The Boat Inn - Aberdeenshire

During our Scottish tour, we spent two nights at this bustling pub/restaurant. Our room at the front had a lovely view of the River Dee and was decorated in a dark blue, nautical theme. The bed was very comfortable, with plenty of cushions and a wool throw for colder nights. The room was well-maintained with fresh towels and tea replenished daily. We had to reserve a table for dinner each night in the restaurant, where we enjoyed generously sized, perfectly cooked meals with plenty of options. Breakfast was also served in the restaurant and was elegantly presented. The main bar was always busy with locals, hikers, and tourists, likely because it is the only pub for miles around. The Wi-Fi signal was excellent, and there was a parking lot behind the pub as well as street parking available. We took advantage of the three electric vehicle charging points. Aboyne is a great base for exploring Ballater, Balmoral, Crathie, and the surrounding area.

Not recommend if gluten free, meal sizes are too small, often a result of gluten containing items being removed from the meal.

Two evenings spent here, enjoying first class cuisine (special: beef koftas with fennel rice was fabulous! Also enjoyed huge Shed Burger with GF bun , and haddock and chips. Desserts were yummy: sticky toffee pudding, and have to recommend the indulgent Highland Affogato

After being let down by the Indian we had booked we ventured to the Boat Inn. A lovely friendly place with good service and a fairly concise but interesting menu. I chose the chicken burger, which was delicious and my hubby had the vegetable curry, again delicious. We’d definitely recommend and will certainly visit again, when next in the area.

We recently had an early dinner before going to the Academy for an event which was part of the Aboyne Festival. Our food was good, and the service good, but we really do wish there would be some new choices added to the menu. I'm aware there is really nowhere else to eat dinner in Aboyne, so perhaps there is a degree of complacency at the Boat Inn. Hope to see some new options on the menu on our next visit in September.