AN ABERDEENSHIRE hotel has been lauded as excellent value after a Which? reviewer said it was their “best stay in seven years” following a secret inspection.
The travel experts gave Aberdeen’s Marcliffe Hotel a glowing review after a recent test as the online expert said the five-star hotel was the “best” in its class.
The Which? team, who have more than 50 years of experience in hotel reviews, secretly book rooms around the country and provide potential customers with advice on where the top spots to stay are.
Which? said they operate its reviews in secret to ensure fairness and to make sure examiners receive no “special treatment” from hotel management and owners.
The reviewer who made the trip to Marcliffe Hotel said it was a “truly exceptional” stay in the Victorian manor house and that it offered “incredible” value.
The report, published last week, read: “It’s the value that makes this the best UK hotel we’ve stayed at in the UK in the past seven years.
“To be so completely swept off your feet for less than £200 (including breakfast) makes The Marcliffe remarkable.”
Examiners said they were impressed by how guests still dressed up for the occasion and the value of meals starting at £25 along with the presentation and taste.
They added that they were swept off their feet by the small details which “keep minor royals coming back”.
The report read: “From the moment you climb the sweeping drive of this Victorian manor house on the outskirts of Aberdeen, to the waistcoated staff who swing open the doors and usher you into a reception warmed by a blazing fire, every minute at the Marcliffe feels special.”
It added: “The tartan carpets, high tea in the drawing room and impeccable service feel almost old-fashioned. But it’s this elegance that appeals and keeps minor royals – who can’t fit into nearby Balmoral – coming back.”
