Read our wonderful customer reviews.These reviews are taken from the Thistle Dhu Guest Review Book and our online reviews January 2026 “Our 2nd visit to ThistleDhu and another wonderful stay.”Patsy is an amazing host – very attentive + thoughtful.The house is cosy and comfortable and feels like a home away from home. The goodie basket left for us was incredibly generous and such a lovely touch. We will happily stay again and will definitely recommend. November 2025 “This is a lovely property perfectly cleaned and amazingly setup.”It a perfect position for exploring newtonmore and so accessible for daytrips. The house was huge much bigger than the pictures made it seem. It would be a perfect setup for larger families and the downstairs bathroom/bedroom would make bringing older members a possibility too. It was perfect, defiantly would return. Iain October 2025 “The best cottage we have stayed in.”The property has everything you could possibly need or want. The host goes above and beyond to ensure you have a lovely stay. Will definitely be returning! Abby October 2025 “The thistle dhu was absolutely fantastic what a lovely place, when we arrived in the cottage it was warm and welcoming, we had everything we needed and more!”We got a welcome basket full of treats which was a lovely surprise, Patsy the owner was very friendly and helpful. First time in Scotland and will most definitely go back again to Scotland and book the thistle dhu. It’s 5 stars plus … I highly recommend. Lynn September 2025 “What an amazing find!”Patsy (the host) was delightful and the cottage was hands down the best holiday rental we have ever stayed in. It really felt like a home without feeling like you were staying in someone else’s home. It was so well equipped in terms of extra touches (tupperwares, utensils, basic pantry items like oil (so often missing in holiday rentals!) and even things like books, boardgames and bath products. Truly a wonderful stay! Not to mention the location was an excellent base to visit the Cairngorms, the west coast and Inverness/Loch Ness. We did a number of nearby day hikes that were stunning and the nearby towns of Kingussie and Aviemore were delightful. Can highly recommend the two pubs in Newtonmore (the Balavil and the Glen) for a great pub meal or a whisky! Thanks so much – Roisin and co. (Melbourne, Australia)S August 2025 “We had another wonderful week at Thistle Dhu.”The house is like a home from home. Patsy makes you feel so welcome and the welcome basket is full of delightful delicious treats. We hope to visit again’ Marieann August 2025 “What a wonderful relaxing and welcoming home, we are sad to leave, we have stayed in many holiday homes over the years, Thistle Dhu beats them all.”The owners live next door, always on hand if needed but never intruding, which worked perfectly for us. How lovely to receive such an assortment of goodies in a gift basket catering for the whole family. In some holiday homes not even a pint of milk! The surrounding area is breath taking, just a wonderful week. We would hope to return in the future. Mrs Diane Juli 2025 – Wir hatten eine schöne Woche in diesem Haus, alles ist wunderschön eingerichtet und sehr gemütlich.Hier ist es sehr ruhig, und die Nachbarn sind sehr nett. Die Highlands sind wunderschön, und es ist immer schön da durch zu fahren. Wir können das Haus nur weiter empfehlen 🙂 Vielen Dank, Gerhard – Mathilde – Tobias – Johannes – Mathias – Tanja – Leonard – Svenja Greetings from Germany. (Translation summary: They had a lovely week; the house is beautifully furnished and very cosy; very quiet; can highly recommend it.) July 2025 “One of the best holiday homes we have stayed in.”The owners have really thought about what they have provided for groups of holiday makers. The house was clean and really well presented, and was equipped with everything we needed. Owners were very welcoming and helpful. Lots of information about where to go locally. Enjoyed our two weeks here and found lots to do around Newtonmore and the local area. Trips through the mountains and looks of the Cairngorms kept us well occupied. Would definitely come back to this house and area. Anne May 2025 “Das Haus ist sehr geräumig und wunderschön eingerichtet.”Die Anzahl der Küchenutensilien ist überdurchschnittlich hoch. Die Vermieterin ist sehr freundlich und immer hilfsbereit. Eins der schönsten Ferienhäuser, die wir jemals gebucht haben! Tibor. (Translation: “The house is very spacious and beautifully furnished. The amount of kitchen utensils is well above average. The host is very friendly and always helpful. It’s one of the most beautiful vacation homes we have ever booked!”) March 2025 “I’ll soon be taking my shoes and socks off to count the number of times we’ve stayed here.” Alan
For more reviews between the ones above and those below you can click here Older customer reviews from 2012 to 2015
“The house was spacious and warm, set in a quiet area with lovely views.” Mr Robertson, Bathgate, October 2015 “This house is absolutely fabulous, after a busy day it was wonderful to come back to Thistle Dhu. This house is fantastic, it has everything you could need and more. The kitchen is so well equipped, there is nothing more you could ask for. The bedrooms and bathrooms are excellent, you would be happy to have rooms as beautifully laid out in a top hotel. The attention to detail is second to none. All in all, we loved it and would highly recommend it to everyone.” Mr Jackson, Peterborough, August 2015 “Thistle Dhu had all the comfort you could wish for and located in a quiet area. We found the property convenient for all of the attractions in Scotland we had planned to visit and found some new ones just round the corner!” Mrs Sandgren, Bromma, July 2015 “From the minute we arrived the owners made us feel so welcome. The house was luxurious and spotless. The beds were very comfortable with lovely bed linen. The outdoor space was safe and there was a gate which could be closed if required. This property ticked all the boxes for us in every category. We would highly recommend this property if you are looking for space indoors and outdoors.” Mrs Maclennan, Edinburgh, June 2015 “Very well appointed and beautifully decorated, a great space for the family.” Dr Matthews, Widnes, May 2015 “A perfect place with hospitality abounding. A home away from home where the stunning views were an inspiration. Thistle Dhu was a stunning house in a beautiful location and my whole family enjoyed the vacation. I particularly liked the rural location but at the same time it was close to essential amenities such as the local Co-Op where we got all our groceries. The kids loved seeing the sheep and the rabbits as well. We also liked the excellent choice of movie DVDs which we watched in the evenings in front of the log fire.” Mr Bharmal, London, May 2015 “We had a very relaxed time in a very nice spacious house.” Mr Nisbet, Dunbar, April 2015 “Thistle Dhu is an amazing cottage. It is spacious comfortable and very well equipped – the owners have thought of everything. Thoroughly recommended.” Mrs Brankin, Tayport, March 2015 “A special holiday with perfect luxurious accommodation. We had the best time ever.” Thompson family, South Africa and Surrey, January 2015
Reviews from 2014 “Fantastic house, super location. This house is a very easy 10 out of 10”. Steve and Maureen, South Wales, September 2014 “We had a lovely week in your exceptional house. Nothing has been forgotten – our grandchildren loved discovering new games in their room.” Maureen, Ian and family, Southend on Sea, August 2014 “Thistle Dhu is extraordinary! It was the perfect place from which to explore Scotland. Thank you for thinking of all the little extras.” The Schwandt family, Chicago, USA, June 2014 Thanks again for this wonderful house which we can warmly recommend to everybody who wants to explore this part of Scotland. We hope to come again and stay longer next year”. Heinson and Heutam families, Germany, June 2014 “A superbly appointed and spacious cottage, with stylish and comfortable furniture and elegantly designed fittings. The house was clean, functional and ergonomically efficient. It was certainly a pleasure to spend a week here.” Mr Gray, Herts, May 2014 “Thank you for providing such a beautiful ‘home from home’ with everything that we could want…. especially all the baby toys…our wee granddaughter loved them”. Liz and Jim, Melrose and Rosalind and Mirren, Edinburgh , May 2014 “In one week we were done, and had such great fun, and there is something we have to say, ‘THISTLE DHU NICELY. ’ The house was great and now we can’t wait to come back someday.” Tracy, Gordon, Wayne March 2014 “Fantastic house, fantastic location, four generations of our family enjoyed… with all the games and books for everyone”. The Cohain family, March 2014 “Another week in your fabulous house…such a well-stocked kitchen, everything we needed was here”. The Smiths, Gallachers and Dillows, from Glasgow, Uddingston and Rutherglen February 2014 “What a warm welcome, we had from the start. A house so beautiful, full of love and heart”. Carleen and family, February 2014 “What a fantastic week we spent in this beautiful house, a perfect base to explore the amazing local scenery and walks” The Patons and the Mays, Berkshire. New Year 2014
Reviews from 2013 “Our second visit here has been just as magical as our first, one year ago” The Thomson family, Edinburgh, London and Dundee October 2013 “It is an ideal house, in a lovely situation, for our three generations to relax in, visit and explore. PS 1 Granny Madge loves her bedroom curtains – watch out then she returns. PS 2 (from the children) we also love the rooms. We hope you like the card we made you xx”. Forsythe and Wilson families, Troon and Invergowrie, October 2013 “If God could send a holiday cottage from heaven then this would be it. We have enjoyed every moment of our stay – perfect in every way”. Susan and family, September 2013 “Wow – what a perfect holiday retreat. Thistle Dhu is the best holiday cottage we have stayed in and we will certainly be returning. We would recommend this place to anyone” Stuart and Maz, September 2013 “Better than ‘home from home’. A wonderful house with everything and more that you could possible need. Newtonmore is beautiful and this house just makes it a perfect holiday, so much so we have booked for next year already before it is booked out” The Marshall family, Edinburgh, August 2013 “Thistle Dhu is by far the most comfortable, well equipped and luxurious house we have ever stayed in. The Wildcat Experience is a must and has kept both adults and children happy for days. At last count 106 cats found!” The Fiddlers and Vaughans, Lincolnshire and Canada, August 2013 “The boys had a great time running about outside and have been amazed that there are four toilets – very handy with three children under the age of five. We really appreciated the welcome pack, very thoughtful and over and above what was expected. The highlights have probably been the Highland Folk Museum and the Wildcat Experience.” The Townsend/Scrymgeour families, Kirriemuir, July 2013 “Yes – it’s all been said before, but what a discovery. Perfect in every way, thoughtfully designed, so clean, tidy and superbly equipped” The Oswalds, McDermots and Orrs, July 2013 “The photos of the cottage on the Internet promised a lot, but reality showed that the house is even better than as described. All our expectations have been met and exceeded by far. We’ve really seen many holiday houses but Thistle Dhu is definitely the best. Patsy and Gregor cared for us very well. We did not feel as foreigners, we learned to love Scotland and Newtonmore”. The Petersen family, Stuttgart, Germany, June 2013 “Words couldn’t do justice to the quality of everything on offer at Thistle Dhu. The whole family agreed that this is an amazing place. (The boys nicknamed it ‘the mansion’).”The Brankin family, Tayport, April 2013 “Superb cottage – we want to stay in it forever. Thank you for welcome pack – much appreciated after a long drive. The Highland Folk Museum is fantastic and free – only 10 minutes’ walk away from Thistle Dhu” Christie family, Yorkshire Dales, April 2013, “We stayed in this beautiful, spacious, well stocked cottage. Newly built with a lovely feel and finish. We loved our evenings with the film selection and wood burning stove. Thanks for the New Year’s bubbly too! It is close to Aviemore where we skied and had a great time. The owners were helpful and it was a good price for this type of holiday. Newtonmore itself was a brilliant place to spend New Year with the torch procession and fireworks. Great holiday, thanks very much.” Natwood, Southampton (on TripAdvisor) New Year 2013 “A luxury holiday, excellent cottage – even better than advertised. We had a fantastic trip. It was great to know at the end of a day’s mountain biking or skiing we had such comfortable accommodation to return to. We very much hope to be back.”Pettigrew party, Scottish Borders, January 2013
Reviews from 2012 “The owners are friendly and care about the standard of the property. The cottage is extremely well furnished and equipped. I would have no hesitation in booking the property again or recommending it to anybody.”Mr H, Lichfield, August 2012 “A wonderful warm welcoming house – amazingly well equipped – every need catered for. Couldn’t resist watching ‘Monarch of the Glen’ – got through two series – hope to return for more. Thank you both for a wonderful stay” Adrienne, Barrie and family, Berks, September 2012 “What a find! Fantastic accommodation with everything to hand which made for a great holiday with unforgettable memories. We are already planning our return next year. Thank you Patsy and Greg for all the thoughtful extras – very much appreciated” The Thomson family, Edinburgh, October 2012 “This is a simply wonderful house, brand new (August 2012) and has been fitted out beautifully – you want for nothing here, from a lovely kitchen/living room through four comfortable bedrooms. We appreciated the bottle of wine left in the fridge for us by the thoughtful owners as well as a basket of logs for the fire. It really is a gem. The location in Newtonmore is also very good as it is very central for all the highland activities. We used this house as a base to visit many different places, including Loch Ness, skiing areas at Cairngorm and Nevis as well as the Moray coast, a distillery and local walks. This house really will get rapidly booked up with families who want high quality spacious accommodation in a central location – don’t hesitate!”The Todd family, Surrey, October 2012 |
