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The best UK hotel our undercover inspectors have reviewed in seven years
You can stay at this five-star hotel for less than £200
Our undercover inspectors have stayed at hundreds of UK hotels, but this is the first one they've given their full five-star rating to in over seven years.
A five-star rating is reserved for a property we think is truly exceptional, and the best in its class.
Our undercover inspectors are completely unbiased. Unlike most other publications, we pay for the hotels we review, and our inspectors always stay anonymously. Between them, the inspectors have more than 50 years of experience reviewing properties.
You can read all our undercover hotel reviews – the good, the bad and the ugly – in each issue of Which? Travel.
Marcliffe hotel review – what our undercover inspectors said
From the moment you climb the sweeping drive of this Victorian manor house on the outskirts of Aberdeen, to the waistcoated staff who swing open the doors and usher you into a reception warmed by a blazing fire, every minute at the Marcliffe feels special.
There is no bling, no gold wallpaper or cocktail-snapping influencers, not even a hot tub in the small spa. The tartan carpets, high tea in the drawing room and impeccable service feel almost old-fashioned. But it’s this elegance that appeals and keeps minor royals – who can’t fit into nearby Balmoral – coming back.
Rooms at the Marcliffe Hotel
Bedrooms in muted greys and browns, with reproduction Chippendale desks, don’t especially wow, but they are spacious.
The locally made mattresses are wonderfully comfortable, and you’ll find snacks, robes, same-day laundry service and other amenities that are slowly being cut at other properties.
Dining at the Marcliffe Hotel
Guests still dress for dinner, lending a sense of occasion to taking whisky in the deep armchair of the drawing room, before being escorted to tables with crisp white linen and rattan chairs in the Conservatory restaurant.
Locally caught langoustines in chilli and garlic, and sirloin of Aberdeenshire beef, are exquisitely presented and taste excellent. With prices for mains starting at £25, it’s also brilliant value.
You’re back in the morning for the sort of breakfast buffet Willy Wonka would dream up: smoked haddock, grilled kippers, salmon and everything else you could possibly want.
Staff are exceptional. Able to answer any question you ask about the food, they're smartly dressed but make sure dining here still feels comfortable and relaxed.
Verdict on the Marcliffe Hotel
It's the value that makes this the best UK hotel we've stayed at in the UK in the past seven years. To be so completely swept off your feet for less than £200 (including breakfast) makes The Marcliffe remarkable.
How to get the best deal at the Marcliffe
We paid £185 for our stay in a double room, which the Marcliffe advertises as a ‘Classic’. You can book stays through February and March in a Classic for £180, but even after this, when the weather warms up, the rate is only £200 – including during the summer holidays.
When we checked, prices to book the Marcliffe on Booking.com were the same price as booking direct.
You might also try phoning the Marcliffe directly to see if it can give you a better price. Its number is 01224 861000.
How we review hotels
Unlike all other national UK travel magazines and newspaper travel sections, Which? Travel never accepts freebies. We pay wherever we stay.
All our hotel inspections take place anonymously. We book a standard double room online, just as you would, and we sample the hotel’s facilities, just as you would. We never let on that we are from Which?
That means no special treatment, no reviewer upgrades and no opportunity for the hotel to influence our verdict.
And no matter how badly the hotel fares, we always publish the review, warts and all.
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