Aberdeen Altens Hotel

Published by Holly Paton

“You will never know until you go”

Known as the Granite and the Cosmopolitan City, I was inspired to visit Aberdeen because of our great myhotelbreak offer we have on at the 4* Aberdeen Altens Hotel & most importantly to unwind and relax after a stressful couple of weeks. I was certainly not disappointed!

Stretching out on the north east coast, Aberdeen is bordered by the Royal Deeside and the majestic Cairngorms National Park to the west and panoramic sea views to the east. The drive from Stirling to Aberdeen was straightforward, up the A90 which took approximately 2 hours 30 minutes from the Glasgow area. Even on a Saturday, I was surprised at how quiet the roads were during the drive up!

When we arrived in Aberdeen, we had to put the Aberdeen Altens Hotel into google maps which took us there within 5 minutes of entering Aberdeen. The hotel was located on the outskirts of the city however it was still very accessible to the town centre – around 5-10 minutes away. When you arrive at the hotel it looks outdated and a little dull, however do not let this put you off! I was a little apprehensive about not being able to get a car parking space however there was plenty of spaces to accommodate the vast number of guests directly at the front of the hotel.

When you arrive into the Altens Hotel, you entered the grand reception area which was beautifully decorated and very modern! A big contrast from the outside! We were warmly welcomed by the receptionist Carla who was very friendly and efficient who told us about all the hotel facilities and meal times. I would recommend to book in for dinner during check in as the receptionist informed us that the restaurant was very busy.

There were two large lifts that took you to the bedrooms in the hotel (thank goodness). Our bedroom was on the 2^nd level of the hotel and not too far from the lift. On entering the room, it was modern, clean and very spacious. I had requested a twin room and was happy to see two double beds! The room had all the facilities you would expect, tea and coffee making facilities, TV, WiFi and a Aberdeen destination guide which we thought was a nice touch. The bathroom was a moderate size with plenty of complimentary toiletries and bathroom towels. My only criticism was the lighting, it was a little on the dark side however was still perfectly adequate.

We decided to make our way down to the leisure facilities at the hotel, they were open until 7.30pm on a Saturday. It should be noted that when using the leisure facilities guests have to present a card to the leisure receptionist which is given to guests during check in. Without this you are unable to use the facilities. The health and leisure club had an indoor swimming pool which was a good temperature, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. If you are a fitness fanatic “like me” you will like the fully- equipped gymnasium! I have to point out the man who served us was very friendly and efficient!

After our swim, we decided to get ready for our dinner reservation at 7.00pm. As mentioned above, I would strongly recommend booking your dinner reservation prior to your stay as the restaurant was very busy. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was a nice atmosphere with candles and was beautifully decorated. We were promptly greeted by what looked like the restaurant manager, she was very friendly and allocated us a lovely table for 2. She explained efficiently that one of the waitresses would come over to take our drink orders and explained our dinner allocation which was a choice three course menu. We thought the menu had a good variety for the money we paid. We ordered our drinks from the waitress and they arrived within a few minutes.

After about 20 minutes of me deciding what to go for due to being very indecisive! I decided to have the Haggis Croquettes accompanied with a petite salad and honey mustard which was delicious! The portion size was on the smaller side but this was very filling. I then opted for the Pork Loin Wellington served with cabbage and mash. The Pork Loin was very tasty full of flavour! My only complaint during the dinner service was when our starters were cleared we waited nearly 1 hour for our main meals, the young waitress addressed that she accidentally forgot to tell the kitchen we were ready for our mains. As I have worked in this industry, I understand mistakes can happen, especially when it is a busy night. However the young waitress addressed the matter effectively by being honest and we got our main meals within the next few minutes.  I finished off by having the Chocolate Torte of course (as being a chocoholic)! This was the perfect way to end a great meal. Overall the food was one of the highlights of our stay!

We had a great night sleep at the Altens, the beds were very comfortable and we were not disturbed by any noise from the outside or inside of the hotel.

We decided to get up early on the Sunday morning so we had time to explore the great city of Aberdeen. We made our way down for breakfast at 8.30am. We were surprised at how many people were already down for breakfast. We ate in the brassiere (different from the main restaurant). When we arrived there was no queue and were seated promptly from the same waitress as the night before. She explained it was a self-service buffet and we helped ourselves. A couple of minutes later another waiter came over to offer us tea or coffee. I went straight up to the hot buffet breakfast and was surprised at how fresh and how much food was out considering how busy it was. There was a wide variety of food including my favourite – potatoes scones – YUM! There was also a full continental breakfast option if you preferred something lighter which has a variety of cereals, fresh fruits and breakfast pastries and pancakes accompanied with a jar of Nutella which went down a treat with myself! There was plenty of staff to accommodate all of the guest during a busy weekend and overall was a great breakfast experience!

Check out was very easy and the receptionist on duty was very friendly. Overall the Aberdeen Altens was fantastic value for money, was very modern with friendly staff and great food! I could not fault any of the food I had during the stay and would highly recommend a night or two here at this four star hotel!

“ You will never know until you go” If you would like to experience this hotel break we are running a great offer at the Altens Hotel which includes three course evening meal, overnight accommodation, full Scottish breakfast and late check out for £39.50pp – click here!