Outdoor dining

Reviews of The Commercial Hotel

3 out of 5
The Commercial Hotel
19 The Square, Tarland, Aboyne, Scotland

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 162 out of 220 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 50 out of 220 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 220 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 220 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 220 reviews" "

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.2/10

Amenities

9.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Susan

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Kaye

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfy and clean
Room was comfy and clean. Good shower. Had dinner and the fish and chips were very good!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean comfortable rooms, great atmosphere with fantastic staff. Good choice of food, with specials most nights. Kitchen was flexible in providing early breakfast outside normal hours at the weekend when we had an early start to our activities for the day.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kevin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in this hotel. Fantastic accommodation, good food. Friendly staff. I couldn't have asked for any more. An absolute gem.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Pernille

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Delightful surprise!
This place was so cute and quaint!! The staff were lovely, rooms great, good food and wonderful atmosphere. A real surprise find!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

4/10 Poor

Hessam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Some of the staff are amazing, such as the young lady serving the breakfast, and the one checked me in. However, my second morning’s breakfast was not served in a best way it could’ve. This property has great deal of potential; it’s like a place that was 4-star at some point in the past. The room was cozy, although small. There was fake eyelashes next to the toilet, and lots of hairs on the bed cover. I had dinner with them once, and the food was really good. Parking was pretty convenient, too.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

TERENCE

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a little gem within a quite remote part of Scotland. If you're vegan, as I am, then this little hotel caters for you, even offering a vegan/veggie menu in the inhouse restaurant. The staff are friendly and helpful, prices are reasonable, rooms are comfortable and clean and it's clear that someone has put some thought into the facilities of the room and what a guest may require. The breakfast was great too. The only downside was the bedding. There are no duvets, just thin sheets and a blanket. There was a spare blanket in the room, but it still doesn't beat the comfort and practicableness of a duvet, in my opinion. It was a little chilly and the radiator wasn't on. A duvet is a a definite must in any accommodation these days, I would suggest. I travel a lot and put this hotel up there as one of my favourites. I will be back.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Sarah

Business traveler
Liked: Staff & service
I stayed here for just 1 night while travelling for work. Booked because of the great reviews however I didn't realise most are for the restaurant, which I can't comment on, rather than the hotel. I'll start with the positives. The staff were lovely, so helpful and friendly and the location was good for my travels. Parking was easy and free. Room was a good size with ensuite bathroom and tea & coffee making facilities. The negatives. The room was freezing. No quilt on the bed, just a top sheet, blanket and thin throw but they had thankfully provided a hot water bottle. Although the bedding seemed to be fresh the towels did not. They smelt musty and one of them was filthy with a horrible brown stain on which I didn't investigate too closely. The room and the whole hotel smelt of cooking oil. Now I know I've got a strong sense of smell and that downstairs is a restaurant but I've stayed in hotels like this before and never known anything like this. It was really overpowering. Breakfast cold selection was nice but basic. Just one small table with a cereal selection, some fruit, yogurt and juice. Cooked breakfast were available to order and were lovely although the portion sizes were quite small. I chose just to have the bacon, eggs and tomato from the full Scottish breakfast. Normally when you drop a few items they increase the quantity of the others but no I literally got 1 slice of bacon, 1 egg and half a tomato. Again though the staff were lovely.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
A lovely hotel- staff was outstanding
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

T Y E

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Will stay again
Cosy room, comfortable bed, nice continental and cooked breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent ..
More than happy with our stay . All aspects of our stay were amazing . Would recommend this hotel to anyone . Excellent !!!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

JEAN

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gianna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful views around Tarland. Not your ‚usual‘ hotel. Very friendly service and good food at reasonable price.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Joan

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
We had a lovely weekend. Everyone was very helpful and friendly especially Karen. Will recommend to friends and family. I left my I-Pad in the room and they posted it to me very quickly free of charge
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gillian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gem of a hotel
This is a gem of a hotel well situated for Balmoral and other attractions. Spacious well appointed rooms with generous sized en- suite. Friendly and helpful staff. Great food choices and well cooked.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

8/10 Good

Juyong

Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

DONALD

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden Gem
The Commercial is a deceptively discrete hotel, somewhat off the beaten track. The unpretentious external appearance belies a sizeable establishment which has been extensively refurbished internally to a high standard, with very comfortable rooms and furnishings. Run by the same family for 17 years, the hotel has staff who are all extremely friendly and helpful, serving excellent, reasonably priced meals with a wide menu of home made food and local beers. Tarland itself is centred in an area of estates, through which there are numerous, well maintained, walking routes - all well signed! - and with the availability of comprehensive leaflet guides at the hotel. Nearby are ancient stone circles, a golf course, the elegant church (and also church ruins) and even a neatly kept bird hide (where 2 woodpeckers were seen, together with many other birds) all of which is surrounded by beautiful views. This is in addition to the close proximity of Tarland to the River Dee, with access to yet more pleasant walks and to the various local towns, such as Aboyne and Ballater. Overall, a great find that will certainly be considered for a return visit.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Claire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent service & friendly staff
Wonderful & friendly staff. I left my motorbike safely around the back in the car park. The food was excellent I will definitely be going back!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Graeme

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overnight stay
Lovely room. Clean and well prepared and provided
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wee night away.
Had a very pleasant stay at the commercial in Tarland. Lovely room friendly staff and a superb meal on Saturday night and a very tasty breakfast on Sunday morning.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

CMF

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Bobby

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

JAMES

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very good hotel and good food
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Steven

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a lovely hotel with a very personal service, friendly staff and amazing food. The double room we had was large with a good sized en-suite bathroom, a comfortable bed and the room was nicely decorated and furnished. There was free on-site parking to the rear and a lovely, freshly cooked to order breakfast was included.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I liked the quiet rural location, with well furnished good sized clean room. Friendly staff and good food with large portion. We would definitely stay again if in the area.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Commercial Hotel
Everything was sparkling clean and service was attentive and cheerful
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel in beautiful rural Aberdeenshire
Wonderful weekend trip with small dog. Beautifully appointed room. Excellent breakfast served by the lovely Mo. Staff went out of their way to help. Location is great for exploring Royal Deeside. Heartily recommend.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Tricia

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Delightful staff 😊
We arrived late but staff were very welcoming and service was first class. We had dinner which was lovely and breakfast was outstanding highly reco6the french tiast and bacon 😊
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
In the restaurant Mo was our server for dinner and breakfast and she was wonderful. So attentive and jolly. And knowledgeable about food allergies and options. She made it great!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is my first choice hotel when I work in northern Scotland, I use it regularly. Very comfortable, fantastic value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

Tom

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

James

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

ian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden GEM
excellent from evening meal to bed to breakfast just great and value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

William

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfection
The best hotel we have stayed at for many a year
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

L

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
best review for a pub/hotel in Deeside
Our trip was a special event at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, as you where the nearest available residential hotel available we just booked in, all I can say is that it was an excellent choice, the rooms where clean and nicely decorated with good bathrooms and facilities within the hotel, the staff where excellent and very friendly and fun too, the food was great and cooked to perfection too. Charlie and Mo stood out but all the staff where great polite well mannered and professionally presented. I would highly recommend this Hotel as being one of the best, reasonably priced and a place I will certainly return too in the future. Very well done.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Clean comfortable w an excellent restaurant and bar
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

Carissa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great if traveling Solo
It was great for one night, and for the price. The breakfast was amazing. Don’t forget shower shoes.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

William

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is in the city center on the town square with shops and post office. The hotel seems to be the gathering place for the local population. It is very friendly and the food is excellent. Many historical sites and outdoor activities are available.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Lindsay

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
iant
One Fbthe best stays in a small hotel ever. Well appointed, bath robes provided and huge fluffy towels. Well decorated and comfortable rooms. Friendly staff and lovely breakfast. A real find
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

David

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Braemar Highland Gathering weekend.
Fabulous as always. Excellent food and fantastic comfortable rooms. Early breakfasts at 7am - no problem. This hotel is the business, nothing is a difficulty. Definitely a ***** establishment!! See you next year!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

MARK

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Eamonn

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very personal attention given by owner and staff. The restaurant had a large selection of gluten free meals including fish and chips. Breakfast was superb. The room was a good size and very clean. We loved our stay there.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Luis

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing service and friendly staff
Excellent service, spotless clean and a lot of Attention to detail. The breakfast options were excellent.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019