Forest Holidays Ardgartan Argyll

Brief background, we have stayed in Forest Holidays locations in Yorkshire a number of times and in the Forest of Dean. We love Forest Holidays. As a family of 4 we are currently in a golden oak lodge on this site about 20 metres from the shore of Loch Long. The outlook here is fabulous, great to wake up to such a stunning view. The site is small and quiet. I wouldn't say the site was overly foresty, but the surrounding areas are. The lodges are of a good standard. The living area and kitchen are open plan and spacious, the bedrooms are decent sized. The property has under floor heating throughout which is effective. There's the hot tub of course, which is great and inspected daily by staff. Privacy is limited especially if you are not loch side. You'll find for many of the lodges your outlook is a car park when you're in your hot tub, but you can of course pay Forest Holidays a further fee to choose your lodge and an additional charge of you want loch side. We succumbed to both. Forest Holidays has always had a premium feel with a modern design and name brands throughout the property. The idea of premium is definitely reflected in the price these days. Considering this aspect, the shine is starting to fade a bit if this lodge is anything to go by. Some things are dated and there are some issues which you would expect a premium accommodation provider to sort out. It feels a bit like they are running these lodges into the ground with bare minimum investment. For example, the lino type floor tiles in the kitchen and bathroom are warped at the edges and the glue underneath has failed, presumably from heating and cooling of the under floor heating over time. If you stand on one side they lift up on the other, revealing a sharp edge. If walking barefoot, you could easily injure your feet in these rooms, or trip. There are similar gaps between some adjacent laminate floor planks in the living space and hallways, where the boards are not interlocked properly due to wear and tear or poor fitting. Some of the planks slide under your feet. Edge trims on the floor around the log burner are damaged revealing some sharp edges. The bathroom is battered and looked like someone has kicked in the unit under the sink and they could not be bothered to repair it. The siliconing looks like a messy bodge of years worth of repairs piled on top of each other rather than a neat finish. The kitchen tap has an annoying jet that sprays water out of the sink. You need to be Geoff Capes to flush either of the toilets; my children aren't strong enough to press the buttons. The door to the terrace doesn't close flush so there's always a draught. No USB ports in the lodge. There are loads more things but they are all minor. General feel throughout is that it needs a bit of TLC. These things don't spoil the holiday, but I expect a bit more from Forest Holidays given previous experiences and that we have paid £350 per night (school holidays). Try to avoid giving them money f

Just came home after another visit here. Yet again it was a fantastic break. The lodges are just beautiful and so big and have everything you need. We would love going out for walks in the forest and along the loch then coming back and getting in the hot tub and chilling by the fire. We ordered the curry banquet to be delivered on our first night and it was delicious and so much food!! As usual Evie loved doing her pottery painting in the retreat with a massive hot chocolate! Every single member of the team are fantastic and go above and beyond to ensure you have a great stay. Special thanks to sophie, she’s such a helpful lassy!! Don’t be put off visiting these places if you don’t drive, supermarket deliveries to your lodge and the train station is only a few minutes away, tartan wolf taxis are great for getting you there and back for a very reasonable price! Thanks again forest holidays, definitely be back soon!

We have just returned from a lovely mid week break. We usually come here every year and have never had a bad break yet. It is really worth paying that little bit extra to have a cabin with a loch side view. You could sit and stare at the view all day. It’s truly a special place. The cabin as always was clean and tidy. A perfect base for exploring nearby. This time we visited Inverary as we always do, Ardkinglas Estate Gruffalo Trail, Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. Thanks Forest Holidays.

Friendliest staff I've ever come to meet. Best hot tub around. And such a lovely and knowledgeable walk we had with Andy and Ness for the Myths and Legends walk! Highly recommend it. Ness was such a good guide and she deserves all the treats for being such a good girl! Again we wanted to thank the entire staff who worked over the weekend for helping us whenever we needed it. We are definitely coming again in the future! Love Molly and Jordan (C37)

The site seemed a bit unkempt and there wasn’t much sense of being in the forest. Algae on the exterior timber of the cabins rather detracted from the overall look. Cabin interiors were spacious and well-equipped, although we found the sitting area furniture uncomfortable and some would find the beds a bit hard. The towels and particularly the bathrobes were quite well worn and the supply of toiletries was rather meagre. On the plus side - the hot tub was great and the staff were very welcoming and helpful.

Great trip - wonderful views and accommodating lodge. Highlight of the trip was the Forest Survival walk with Forest Ranger Andy and his helpful companion Ness the dug. Andy was so informative, friendly and knowledgeable, and made the whole experience fun and enjoyable. Would love to return again.