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The Bracken Hide hotel offers an atmosphere that captivates some guests with its charm, though others find the enchantment marred by practical issues leading to a sense of crowding. Accommodations are generally comfortable and the staff welcoming, yet guests have called out the hotel for unexpected additional fees and limited availability of amenities. Opinions on value for money are mixed, with many feeling the hotel falls short.
Service experiences vary, with commendations for staff friendliness alongside criticisms of inconsistency. Cleanliness is typically satisfactory, although some inconsistency has been noted, and while certain rooms boast impressive views and comfort, their practicality and quality materials have been questioned by numerous travelers.
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Uncomfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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We booked this before the hotel had officially opened as there were few open options close to Portree. We had seen some pretty bad reviews since booking so I guess we had low expectations. We had a nice time in general. We fondly referred to our pod as the goat hut…actually when we arrived we were amused to find sheep on our small porch… less amused to find they left their calling cards behind after we shoed them away. Pod was small and a bit cramped. Bed was comfortable. Bathroom was tiny and shower door didn’t quite close. Even though the sign said to wait 30 minutes between showers we found there was plenty of hot water for two consecutive showers. We had a nice view and even had a rainbow on our last night. We had fun at the sauna and plunge pool (after a few drinks for inspiration. Cocktail bar was great. Main lounge had fun colorful mid century furniture. Walk up to pod wasn’t bad even being close to top.. but we had good weather mostly. Continental breakfast was included and we found it substantial enough. You can order off menu for additional price. Restaurant although separate from hotel was fairly good. Pricey place with some improvements needed but we had fun here.
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip 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.
The pod room was cozy and the place is very instagrammable — the location is gorgeous. But there are some things that they are still working out. The parking lot is far from the rooms and the main building and many of the pods are VERY far from the main building (and no directional signs to direct you to the pod numbers). The internet was not good and no phones in the rooms to call the lobby so you have to go out and walk to request they pick up you luggage or with any basic questions. It rained a lot during our visit and a good raincoat and umbrella were a must. The bar is very nice and has a great selection of whiskeys and fun tasting menus and a friendly bar tender. The continental breakfast is very basic and you have to pay for hot items beyond toast. Overall it was nice but just be aware of how it is set up. Many of the places in Skye are short staffed and are doing their best, but the staff here were very nice and despite working very hard was always very friendly and helpful.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip 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.
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The overall atmosphere of this hotel and accommodations were great, but there were a few items we did not enjoy so much. The cabin feeling is so cozy, the beds were very comfortable, and the included breakfast and sauna were wonderful amenities! While we knew that our room was obviously not attached to the main building, the loose gravel on the paths made it a little challenging walking up the hill to our cabin from the main building. The main issue we had was with the very little time you had hot water in the shower. We timed it to about 8minutes and 15 seconds of hot water in the shower, then about 45minutes+ for the water to fully be hot again for a second person to shower. While we still enjoyed our overall stay and the other amenities, the lack of hot water was disappointing for the price you pay per night to stay here. We did also experience dinner service for an additional fee and enjoyed our meal and cocktails.
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Date of stay: April 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.
The Bracken Hide markets itself as a luxury wilderness hotel, and therein lies the problem; for it is neither a luxury hotel nor in the wilderness.
The good points: • The whisky bar is stylish and cosy with excellent cocktails made by an experienced and friendly bar tender. • The staff overall are friendly, especially the two young local lads in the restaurant. • The team seem to be responding to previous criticism, there is a golf buggy to help with luggage up to the pods and the continental breakfast now consists of fruits, cereal, ham, cheese, bread and pastries. • The whole place is dog friendly, including the bar and restaurant.
The bad points: • The finishing of the rooms is substandard: the shower door did not shut, which meant the floor flooded. Our friends had no hot water for the entire 3 day stay (they did receive a refund). Those with hot water are advised to wait 30 minutes between each shower. • We are young and fit and were there for hillwalking, however the walk up and down the hill to the pod was arduous and not pleasant in the pouring rain. • For £250 per couple per night, it feels unacceptable to charge extra for a hot breakfast. It is also overpriced, £8.50 for a bowl of porridge, which every Scot knows is just oats and milk! • The whole site looks unfinished, with lots of exposed pipes/plastic. There is a cattle grid into the car park, however the adjoining gate was off its hinges, meaning the sheep could (and did!) escape down into Portree. • Staff are constantly smoking/vaping outside the kitchen door, which unfortunately is right next to the main entrance. • The site itself is directly adjacent to an industrial estate overlooking Portree, it is in no way the 'wilderness'.
Overall, this place has potential and they have clearly spent a lot of money on the main building which is lovely, however it feels like the owners have not understood Skye or the market at all. There are far nicer places to stay on the Island for cheaper, run by good local people. We suggest you take your money there.
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
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.
We travelled up from the central belt to enjoy a night in Skye. We made a reservation on booking.com and from their Instagram we were really excited to stay at this quirky but sophisticated abode.
We arrived at approx 2pm, to find the customer car park was at the bottom of a reasonably steep climb to the hotel ‘hub’. The car park is all gravel and appears unfinished, which we learned was a theme of the landscaping at the facility.
On heading to the reception we walked past the rear door to the kitchen where there were numerous black bin bags filled with rubbish. The kitchen windows were also completely stuffed with kitchen utencils, making for a less than appealin view.
On attempting to check in we were told that check in wasnt till 4pm. We thought we could then just grab a drink to bide our time, however were also told that it wasn’t open till 4pm and the plunge pool and sauna facilities werent open until 4pm and shut at 8pm. Given we had dinner reservations at 5:45pm in Portree, we were unable to use these facilites at all during our stay. We also found out that they charge £50 to ‘hire’ a dressing gown and towel to use the facilities.
We left and marches back down the hill too our car and headed into Portree to pass the time.
We returned and on eventually checking in, found that we were at the the top of the hill. Our bags were offered a lift. The theme of unfinished landscaping continued and we trudged up a gravel path.
Our room / pod was decorated well and all in all style wise couldn’t be faulted. However beneath the veneer of styling, our shower door wouldnt close properly meaning that water would stream out onto the bathroom floor with little encouragment, our TV had no signal and there was no WIFI. Basic amenities in the world of travel accomodation.
The hub itself was a lovely venue and the bar area was one of the best i have come across. The cocktails were delightful and the staff friendly.
Breakfast in the morning was also abit of a let down. Given the price point for a stay we would have expected a hot offering. Instead were gifted with tiny croissants, and a bag of Co-op bread to feed the toaster machine. To add insult to injury, we were gifted a hot breakfast menu which we could enjoy for an additional charge.
On checking out, we noted that given the prevailing wind, it had blown the kitchen rubbish all over the front ‘lawn’ area of the hotel.
This could be a great hotel, however it appears the owners (whom i believe reside in London) have a long way to go (no pun intended) to make this experience match the price tag.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid until the reviews get better.
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.
So disappointing as per other reviews. The pros - lovely staff & beds are comfortable. Superficially nice looking but scratch the surface and it’s so badly planned and won’t age well. Most definitely not 4* and there is a real sense that once you’ve paid there’s no generosity. The website “guarantees a wilderness experience “. Our room faced a noisy school and a bright blue shipping container. We came a long way and we were devastated. The rooms are poorly finished with cheap materials (floor already peeling). They offer nothing not even a box of tissues. In summer they’re a humid hot box with sun glaring in. Basically you can’t use them until evening. The grounds are unfinished with plumbing and wires protruding (ok for the first couple of months but unacceptable at this point). The main area looks great initially but has been ill conceived. There’s nowhere for staff breaks so they’re standing near the entrance smoking with rubbish nearby. The restaurant windows are filled with messy things - so unprofessional. The actual building is also a hot box and so glarey you can’t sit down for breakfast. The breakfast is appalling. Seriously for a 4* hotel with high prices to offer a few pastries and bread in a plastic bag with no tongs and a few bits of meat (which was empty when were there) and cheese. Not even fresh fruit. Then have the audacity to charge for hot items! Again no generosity. There is a parking lot nearby for staff but for guests they need to park at the bottom of the hill and drag bags up on the unfinished gravel paths. (There is a sign saying you can drop bags at top of hill and go back). Why would you have a staff car park nearby and not one for guests? Lots and lots of change required to ensure this place survives. For us it was an awful experience.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip 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.
Bracken Hide is all marketing and no substance. The setting is lovely and the design of the “hub” building is very impressive, but that’s where the positives end unfortunately. They are offering very poor value for money and it is no wonder many are unimpressed. The interactions we had with staff left a lot to be desired. Our “check in” consisted of being handed keys and told in no uncertain terms that the restaurant was a separate undertaking so all communication with them must be direct. The restaurant ended up being the only thing we actually liked about the place!
The rooms are well decorated but not particularly practical; we arrived and they had the heating on at full blast, presumably to manage damp. It was uncomfortably warm in November. The bed was comfy but as others have noted, the toiletries were basic at best and the bathroom was caravan-esque.
It was also disappointing to sit in an oversubscribed sauna adjacent to another which is being used as a shed. The loud and smelly diesel golf carts buzzing about to manage the impracticalities of building a “hotel” on a hill also ruined the atmosphere.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
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.
We booked Bracken Hide on the basis of Guardian review before it had opened. With some trepidation having read reviews we were concerned. The whole concept is great but there are significant teething problems. It is a bit of a curates egg good in parts. First the postitives we were in one of the high pods beware the walk is stiff but you do get a great view and a great night sleep with no noise. The water in the pods is from there own well and very good if I was them I would highlight this. Beds are comfortable and shower more than adequate the warning that you could only have one shower and then reheat was not needed and not having hot water on tap is certainly a greener way to go.Down close to the hub is tge sauna this is great with the plunge pool of mountain water to use. There is some alga in this but I would say this will be solvable with a green solution. The staff are great happily bringing your bags up and down and helping out generally. In the hub the bar is a delight with a very unusual sunken bar. There extensive whiskey collection is well worth exploring. The restaurant is a seperate buisness to the hotel which Is part of the problems of the reviews. While it is great for dinner breakfast is a probelm. Firstly if all a 4 star hotel is a continental breakfast it cannot run out of fruit yoghurt and bread which happen on our second day. I would recommend they have a bowl of fresh fruit. Secondly when you are in a four star hotel one expects a hot breakfast however you have to pay extra here while this is a green option with having no wasted buffet breakfast I am sure the two companies involved as they obviously rely on each other could come to an arrangement to have a hot breakfast as standard. When you do order it it is excellant. Overall I would like to give a higher rating however I can only give 3 stars although I would hope if the hotel responds to the complaints this could improve as the concept is good
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip 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.
I can only assume that either, things have changed at The Bracken Hide or, expectations should be more realistic. This gem of a place is wonderful. As the name suggests, the main building/hub disappears into the landscape (like a hide!) but when you enter the building, it has the wow factor in spades. Decor is fabulous. On arrival our bags were taken from our car in the car park and placed in our hide/pod. We received a warm welcome from all staff. The pod was comfortable and cosy, powerful shower with plenty hot water and great smelling toiletries. Air con was an added bonus. Wi-Fi was a bit slow but as I understand, free Wi-Fi was only rolled out across town centres in Skye from 2018 and is patchy in other areas. Breakfast was excellent and served like an afternoon tea with a tier for fruit, yogurt and granola and another tier with croissants and a choice of spreads. There is also a hot made to order breakfast menu and fruit juice, tea and coffee. Dinner was equally impressive. Booking for breakfast means the restaurant is not too busy and you can enjoy your food with the morning view. The sauna and plunge pool is great for trying cold water therapy, again, booking allows you to experience this without being over crowded. Finally, a huge shout out to all the staff who were super friendly, helped us plan a day sightseeing, made fabulous cocktails and genuinely cared about our stay. Highly recommend.
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Date of stay: August 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.
I agree with a lot of the negative reviews, especially the fact that this is not 4 * . Cabins are lovely, but curtains dont shut, shower overflows, can’t use kettle without the lead falling down the back, can only use sauna and steam room certain times, but in our stay they were building decking so couldn’t really use it. Place looks a bit like a building site at parts, although we were told that they have planted lots of shrubs and they need time to grow. Most of the staff are lovely. The thing that got me with this hotel, is the lack of people skills from Hotel management, rude emails when giving constructive feedback via email about the obvious. Some people were complaining and were given refunds. My friend and I paid £500 for 2 nights and were still told no refund will be given. Don’t think we will be recommending this hotel to friends and family
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip 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.
There are more places to choose from in the Portree area.
PRICE RANGE
C$212 - C$414 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandThe HebridesIsle of SkyePortree
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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