The Barrel

–Excellent location - show map
+25 photos
Scored 8.5
Rated very good

Excellent location!

9.6

About this property

Comfortable Accommodation: The Barrel in Ballater offers family rooms with private bathrooms, walk-in showers, and free WiFi. Each room includes a TV, electric kettle, and carpeted floors. Dining Experience: Guests can enjoy British cuisine at the traditional family-friendly restaurant, serving lunch and dinner with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. The bar provides a relaxed atmosphere for evening drinks. Leisure Facilities: The hotel features a sun terrace, outdoor seating area, and live music. Additional amenities include free parking, bicycle parking, and free WiFi throughout the property. Location and Attractions: Located 65 km from Aberdeen Airport, The Barrel is near Balmoral Castle (18 km), CairnGorm National Park (47 km), and other attractions.

Couples particularly like the location — they rated it 9.8 for a two-person trip.

Distance in property description is calculated using © OpenStreetMap

Most popular facilities

  • Free parking
  • Restaurant
  • Free WiFi
  • Non-smoking rooms
  • Family rooms
  • Bar
  • Breakfast

Property highlights

Top location: Highly rated by recent guests (9.6)

Breakfast info

Full English/Irish

  • FREE parking!

Availability

Select dates to see this property's availability and prices

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Room type
Number of guests
 
1 single bed
and
1 double bed
1 double bed
1 double bed
1 double bed
1 double bed
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Guest reviews

Categories:

Staff
Facilities
Cleanliness
Comfort
Value for money
Location
Free WiFi

Select topics to read reviews:

Guests who stayed here loved

Pacheco
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Very nice and friendly staff. The venue is in the centre of the village.”
Ruth
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Tiny room with no storage, but perfectly fine for me. Everything worked. Bar food was great.”
Ian
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Room was clean and comfortable, food was good, staff were excellent.”
Elizabeth
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Central location in middle of lovely Ballater village. Our room was clean and cleaned both days we were there with tea tray and fresh towels replenished.Nice en-suite, room and en-suite looked to be recently updated. Great value breakfast- full...”
Jo
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Ideally placed in the centre of the village. A nice buzz to the hotel with live music on in the evening. Reasonable food. Comfortable bed”
David
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Recently refurbished to a very high standard. Although our booking didn’t include any food, we decided to have dinner in the bar. We were served with the best steak pie that either of us has eaten. Furthermore it was served with delicious chips...”
Karen
New Zealand New Zealand
“It was comfortable, clean and a wonderful location with free parking. The staff were very friendly.”
Joanne
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Location was right in centre of Ballater, staff were brilliant, check in was great. Room was really clean, comfy and had everything we needed. We had evening meal here and food was excellent, service was great, staff were really busy but all three...”
Peter
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Super room, exceeded my expectations. The room was newly decorated and had everything I required.”
Mrs
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“Location good - next to car park - near everything. Very clean room. Had breakfast which was nice.”

Hotel surroundings

Restaurants

1 restaurant on site
Restaurant #1
  • Cuisine
    British
  • Open for
    Lunch • Dinner
  • Ambiance
    Family friendly • Traditional
  • Dietary options
    Vegetarian • Vegan • Gluten-free

House rules

The Barrel takes special requests - add in the next step!
Check-in
From 15:00 to 22:00
Check-out
From 07:00 to 10:00
Cancellation/ prepayment
Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to accommodation type. Please enter the dates of your stay and check the conditions of your required option.
Children and beds

Child policies

Children of any age are welcome.

To see correct prices and occupancy information, please add the number of children in your group and their ages to your search.

Cot and extra bed policies

0 - 2 years
Cot upon request
Free

The number of cots allowed is dependent on the option you choose. Please check your selected option for more information.

There are no extra beds available at this property.

All cots are subject to availability.

No age restriction
There is no age requirement for check-in
Pets
Free!Pets are allowed on request. No extra charges.
Parties
Parties/events are not allowed

The fine print

Need-to-know information for guests at this property

This property will not accommodate hen, stag or similar parties.