Highland Apartments Inverness

This was a gifted stay, but all of our opinions are very much our own

I consider Inverness to be one of Scotland’s best cities. A gateway to the Scottish Highlands, it offers the beauty of the scenery and hills that we often yearn to see when travelling, but it still has every connection to the modern world for those that aren’t totally seeking to escape modern life.

It’s also a city that I would love to explore more. I have visited often over the years but mainly while passing through, usually travelling north to the Outer Hebrides. I like to think that I am familiar with the main thoroughfare, but I know that there is so much more to experience.

We’ve spent so much more time in Inverness since we visited in this article and when asked if we think Inverness is a city worth visiting, we’d say absolutely!

We booked a night at the luxury Highland Apartments in Inverness, I have seen the balconies plenty of times in passing and often marvelled at how lovely the view from them would be.

Truthfully, I thought they were residential and I had no idea that you could book a stay. Had I known, I suspect that I would have booked a room long before now!

My grandparents, on the other hand, knew all about them. I sent the obligatory photo and video tour on arrival and as soon as the view came into the scene, they knew exactly where we were staying.

As it turns out, it’s somewhere that they would love to and have long wondered about visiting. It’s in the city centre, making it accessible, with views of Inverness Castle, the mountains and the River Ness but with all the comforts of home. I appreciate the appeal that this will have for many.

I tried not to look at any pictures or details before visiting, I suppose I didn’t want to ruin the surprise of it all. I wanted the full effect and excitement of visiting somewhere new.

The apartments themselves took no time at all to find, however, the parking was a little bit more of a challenge! There is a narrow lane right between the apartment building and the nearby Mercure Inverness Hotel, we passed it on the first look, thinking it was just another insignificant dead end but we found it on the second passing!

The secure parking is underground and leads straight into the building which felt reassuring to me should I have needed access in the evening. Each apartment also has an allocated space, so you can rest assured that you won’t be fighting for parking should you arrive a little bit later than most. The spaces are a little tight, can’t be helped, but may take some manoeuvring if driving a bigger car. Entry to the parking area is by code which was sent to us before arrival, parking does incur a small added fee, but it is more than worth it, in my opinion.

First impressions

Once we arrived at our apartment and opened the door, we were greeted with a long hallway. Having not looked at any pictures beforehand, it immediately piqued my curiosity. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t anything that would be followed by such a long hallway.

We arrived mid-afternoon, and once we turned the corner at the bottom of the hallway, we were met with the beams and warmth of the sunshine. It felt bright and airy. I was excited to see more. I quickly nosied through every room, every drawer, every everything. But that’s normal, right?

We had a one-bedroom apartment (there are also two bedrooms available), with a view of Inverness Castle from the bedroom balcony and a sweeping view of the River Ness from the living area.

Initial thoughts of the Mansley serviced apartments, ooh milk and orange juice in the fridge, that’s handy! A welcome basket with some rolls, cereals, cakes and fruit, really thoughtful. The bed felt a little firm for my liking. A toilet and an en suite bathroom, saves on bickering. The view was gorgeous from both the bedroom and main living area. And the sheer amount of space for the cost was absolutely brilliant.

Our initial plan was to enjoy a takeaway in the apartment. After a long day of travelling, we just wanted to relax, but our hopes were dashed last minute and we found ourselves going out for food after all. I had been so looking forward to a night in, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Coyote Burger, somewhere we probably wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. They also offer a takeaway option, but we were already there…

In terms of location, it was ideal. As it turns out, that dead-end that I had written off as being entirely insignificant not only led to the car park but was also the quickest route to many of the city’s shops and eateries.

Settling in

After the meal, we returned to the apartment. There’s something about travelling that leaves me wanting a good wash. Is that just me? With the effort of your trawling bags around and wearing too many precautionary layers while doing so, I can’t help but feel a little grimy once I’ve arrived at my destination. With that and the ache that I inevitably feel in my shoulders at the end of the day, I needed a long, hot shower before settling in for the night.

There were some complimentary toiletries in the bathroom, which I think are always a welcome addition to your stay. The shower was easy to operate and once I was good to go, I turned on my audiobook for some easy listening, and I washed the stresses of travel away. As a side, we did have a shower over the bath but should this be an issue, I believe that there are apartments with showers only.

During my earlier snooping, I had found some complimentary robes and slippers in the wardrobe so I made myself comfortable before heading through to the living area and making some hot drinks. There were plenty of options, all supplied by Brodies. I chose a breakfast tea, while Peter chose the much more luxurious hot chocolate.

We lounged on the sofas before doing some work on the laptops, it seems we can’t escape the pull of modern life for long.

I’ll be honest, there was a little noise from the floor below, a group of young 20-somethings that appeared to know someone in every car passing by. Bellowing conversations while overhanging the balcony. I suspect these apartments may often be booked as ‘party flats’, a base for groups looking for a night out in the city. Perhaps it was residential property, I’m not sure. I did wonder if this noise would continue throughout the night. It didn’t.

We had an entirely peaceful night. Just what we were looking for, and I realise how old that must make us sound, but so be it, because sometimes you really are looking for some peace.

Despite being in the city centre, by the bridge no less, we heard no noise throughout the night. No people, no traffic, zilch. And my initial thoughts of the bed being too firm for my liking were entirely mistaken. I had one of the most comfortable nights of sleep in a long, long time. I’m not the greatest of sleepers but this bed really hit the spot. Perhaps because they are all either king or super-king in size. Who doesn’t like the extra space? And the pillows were a dream of their own. So much so, I searched for the labels so that I could purchase my own! High praise, if ever I had some.

Thankfully, we had set our alarms for an early rise. This is not something that we usually do, as I said, I’m not a great sleeper but it was definitely required this night. When we made our way through to the kitchen, once again, the sun and warmth were beaming through the windows. These kinds of mornings can’t help but put a smile on my face.

We set the dining table up for a breakfast of porridge, cereal, tea, coffee and orange juice. We took a little time out on the terrace to enjoy the sunshine and the views once more, seeing the crisp white top of the mountains in the distance and the steady flow of the River Ness, before eventually returning inside and sitting down to begin the day. I imagine that it would be wonderful to eat out on the terrace in the summer but the air still had a bit of a chill, despite the sunshine.

It was lovely to bask in the warmth over breakfast while we made plans for the rest of the day. I am typically a bathroom mirror kind of girl but it was a little too far away for my eyesight, so I headed to the dressing table to put on a little makeup while Peter showered.

Once we were ready, we had just enough time for one more sweep around the apartment before we left, although, clearly not thorough enough as I managed to leave my phone charger!

Thoughts upon leaving, if you are looking for self catering or serviced apartments in Inverness, I really couldn’t recommend staying at the Highland Apartments more. There riverside apartments really were a luxury, if anything, they almost felt too big for 2 people over 1 night.

We would have loved to have stayed for longer and I would recommend them to anyone that is looking to get away for a couple of days, take part in the North Coast 500 or simply anyone looking to get to know the area, that could truly make use of all of the facilities such as the kitchen and the utility room with washer/dryer.

Upon leaving, the following day actually, I realised that I had forgotten to unplug and pack my phone charger. This is not like me in the slightest but these things happen.

We called the hotel to retrieve it once we realised, as it was stated possible to do so for a postage charge. We were sent through to a central telephone system and we were informed that someone from the Inverness side would call us back with regards to the missing item. This never happened. We then called again the following day and were told that it hadn’t been found.

I have my own thoughts on this, and yes, it was my fault to forget but also, we did call promptly to look into this, so I am surprised that it was not found. So, my advice to you is to make sure to check thoroughly before departure to save on any disappointment! Learn from my mistake!

One tip that I would offer is to book a room through the website directly as you will not only receive a 10% discount on your stay, but also a discount on the parking fee.