We had a brilliant week for our first visit to Ballater and loved both the cottage and the location. Mark, the owner, went above and beyond in making us feel very welcome. Communication with him was really good both in advance of our visit and during, and we were blown away by some of the nice touches like the welcome basket of local produce and beautiful greeting card - it's the best experience we've ever had.
Having not been to Ballater before we weren't sure what to expect. It's a lovely village with plenty of shops, restaurants and other amenities and somewhere we'd definitely recommend visiting. The first week of our holiday was in a more remote setting so this was a welcome contrast. Here we were just 2 mins walk from the centre of the village.
The cottage itself was perfectly setup for our family of 6 and very clean and tidy with loads of storage space which was very handy. The layout of the living space worked really well too - the fire is great and the large TV on a swivel arm was a very welcome change from the tiny set in our the previous property. The showers were excellent too which always makes a big difference.
It's a perfect base for exploring the area. We're an active family so interested in doing plenty of hill walking, climbing and mountain biking, but we were also along with grandparents who wanted more sedate walks and we were really impressed with the variety we had here.
For biking I can definitely recommend Heartbreak ridge just behind the village, a great Red/Black downhill run you can do from the door. Climbing is excellent at nearby Pass of Ballater and Burn o Vat (micro guide book can be bought in the outdoor shop in the village). And Lochnager and it's neighbouring Munros are a great day out, as well as the circuit of Loch Muick or any number of riverside or woodland walks for more low level strolls. We were amazed at how much we managed to do either straight from the door or within about 20 mins drive.
If we were to ask for anything, it would be a few more plates and glasses (there's enough for 6, but it just means you're washing up more often if you need any more). Being able to put the bikes in the shed would also have been ideal, but we managed just fine without.
TLDR: We had a brilliant week, in a great area with so much to see and do. The cottage couldn't have been better for us and Mark the owner was brilliant. Would thoroughly recommend staying here and we'd look forward to visiting again in the future.