld Kirk was the best part of our Holiday. The rooms are large and well furnished. The bathrooms are completely updated and luxurious. The included breakfast was easily worth 30 pounds per person. We can’t recommend more.

Wow wow wow. We have stayed in 10+ places on our trip and the Auld Kirk was easily the best. Wonderful hospitality from Kevin and Helen, very unique building with tons of charm and character, great food and very modern conveniences (bathroom/shower, coffee etc). If you’re even thinking about it just book this place.

Arrival time is between 4 and 7. Helen welcomed us, explained clearly the facilities and the best places for an evening meal nearby. Room was very well appointed and a home cooked breakfast was delicious. Slightly more expensive than other places on our tour but well worth the difference

The room was comfortable, however I was disappointed to have been charged double occupancy, but accept that I did not change the booking in time. I thought it was mean spirited of the owners to change the room to single occupancy immediately on my arrival (remove the second mug, and complimentary whisky and biscuits), yet charge for double. In addition my elderly parents and I were not shown to our rooms, nor were they helped with their bags up the stairs, which would have been a nice touch and has always happened in previous B&Bs that we have stayed in.

We paid top dollar …not for the free whisky tot in the room or the lovely breakfast but for the room WIFI that did not work in our room (5) . We asked before going to our room and was assured it was working so had no reason to doubt them. Asked him if he would try and re boot the modem which he begrudgingly did to no effect and his response was a continuous loop of sorry excuses that were insincere . Doing this honest review to hopefully warn others .

We stayed here for one night as part of our touring holiday of Scotland. The Auld Kirk is very unique guest house, being a converted church, on the main road on the edge of the village. No noise at all though - Ballater is a quiet little place. Parking is on the side road next to the property but there is plenty of space and it's all very secure and straightforward. We received a warm welcome and very detailed explanation about everything including top tips for enjoying the area, places to eat and information about the hotel. Whilst this was super helpful at the time, I struggled to remember some of the detail by the time we had unpacked and settled in. Our room and bathroom were nice, decor and furnishings in keeping with the style of the church conversion. The coffee machine in the room was easy to use and the hospitality tray included a generous glass of whiskey each and homemade shortbread. Breakfast the following morning was just as unique as the building. It was served 'afternoon tea 'style on a 3 tier cake stand - what a splendid idea! fruit, yogurts, muffins, croissants and scones... With the addition of a hot breakfast cooked to order, there was far more than we could eat but a takeaway bag was happily provided. I should add that the service at breakfast was efficient and very friendly -nothing was too much trouble.