Based on recommendation from TripAdvisor, we stayed at the Highlander Inn while touring the speyside region. We were very happy with that decision. Our room and bath at the Highlander Inn were both very spacious. The room came with a full Scottish breakfast that was served in the dining room overlooking the lovely Scottish country side. Another great thing about this inn is that it is actually adjacent to the old Whiskly Smugglers trail which follows the Spey river to several distilleries. The bottom two photos were taken from the trail a short walk from the Inn.
The hotel had 5 rooms on the top floor, a dining room and common area on the first floor, and a pub and whisky bar on the ground floor. We ate dinner in the pub the first night. From the crowd, we knew the food was a favorite with the locals. We decided to try the haggis since it was from a local butcher instead of a large food company. The haggis (sheep's stomach and other parts we didn't really want the details of) was served with neeps (turnips), tatties (potatoes),and a whisky sauce. It was actually very tasty, kind of like a ground beef stroganoff.
The most enjoyable aspect of the the pub is we had a chance to chat with the locals. Roy Mathers, who runs a tour company called About Speyside (http://www.aboutspeyside.com/) stopped for a chat and told us a lot of history about the area. He also recommended a hike to a little known castle and gave us guidance on distillery tours. We wished we had found Roy before our trip so we could have signed up for one of his tours. He also helped us with trying to pronounce the name of the town Craigellachie. We couldn't quite get the hang of the pronunciation. He told us not to worry because once we stay the night, we are considered locals and can call it the Craig.
Duncan Elphrick, the proprietor, was the most friendly and helpful host you will find anywhere. In addition to serving breakfast in the morning and serving drinks and food at the pub in the evening, Duncan was an excellent concierge. He went onto mapquest and printed maps for us to help us find our way to the castle that Roy recommended and called Abelour to make reservations for a tour.
If you are ever in speyside, we hope you have the opportunity to visit the Highlander Inn.
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