The Auld Kirk

We had a wonderful stay at The Auld Kirk and were only sorry our booking wasn't longer. The owners were very personable and friendly and the old church has been repurposed to the epitome of B&B comfort right in the center of the most charming small village. A unique experience true to the nature of what a bed and breakfast should be.

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.

Myself and 3 friends enjoyed The Afternoon Tea experience at The Auld Kirk yesterday. The building is beautiful inside and out - great attention to detail .The food was first class - all home baked and lovely presentation. The host was attentive and very amiable. Highly recommended.

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.

The friendliest welcome! Within walking distance of the wee town this converted church is full of charm. Kev and Helen could not be more helpful. We were served the most amazing breakfast with gluten free options. Fresh fruit and pastries and cooked options. And leftover pastries were packed away for us to take on our onward journey Thank you!

Quite the unique stay, we enjoyed it a lot. Even with the unique building, our experience was still quite personal and homly, like staying with friends. Helen and Kevin were wonderful hosts, and our breakfast was fantastic. It's just a shame we only stayed one night.

NB! This is a booking for a cancelled reservation which may seem odd. We arrived at the property in the afternoon with the "Red alert" of Storm Babet expected the next day. Helen was concerned we could be forced to stay for longer than intended because of flooding and road closures and that we would have little to do while we were there. After a brief discussion, she and Kev agreed that the three night reservation could be cancelled at no cost to us. They dealt with the relevant arrangements with the booking agency and the refund occurred without any problem. We were very impressed with the attitude of the hosts as it would have been easier and obviously more financially advantageous to them to proceed with our booking. However they were genuinely concerned about our welfare and the inconvenience and disruption we would have experienced had we stayed during the storm. Full marks to both Kev and Helen for the kindness they showed in dealing with this difficult situation.