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Arguably the most comprehensive family resort in Scotland, 4 star Crieff Hydro is centrally located in its own 900 acre estate with an unrivaled range of leisure pursuits for all ages. Choose from over 40 on-site leisure activities and take advantage of inclusive daily childcare for 2-12 year olds in the 700m2 kids club. Extensively redeveloped from top to bottom, Crieff Hydro is only an hours drive from both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is officially classified according to VisitScotland standards.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Family Resort
Languages Spoken
English, Polish
Location
Ferntower Road, Crieff PH7 3LQ Scotland
Crieff Hydro
4 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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Nestled amidst stunning surroundings, Crieff Hydro seems to have a loyal following for its beautiful location and family-friendly amenities, though guests have called out the need for refurbishing. While some travelers appreciate the attentive service and the bustling atmosphere, others have voiced their concerns about the hotel's value, citing overpriced experiences that don't match the cost.
The rooms often come under criticism for their outdated decor and maintenance issues. Furthermore, noise disturbances are a common grievance among visitors, detracting from the overall experience.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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As a firm family favourite for decades it was disappointing to find that the service and quality of restaurant food in particular had slipped.
We booked one of their Signature Suites at an average room rate of £440 per night b&b, which by any standards would normally guarantee a premium experience, but it seemed hard to justify this rate based upon our experience.
We booked a birthday dinner in the Brasserie for 8pm. We had no starters and didn’t get our meals until 8.55pm despite the restaurant being less than 1/3rd full. When it did come half was served 10 mins before the rest, so we advised them to start without us to avoid their steak going cold. When ours arrived it was dry and over cooked and lukewarm. The fries were piping hot which suggested the meal had been sitting under a heat lamp awaiting fries.
The staff were pleasant enough but for a premium priced birthday meal it was anything but.
It’s a beautiful hotel in a beautiful location but when you spend over £1300 with them for a 2 night stay you expect a far better experience.
Such a shame
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We as a family of four stayed here for two nights, having stayed a few times before. The hotel itself has always been a bit dated but in some way it’s been made up for by service and amenities for kids. Not this time.
The room was dated and furniture appearing thread bare. No complimentary water in the room. We asked for water and were advised to use the sink in bathroom and to use glasses that were in the bathroom as well. Unhygienic to say the least. I wonder if food hygiene standards would allow table water in the restaurant to be poured from a toilet sink. Doubt it. Why not have water stations available on each floor and a refillable jug in each room?
Hot water in the bathroom was lukewarm. We informed reception and estates investigated the cause, but no fix provided. We used the showers in the swimming pool for our 7 month and 4 year olds. The showers in the swimming pool are pretty hot and possibly a bit too hot for a baby. On check out we had an express check out envelope delivered, which was £200 more expensive than our bill should have been. Reception had added a second room to our account in case we complained again about the water temperature, but didn’t contact us to ask and failed to remove this from our bill without us questioning them.
Breakfast was ok but only filter coffee now and the carpet was pretty grubby from previous sittings at our table.
Some of the waiting staff in the restaurants aren’t cut out for a career or even a part time job in hospitality. It’s real basics of service that are missing, like smiling and pleasantries. Maybe the service charge of 10% being added automatically to the bill has let standards slip here. Food was actually pretty tasty and good for kids.
We did see a “13k” robotic hoover zipping around the hallways being supervised by a team of 5 or so. Possibly money being spent in the wrong places.
It’s a shame as we probably won’t return here.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Probably to compare somehere for the same price and go there instead
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager , Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 17 Nov 2024
Hello graemec795 and thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. We are really sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your stay on this occasion and are very grateful for your feedback. All of our guest feedback is used to help us improve our service going forward so your comments are very valuable to us. We do hope that we will see you again soon.
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Used a gift voucher to book the terrace restaurant. Will start with the positives , plenty of parking, lovely location. The downside , staff seemed really busy took 10 min for our drinks order to be taken. As both gluten free, asked for what was gluten free. Items marked on menu to check. For starters we got mussels which came with gluten free bread. Very nice with good taste. The main was a chateaubriand , which was served in a cold serving tray, not the one cooked in, so cooled quick quickly. The beef itself was very disappointing as it is the first chateaubriand that I have had with tough fat on that required cutting out. Brocoli was nice, however should have has an almond & chilli seasoning, however not on Brocali. At end of the meal raised the question re the beef as not what I would normally get. However staff member could not say. Very disappointing , having stayed there on a few occasions, will not be back for food.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager , Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 2 Dec 2024
Many thanks for taking the time to post a review of your visit Youngkb. I was sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the standard of food and the choices available to you and I have shared your feedback with our Head Chef and Food and Beverage Manager for their review going forward. I hope that this will not deter you from a future visit and that we will have the chance of welcoming you back before too long.
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Stayed 1 night at Crieff Hydro earlier this month. We were so disappointed in the standards of the hotel. Dirty public area, lifts etc needing hoovered, dead flies on windowsills in the “winter garden cafe”. General wear and tear really showing. It just felt like it all needed a good deep clean. Room keys weren’t available until 4:45pm which was not ideal with a toddler and dinner reservation. We stayed in a “signature room” which on speaking to other guests seems like it was worth the extra. Had to get house keeping to come and clean the toilet as when we arrived it was evident it had not been cleaned since last guests.. skid marks in toilet bowl and pubic hairs all over the seat - house keeper was mortified and quickly cleaned. Breakfast I felt was poor & the quality i would expect in a low quality travel lodge - tinned fruit mushed in a bowl, no honey available as apparently had ran out a couple of days before… mushrooms inedible. Dinner in the terrace was lovely but pricey - the waiting staff were great however does not reflect the general attitude of rest of hotel staff who were verging on rude at times with no interest in the guests. The “little country” area needs renovated, soft play very old and small. Advertised “colouring” activity was literally hotel headed paper with some old crayons scattered across a small table. Highly recommend the polly pony ride for under 4’s - our little girl loved it. Mini disco also great for kids in evening. Extremely underwhelming experience and unfortunately will take a lot to bring the hotel up to standards advertised/expected of a 4 star resort. Auchrannie is far far superior. Crieff felt like a dated Blackpool B&B. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere!
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager, Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 19 Sept 2024
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your stay ayr90. We are sorry to hear that some aspects disappointed you and have shared your feedback with the Management Team at the hotel so that they can take your comments on board going forward. We do hope that we will have the opportunity of welcoming you back to the hotel before too long.
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We spend a weekend at Crieff Hydro every autumn and this year the drop in standard was very disappointing. As we arrived at our room on the Friday afternoon, there was a trail of dirt all over the carpet in the hall way and stairs. When we checked out on the Sunday lunchtime, it was still there. Obviously had not been cleaned once! Our room was located in outwith the original building, in an adjoining part of the building close to the sports hub. It felt to be much inferior to the usual rooms we stay in. Chairs were worn and had marks on them, bathroom tiles chipped and marked, some towels were faded, greying and thin-the room was definitely not worth the cost. Shampoo is provided, and the same soap to be used between wash basin and shower, but no longer any moisturiser which was unexpected and something I missed as I hadn’t brought my own. The toiletries from Arran Aromatics are lovely though. Quality of food at the restaurant was good, however two evenings in a row we were given the exact same menu to choose from, with only around 6 choices. Too repetitive and restrictive for the price being charged. Menu also lacked a more simple meat option with chicken/beef. Staff were friendly and polite, but the hotel in general appeared to be very understaffed and the staff there were struggling to cope with everything. It’s sad to see the decline in this hotel, as it should be great. It’s in a beautiful location with lovely grounds, and with many activities for families.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager , Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 5 Feb 2025
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your stay Jenny W. We are sorry to hear that some aspects disappointed you and have shared your feedback with the Management Team at the hotel so that they can take your comments on board going forward. We do hope that we will have the opportunity of welcoming you back to the hotel before too long.
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We stayed here for 2 nights as a family of 3 with our 2 year old son. Upon checking in we were only told about 2 places to eat and were told that the menus were on a table near the reception desk. We decided to go to 'The Hub', it took a while to work out the way and when we got there, football was on and full of people watching, which is fine, but only one young guy serving! We waited for at least 20 mins to be told that they were not serving food. The guy wasn't sure why it was only drinks. At this point we were very hungry so we're very annoyed. We then spent another while trying to find a restaurant open for lunch! We went to the terrace which was very overpriced. The servers all seemed very young, not confident in what they were doing and very standoffish. I also think adding a 10% gratuity to either bill is quite cheeky.
We booked our son a pony ride at 13:35 one of the days and received the confirmation email from 'Action Glen' with no information on where to go to participate. We decided to get the little hotel train up to Action Glen and asked at the reception where to go. We were told that it was at the riding centre and we would need to ask the train driver to stop there on the way back. Train arrived, we asked the driver who told us he doesn't stop there and it was about a 20 min walk from Action Glen. We had no chance of doing that down a country road, heavy rain and a toddler, so we decided we would miss the pony ride and stay at Action Glen. Turns out that the riding centre is a few minutes walk from the hotel! The driver really should have informed us of this when we queried about being dropped off there. Very disappointing. However, the reception assistant manager removed the ride from our bill so thankyou to her!
The room was a good size, but unfortunately was not up to the standard they are advertised. Our room was 79 - the bathroom taps were fitted the wrong way so we were getting soaked when trying to turn them off! There was a light not working. The toilet paper was like tissue paper. There was mould in between the tiles.
Our tea and coffee was not topped up on our second day. We had dirty mugs and spoons - one of the mugs was cracked the whole way down the side.
The television kept loosing signal which was quite frustrating. The batteries in the remote were also touch and go (needed a thump before the channel would change!).
The last disappointment was turning up for the kids mini disco to be told it wasn't on.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager, Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 5 Sept 2024
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your stay Sarah_1991x. We are sorry to hear that some aspects disappointed you and have shared your feedback with the Management Team at the hotel so that they can take your comments on board going forward. We do hope that we will have the opportunity of welcoming you back to the hotel before too long.
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Booked new year package with family. Very expensive package so was expecting top notch service facilities and accommodation. Sadly was disappointed. Accommodation on arrival wasn't clean. Carpets all stained. Needed deep cleaning. Housekeeper hoovered to try and help a little bit. False alarm fire alarm going off whilst dining at restaurant. All hearded outside and then hearded back in while food went cold and kids got frightened. Large umbrella left with reception grew legs and walked off never to be seen again and apparently at over £500 per night we were told we weren't allowed fresh towels as we had a washing machine in the apartment and could wash our own . After spending time waiting to speak to a manager they reluctantly agreed to some towels and offered 20 percent off another stay here. Hmm not sure we would want to return in a hurry. There's a lot of new staff who are clearly struggling and don't know what is happening for new year package. We witnessed a large amount of complaints whilst here so I am not sure what's gone wrong here as it previously was an decent place to stay at a decent price. Did not see any winter wonderland here. Some empty huts and a few people on an ice rink. There' was also a train which had lights blown and no light garden as they had also blown a fuse. Fawlty towers at its best .
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager , Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 18 Jan 2025
Thank you for your survey KirsteenMac, I know our Self Catering Manager and Reception Manager spoke to you during your stay to resolve any issues you had. We can provide extra towels in our Self Catering units but there is a charge as our units have washing machines in them. I am sorry you feel the way you do about your stay with us and hope you enjoyed any of our other activities that were on.
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Very doubtful we would return it’s very expensive for what you get. The pool is very small with one slide but they dont tell you this one slide isn’t on at certain times of the day. The evening kids disco is lacking in any imagination, so if you have a shy child who wants to take part, expect them to be stuck to you as there is no organised games or encouragement from any staff to get them to join in. Basically just music until the bingo begins and if your lucky to win you get a certificate! This overpriced hotel can’t even seem to absorb a free packet of haribos for the winner! The play park is a hazard with the zip slide broken, muddy and had had zero money spent on this probably because it’s free!
We found items belonging to a previous guest in our room on arrival which wasn’t pleasant and had us question the cleanliness of the room. The drinks prices seemed to vary from night to night or staff member. There were things available to do that really isn’t clear on the map so make sure you read everything on the website before you go, ie the Victorian baths we only found out about on the day we left and it was fully booked. Make sure you double check the shower head is in place securely before use, it’s very heavy and fell off and hurt and bruised my little ones toe. Good things: the staff at big country, the kids absolutely loved it there. Dinner at and staff at the terrace. The magician was very good for kids and adults.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Crieff Hydro, General Manager at Crieff Hydro
Responded 18 Jul 2023
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your stay Claireski13. We are sorry to hear that some aspects disappointed you and have shared your feedback with the Management Team at the hotel so that they can take your comments on board going forward. We do hope that we will have the opportunity of welcoming you back to the hotel before too long.
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Paid £165 for a room with a broken fridge full of mould, a bathroom that locked itself and I couldn’t access, and when my wife eventually tried to run a bath the control for the plug came off the side of the bath and dirt and rust fell into the bath. Since it was only for one night we put it down to just a bit of misfortune until my wife opened the drawer on the bedside table to discover a tube of durex lubricating gel. The next day I tried to speak with the duty manager but was eventually phoned by the domestic head who said she would make sure that the room was cleaned. I had checked out and was at reception at this point. I was demanding to speak directly with someone in authority but nobody came. I then received an email from the housekeeper offering me 20% off of my next stay, as if I would ever go back.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hotel Manager, Guest Services / Front Office at Crieff Hydro
Responded 5 Nov 2024
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your stay Jim C. We are sorry to hear that some aspects disappointed you and have shared your feedback with the Management Team at the hotel so that they can take your comments on board going forward. We do hope that we will have the opportunity of welcoming you back to the hotel before too long.
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I couldn’t help but feel everything was a bit grubby. Three I was served a glass with lip stick stains (gross!) Everything is dirty, tables in restaurant to the window sills in our room, even the chairs at reception just looked like they needed a wipe down.
I couldn’t believe that you needed to pay £25 for the Victorian baths (basically just an adult only swimming pool painted to look like it was Victorian) …And book the normal swimming pool in advance, which I avoided as it looked like an absolute riot with kids jumping eveywhere.
There were no spaces for treatments the whole weekend which was disappointing …if there’s a requirement for more treatments why not hire more spa staff?
I’m gluten free and asked at the terrace if I could replace the chips were are usually fried with gluten containing ingredients with normal potato’s or something and was told no not possible but that the chefs would avoid cross contamination, but I’m not convinced the chips were gluten free (maybe coated with wheat) or cooked separately as minutes after eating them I felt very sick and was then bloated all weekend (I’m coeliac).
There were loads of staff throughout the resort so they definitely didn’t seem understaffed anyway (except spa).
This is a hotel for families who want to be able to drink whilst their kids run around mad. If you’re looking for a classy weekend away with adult family or friends I’d probably avoid.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Crieff Hydro, General Manager at Crieff Hydro
Responded 6 Mar 2023
Hi there Jessica Joyce F. Thanks for the review of your recent stay and I'm really sorry about the things we didn't get right for you. Our Victorian Spa price includes robes, slippers, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, tea, coffee, fruit and cordials. We use a booking system to avoid over crowding at busy times in our leisure pool, there are always lots of family groups staying with us during and/or around half term break, so yes, there are plenty of children around. I'm really sorry we weren't more responsive to your dietary concerns. Our chips are un-floured and gluten free and we can fry them in their own oil to avoid cross contamination. Our housekeeping standards are usually much higher than this and I'm sorry if we have fallen short while you were here. I've shared all your feedback with my management team and please be assured we really do listen to what our guests tell us. I hope that one day we may get the chance to restore your faith in our hospitality
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There are more places to choose from in the Crieff area.
PRICE RANGE
$255 - $479 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
crieff hydro hotel crieff, crieff hydro resort, crieff hotel hydro, crieff hydro scotland
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandPerth and KinrossCrieff
NUMBER OF ROOMS
254
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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