Firstly, we spent two nights here as part of our honeymoon,couldn't have been made to feel more welcome throughout, and on our departure we were given a bottle of Knowes hotel wine to keep for an anniversary!

The hotel itself is very clean and tidy, nicely presented and our room was large with a lovely en suite bath/shower room. Modern and with everything you would expect - apparently the hair dryers are excellent (and who am I to argue!).

Great views can be had (see photos) from the rooms, the bar and the restaurant. In fact, it seems most postcard pictures of Bamff Bay and Macduff are taken from the hill a few yards to the west of this hotel.

The location is great for exploring the area - couple of companies run boat trips from the harbour, there is an acquarium nearby and we surfed at Bamff! You can easily explore further afield from this location - we visited Tomintoul (highest town - also part of the whiskey trail) on the way up, and Lochness is about 1hr 45mins away, with the best bits of the coast much nearer. Cairngorms, and Aviemore and other ski areas probably within 90mins, maybe less on a good run.

The food is spot on - breakfast fresh and hearty, better than most hotels (and I stay in a lot for work). The evening fayre was uncomplicated and very good - Cullen Skink (local specialty) in particular was super. The second night we were there was 'curry night', and the curry, chips, naan, rice and drink were exactly right after two hours surfing. Make no mistake, this is not fine dining (although dishes were nicely presented and very well cooked) but it was good food.

No doubt there are more fancy and 'upmarket' looking hotels in the area, but I would bet good money that you will have the best experience here. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff - they even helped us track down my wifes swimsuit (left at the surf club!) when my phone reception was poor.

It was a beautifully quiet and relaxing stay. We very much hope to go back one day and would recommend a stop here in the strongest possible terms.

Superb hotel. Book it.