Auchrannie Resort
Auchrannie is a family resort just outside Brodick on the Isle of Arran, off Scotland's west coast, reached by a short ferry rather than a flight. Two 4-star hotels and a scatter of self-catering lodges and retreats share one estate set back in a glen, with two swimming pools and a three-tier indoor Playbarn at the heart of it, and a beach, a castle and island wildlife within a short drive.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who Auchrannie suits, how the two hotels and the self-catering share one estate, and the facts to skim first.
Auchrannie is consistently one of the highest-rated family resorts in Scotland, and the draw is an all-weather one, built around two swimming pools and a three-tier indoor Playbarn rather than a beach. It sits just outside Brodick on the Isle of Arran, reached by a short ferry from the mainland, so it's a no-flying UK break with a beach, a castle and island wildlife within a short drive. The two things to weigh are that there's no staffed childcare anywhere on the estate, so one adult is always on duty, and that it rains here in every month of the year, which is exactly why the indoor facilities matter. You'll get the most from it if you want an island adventure with a wet-weather safety net, and less if you're set on guaranteed child-free hours or dependable beach weather.
Best for
You want a no-flying island break with two pools and an indoor Playbarn for wet days, family rooms with a separate bunk room and a beach, castle and wildlife close by.
Maybe not for
You need guaranteed child-free hours from a staffed crèche or kids' club, or you're set on dependable beach weather.
Best ages
Babies up to pre-teens. The children's menu runs to age 11 and the Playbarn suits younger children, but with no drop-off childcare parents are always on.
What stands out
Two 4-star hotels and self-catering lodges on one shared estate, with full access to both hotels' pools and restaurants whichever you book.
What to check
Cots are on request rather than guaranteed, so confirm one when you book, and the leisure facilities close briefly for maintenance in early January.
Where is it?
Just outside Brodick on the Isle of Arran, off Scotland's west coast, reached by the CalMac ferry from Ardrossan.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
How the two hotels and the self-catering share one estate, and the story behind it.
Auchrannie is built around two separate hotels a short walk apart on one shared estate, just up its own road from Brodick and set back from the shore in a small glen with hill and glen views rather than a sea front. The House Hotel is the older, more traditional building, home to Brambles and Hamilton's Bar; the Spa Resort is its modern counterpart, home to Cruize, the fitness suite, the games hall and the family bunk-room bedrooms. Whichever you book, you can use both hotels' restaurants and both leisure clubs, so the choice comes down to the room and the building's feel rather than what you can reach.
Around the two hotels sit self-catering lodges and retreats spread through the grounds, each a short stroll from the shared pools, spa, restaurants and Playbarn, plus a motorhome stopover with hook-ups. Across the estate there are ten hotel room categories, five in each building, two sizes of lodge, four retreat types including the standalone Cedar Cottage and the motorhome pitch, so the range is wider than most resorts of this size. For the wider island, see our Scotland guide.
The resort grew from a 16-bedroom guest house that Iain and Linda Johnston bought in 1988, on grounds whose gardens were laid out in the 1920s by Lady Mary, the Dowager Duchess of Hamilton, after whom Hamilton's Bar is named. Since 2017 it has been employee-owned, the first resort in Scotland to be so, held under a trust that keeps it independent and reinvesting rather than sold to a chain, and it's been a Real Living Wage employer since 2018. That shows in a run of awards: TripAdvisor named it the UK's 25th best-rated hotel in its 2026 Best of the Best list, it was Scotland's Lifestyle and Family Resort of the Year in 2025, it was the Times and Sunday Times Family Hotel of the Year in 2018, and TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice named it the UK's number one family hotel in both 2013 and 2014.
Every restaurant and bar
Both restaurants, the bar and how eating with children works, plus the shop and the nearest food shopping.
Cruize Bar Brasserie, in the Spa Resort, is the all-day option: a buffet breakfast and a wide lunch and dinner menu using island produce where possible, served 7:30am to 9:30pm, with the bar open from 11am until late. It's the most practical room with young children, because a mini soft-play area sits inside the restaurant itself alongside a separate teen zone with arcade games and a pool table, so a toddler or an older child can be occupied while the food comes. There's a children's menu, and dogs are welcome to dine.
Brambles Seafood and Grill, over in the House Hotel, is the more grown-up dinner, with seafood, premium meats and plant-based dishes, freshly baked scones through the day and its own children's menu. It has fireside couches and a patio looking over the resort's small loch, Loch Rannie, and serves the same hours as Cruize: food 7:30am to 9:30pm, with its bar open from 11am until late too. There's a dog-friendly Waterside area for dining with a dog.
Hamilton's Bar, also in the House Hotel and named after the Duchess who made the gardens, is the dedicated bar, with cocktails, wine, beer, an extensive spirits list and sharing platters, open 3pm to midnight from Sunday to Thursday and to 1am on Friday and Saturday. The current line-up is these two restaurants plus the bar; a third restaurant, the Scottish-tapas eighteen69, closed some years ago, and only its patio, an outdoor seating area served from Brambles, keeps the name.
You don't need to book breakfast, lunch or the leisure facilities, but the resort suggests reserving dinner and any spa treatment a few days ahead, and both restaurants have an allergen menu that guests single out as carefully handled. Both restaurants also have two private dining suites for a family group wanting their own space. In the evening many families eat outside: Cruize's balcony over the glen, lit with fairy lights and set with blankets, and Brambles' patio over Loch Rannie.
For essentials there's a shop in the Spa Resort, open 7am to 10pm, stocking swimwear, goggles and pool toys, local produce and basics down to a toothbrush, toothpaste and some over-the-counter medicines. For a proper food shop the nearest is the small Co-op about ten minutes' walk away in Brodick, with a larger Co-op opposite the ferry terminal.
Rooms, lodges and retreats
Every way to stay and which suit a family, the two leisure clubs and the beach a short walk away.
There are ten hotel room categories across the two buildings, plus the self-catering lodges and retreats. The table below is the full line-up; the guidance after it is which suit a family. Room, lodge and retreat sizes aren't listed, so ask about space directly if it matters to you.
| Accommodation | Where | Beds | Sleeps | Child sleeping space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior | Spa Resort | King or twin, ground or 1st floor | Up to 3 adults, or 2 adults + 3 children | Fold-away “bon-bon” bunks built into the main room, not a separate bunk room |
| Executive | Spa Resort | Super king or twin | Up to 3 adults, or 2 adults + 3 children | A separate bunk room with its own TVs, the resort’s main family room |
| Feature Rooms | Spa Resort | King or twin | 2 adults | Adults only, with a wet-room bathroom and no bunk option |
| Executive+ | Spa Resort | Super king | Up to 3 adults, or 2 adults + 3 children | Separate bunk room with its own TVs, top floor, plus the Stronach lounge and an outdoor hot-tub terrace |
| Suites | Spa Resort | Super king | Up to 3 adults, or 2 adults + 3 children | The largest Spa Resort family room, top floor, with a separate bunk area, two 43in TVs and Stronach lounge access |
| Standard | House Hotel | Twin, king or double, 1st or 2nd floor | 2 adults | No bunk option |
| Superior | House Hotel | Super king or twin | 2 adults | No bunks; newly upgraded, with an accessible room available |
| Executive | House Hotel | King or super king | 2 adults | Larger, with better views; no bunk option |
| Junior Suite | House Hotel | Super king | 2 adults | A separate lounge, large bath and separate shower; no bunks |
| Suite | House Hotel | Super king | 2 adults | The top House Hotel tier, with a separate lounge; no bunks |
| Two-bed lodge | Self-catering | – | Up to 6 | Two bedrooms; some are single-level for easier access |
| Three-bed lodge | Self-catering | – | Up to 8 | Three bedrooms, each with a private patio or balcony |
| Accessible lodge | Self-catering | – | Up to 6 | Ramp entry, widened doorways, lowered worktops, a wet-room and a private patio |
| Deluxe Retreat | Self-catering | Super king | 2 | One bedroom, aimed at couples; no second sleeping space |
| Executive Retreat | Self-catering | Super king | 2 | One bedroom, 30% larger than the Deluxe, with a wine fridge; couples-focused |
| Two-bed Retreat | Self-catering | Super king + twin | Up to 4 | A super-king ensuite plus a separate twin room and family bathroom, a kitchen for four, a log burner and parking for two cars |
| Cedar Cottage | Self-catering | King + twin | Up to 4 | The largest and most private retreat, with two ensuite bedrooms, open-plan living space and an enclosed private garden |
| Motorhome Stopover | Own pitch | – | Your motorhome | Hook-ups and facilities on site, with paid access to the leisure clubs and restaurants |
For a family, the question is where the children sleep. In the Spa Resort, the Executive, Executive+ and Suites each have their own separate bunk room, so a baby or toddler can be asleep in their own space while the adults have the evening. The Executive+, on the top floor, has its own separate bunk room with TVs and adds access to the Stronach guest lounge and an outdoor hot-tub terrace; the Suites, also on the top floor, are the largest Spa Resort family room, with a separate bunk area, two 43in TVs and the same Stronach lounge and hot-tub terrace access. The Superior, on the ground or 1st floor, is a step down: instead of a separate room it has fold-away "bon-bon" bunks tucked into the main room. The Feature Rooms are adults-only, with a wet-room bathroom and no bunk option, so they aren't a family choice despite the name; confusingly, the resort's own room-type navigation lists them as "Feature Rooms" but the page itself is titled "Standard Rooms" on some listings, so go by the description rather than the name. Spa Resort rooms take up to three adults, or two adults and three children, except the adults-only Feature Rooms.
The House Hotel has no bunk option in any of its five rooms, from Standard up to its Suite. Its rooms take up to two adults, with some also able to take an infant, so the House Hotel suits a couple or a parent travelling with a baby rather than a family needing a second bed space for older children, which is what the Spa Resort's bunk rooms are for.
The self-catering side spreads wider. The two- and three-bed lodges sleep up to six and eight, with some two-bed lodges built on a single level for easier access, and one lodge is fully adapted with ramp entry, widened doorways, lowered worktops and a wet-room. The retreats each have a private wood-fired outdoor bath and a fire pit: the one-bedroom Deluxe and Executive retreats are couples-focused with no second sleeping space, while the two-bed retreat sleeps up to four with a separate twin room, and Cedar Cottage, the largest and most private option, has two ensuite bedrooms, open-plan living space and its own enclosed garden. The motorhome stopover adds hook-ups, fresh water and heated showers, with paid access to the leisure clubs and restaurants.
Check-in and check-out times differ between the hotels and the self-catering units, so it's worth reading the times in the Questions below before you plan your travel day. Lodge bookings take a 20% deposit that isn't refundable, with the balance due and also non-refundable 28 days before arrival, so the resort recommends travel insurance. Dogs are welcome in most accommodation, up to two in a hotel room or retreat and three in a lodge; hotel rooms charge £10 per dog per night while lodges and retreats charge per stay, £30, £40 or £60 for one, two or three dogs (checked July 2026). Both hotels have their own "VIP" entrances for dogs, with towels waiting. Some rooms are kept dog-free for allergy sufferers, so flag a dog when you book.
Pools and leisure
Each hotel has its own leisure club and pool, and a guest in either can use both. The Spa Resort pool is 20m by 8.5m and 1.2m deep throughout, with no shallow end, so a non-swimming toddler needs its dedicated children's pool, which has water features and splash fountains, rather than the main pool, and there's a poolside juice bar for drinks and snacks. It's open daily 7am to 8pm, with the early-morning and late-afternoon slots kept for residents and members. The House Hotel pool is 20m by 9m and shelves from 0.9m to 1.5m, so it does have a shallow end, alongside a turbo spa and a plainer children's pool; it's open to residents and members only, with hours that vary: 8am to 9pm at weekends, 8am to 12:30pm and then 4pm to 9pm on weekdays in term time, and 8am to 9pm every day during the school holidays, with 8pm to 9pm kept adults-only throughout.
The Spa Resort's thermal suite has a sanarium, steam room and footbaths; the House Hotel's has a sauna, steam room, thermal loungers and an experience shower. Both are for ages 16 and over, alongside a fitness suite for ages 14 and up. On the Spa Resort side there's a games hall for table tennis, basketball, badminton and pickleball, with free racket hire for members, and fitness classes such as Body Blitz, Circuits and Hydrofit run through the week, though some carry a charge even for hotel guests. The leisure facilities close for a short maintenance window in early January each year, with the exact dates changing from year to year, so check them before booking a very early-January break.
A walk from the resortBrodick Beach
Auchrannie isn't on the beach. Brodick Beach is a long stretch of sand along the bay, with a grassy area and a play area behind it, good for sandcastles and picnics and busy in summer. It's an easy walk from Brodick village and the ferry, and a similar walk from the resort since the routes largely coincide. This is a cool-temperate west-coast beach rather than a swimming one, so even in high summer the sea is a paddle rather than a long swim. Scotland no longer runs the Blue Flag scheme, so there's no flag to look for here; judge it on the sand and the setting instead.
Babies and toddlers
What there is for the youngest guests, everything that fills a family day and the island beyond the gate.
The most important thing to know is that there's no staffed crèche or kids' club anywhere at Auchrannie, so children stay with you rather than being dropped off. The main facility for them is the Playbarn, a three-tier indoor soft play with an outdoor adventure and picnic area, its own snack bar called The Trough, an internet area and big-screen TVs for older children, and free WiFi. It's free for guests and parent-supervised, so you settle in with a coffee nearby while the children play. It opens at 10am and suits younger children, up to around 10, though closing hours can vary, so phone ahead if you're counting on a late-afternoon session.
Cruize Bar Brasserie has its own mini soft-play and a teen zone inside the restaurant, handy for keeping a child occupied at the table, and both restaurants have a children's menu that runs to age 11. For evenings, the Spa Resort's Executive, Executive+ and Suite rooms are the ones with a separate bunk room, so children can sleep apart from the adults; the rooms section above has the full picture.
There's usually a Kids Go Free offer running, where up to three children stay, play and eat free at breakfast and dinner when they share with one or two adults, on a minimum two-night stay booked at least a week ahead, with one free child's main per adult main and the code KIDSFREE. It's a promotion rather than a standing policy, with no end date published and the option to withdraw it, so check it's still on when you book.
Cots and high chairs are available on request, so ask for both when you book rather than on arrival, and mention a cot if you're in a Spa Resort bunk room, where one family had theirs dismantled to fit. Both leisure clubs have family changing facilities.
Nothing costs extra for a baby or toddler beyond the room itself and the terms of the Kids Go Free food offer: the Playbarn, pools and games hall are all included for guests. The spa and ASPA treatments are adult extras rather than a children's cost.
On and around the resortThings to do
Beyond the Playbarn, games hall and fitness classes already covered, the resort has the ASPA for adults, with facials and body treatments using ISHGA's Scottish seaweed skincare. Day-spa packages run from the "Island Escape" at around £120 up to about £200 (checked July 2026), a good turn-taking option while one parent has the children. There's e-bike hire on site (Trek Allant+ 5 electric bikes, around £30 for a half day, checked July 2026), with a secure, key-card bike store with a maintenance station and charging, useful for older children and adults wanting to explore Arran's hilly roads, though not for toddlers.
One correction to older write-ups is worth making: Arran Adventure, the on-site provider that used to run archery, axe throwing, Segway tours and guided biking, closed for good at the end of October 2025, and some of the resort's own pages still list those activities. Only the e-bike hire remains in-house now. For the rest, the resort points to independent island providers: kayaking with Otter's Tail, abseiling with the Lochranza Centre, snorkelling with COAST, boat tours with Lamlash Cruises, quad tours with the Arran Quad Centre, horse riding with Cairnhouse Riding Stables, bike hire with Arran Bike Hire and island safaris and alpaca farm visits with Mogabout, plus seven golf courses, crazy golf and disc golf.
Around the islandThe area and days out
Brodick, a few minutes away, has the ferry terminal, a couple of Co-ops, independent shops, an art gallery and cafés, with Brodick Beach behind it, covered above.
Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park, run by the National Trust for Scotland, is the standout family day out: a baronial castle from 1844, a Silver Garden and woodland and waterfall trails with red squirrels, and the Isle Be Wild adventure play park with five themed areas including a Squirrel Play Tower. It's around 2.3 to 2.6 road miles from the resort, a seven to eight minute drive on single-track roads rather than a walk. Admission (checked July 2026) is £16 for an adult, £8 for a child and £40 for a family, free for National Trust for Scotland members.
For older children and adults, Goatfell, Arran's highest peak at 874m, is a four-and-a-half to six hour there-and-back walk from near the castle, not a toddler outing. The Isle of Arran Distillery at Lochranza, at the north end and a proper drive away, has a visitor centre and café open to all ages, though under-8s aren't allowed on the tour itself. Nearer Brodick you'll find the Arran Cheese Shop, Arran Aromatics, whose toiletries are the ones used in the resort's rooms, and the island's own Arran Brewery.
Arran is often called "Scotland in miniature" for its Highland-style mountains in the north and gentler beaches and farmland in the south, with red squirrels, seals and golden eagles across it. For medical cover, the island's own Arran War Memorial Hospital at Lamlash, about ten minutes' drive, has a small A&E for immediate needs; anything serious means a transfer to the mainland, normally by ferry, to University Hospital Crosshouse near Kilmarnock. Scotland's air ambulance covers the islands generally too, so an air transfer is possible for the most serious cases.
Loves and gripes
What guests rate and what frustrates them, how it compares, the journey in and the weather month by month.
This is our read across the review platforms, a 2023 press review and UK family blogs, the good and the less good.
What families love
- Unusually high review scores for a UK resort, strong on both TripAdvisor and Booking.com at once.
- Attentive staff at reception, in the restaurants and around the pools, careful with allergies.
- Both children's pools, especially the Spa Resort's splash-fountain kids' pool.
- The Playbarn as a wet-weather standby across three floors.
- Family rooms with a separate bunk room, for evenings once children are asleep.
- The no-flying island setting, with a beach, wildlife and a castle close by.
Common gripes
- No staffed kids' club or crèche, the clearest gap for families wanting drop-off childcare.
- Occasional noise between rooms in parts of the older building.
- The odd facility out of use for maintenance during a stay.
- Older copy, some of it the resort's own, still listing the closed Arran Adventure activities.
- Heavy rainfall in every month, so outdoor plans need a backup.
- The 20-minute walk back up to Brodick with a buggy, unless you time the shuttle.
As of July 2026 it's one of the best-rated family resorts in Scotland: around 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from more than 6,200 reviews, ranked first of the four hotels in Brodick, and 9.1 out of 10 on Booking.com from 666 scored reviews (718 verified reviews in total, a figure that also counts text-only reviews with no score). Trustpilot sits lower at around 3.7, its "Average" band drawn from a much smaller, more mixed pool, and Google runs at around 4.7 from roughly 1,600 reviews. Treat these as a rough steer rather than a precise score.
Against the other Scottish resortsHow it compares
The obvious comparison is Crieff Hydro on the mainland, the other top-rated Scottish family resort. Crieff has what Auchrannie doesn't: BIG Country, a staffed, Care Inspectorate-registered drop-off childcare service for ages 2 to 12, and Little Country for under-threes, both free with a direct booking, plus a much longer activity list. Auchrannie's answer is the island itself, the ferry, a beach, wildlife and a castle within a short drive and noticeably higher guest satisfaction, around 9.1 on Booking.com against Crieff's 7.8. A family wanting guaranteed child-free hours every day leans to Crieff; a family wanting an island break with two pools and a wet-weather safety net leans to Auchrannie.
Macdonald Aviemore in the Highlands has a bigger pool complex with a flume and a sensory room, plus woodland lodges, but its review scores run consistently lower (TripAdvisor 3/5), with cleanliness and dated rooms flagged, so Auchrannie is the safer bet on consistency. Haven's Craig Tara and the Parkdean parks on the Ayrshire coast sit a tier below, with more scripted daily entertainment, such as Craig Tara's Splashaway Bay pool complex and mini discos, at a lower price but lower and patchier scores on accommodation; Auchrannie is a step up in both price and consistency.
Ferry, then a short hopGetting there and when to go
Arran has no bridge or airport, so everyone arrives by ferry. The main route is CalMac's car ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, a crossing of around 55 minutes on the MV Caledonian Isles; car spaces sell out first in summer, so book ahead, and vehicles check in half an hour before departure. Fares (checked July 2026) are £21.20 single or £42.40 return for a car, £5.30 single or £10.60 return for an adult foot passenger, and £2.65 single or £5.30 return for a child; check CalMac for current prices before you book, as fares change each year. A seasonal second route runs from Troon, worth checking if Ardrossan sailings are disrupted.
Ardrossan is about 34 miles and 40 to 50 minutes' drive from Glasgow, or 80 miles and an hour and a half from Edinburgh. It's also a genuine car-free option: Ardrossan Harbour station sits a two-minute walk from the terminal, with hourly ScotRail trains from Glasgow Central taking about 51 minutes, and foot passengers only need to check in ten minutes before the sailing.
From Brodick terminal the resort is a 20-minute walk of about 0.7 miles, but it involves a hill, so with luggage and a buggy the free shuttle Auchrannie runs to and from every sailing is the easier choice; book it when you book the stay. By car off the ferry it's a couple of minutes.
Because it all hinges on a single crossing, the resort's Book With Confidence policy, running to 31 March 2027 for direct bookers, is worth knowing: it waives cancellation charges if delays push your arrival back more than four hours, provides a complimentary shuttle for anyone who can't bring their car, refunds unused deposits within seven days and gives a free extra night if a departure sailing is cancelled by weather. The resort itself is walkable end to end, but a car, taxi or the shuttle is the practical way to reach it and to explore Arran, whose public transport is limited and rural. Door to door from Glasgow, allow around two to two and a half hours including the drive or train, ferry check-in and the crossing; from Edinburgh, add the extra hour or so to Ardrossan. The address is Auchrannie Road, Brodick, KA27 8BZ, and reception is on 01770 302 234 or [email protected] for confirming cots, dogs or dietary needs.
Because you can fall back on the indoor facilities on a wet day, Auchrannie works in any season. June to August gives the mildest days, 17 to 19°C, and the most daylight, while April, May and September are quieter and drier than the autumn and winter. It's open year-round, apart from the short leisure-facilities closure in early January.
When to goWeather
Arran sits in the Firth of Clyde off Scotland's west coast, with a cool-temperate climate and rain in every month. The figures below are typical monthly averages for the island.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7° | 2° | 99 mm | 17 | 8° |
| February | 8° | 2° | 91 mm | 15 | 7° |
| March | 9.5° | 3° | 72 mm | 12 | 7° |
| April | 12° | 4° | 52 mm | 11 | 8° |
| May | 15° | 6.5° | 53 mm | 11 | 10° |
| June | 17.5° | 9.5° | 67 mm | 11 | 13° |
| July | 19° | 11.5° | 85 mm | 13 | 15° |
| August | 18.5° | 11.5° | 85 mm | 13 | 15° |
| September | 16.5° | 9.5° | 84 mm | 13 | 14° |
| October | 13.5° | 7° | 115 mm | 16 | 13° |
| November | 10° | 4.5° | 110 mm | 16 | 11° |
| December | 7.5° | 2° | 115 mm | 17 | 10° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. Auchrannie is open year-round, apart from the short leisure-facilities closure in early January.
July and August bring the warmest air and sea, though at 14 to 15°C the sea is a paddle rather than a long swim even then. Rain falls in every month, from about 53mm in the driest, May, to 115mm in October, which is the reason a wet-day plan matters and the two pools and the Playbarn see so much use.
Questions
The things families ask most, useful links and when this guide was last updated.
Is there a kids’ club or crèche we can leave the children at?
No. Nowhere on the estate offers drop-off childcare, so one adult is always on duty. If child-free hours matter, the workaround is to send one parent to the ASPA or the pool while the other takes the children to the Playbarn, or to look at Crieff Hydro instead, which does run registered drop-off childcare.
Can we get a cot for the room?
Cots are available on request, so ask for one when you book rather than on arrival, and mention it if you’re in a Spa Resort bunk room, where one family had the cot dismantled to fit.
How do we get from the ferry to Auchrannie with luggage?
Book the resort’s free shuttle to meet your sailing rather than walking. The walk from Brodick terminal is about 20 minutes and involves a hill, which is harder with bags and a buggy. Off the ferry by car it’s a couple of minutes.
What happens if the ferry is cancelled?
If you book direct, the Book With Confidence policy (to 31 March 2027) waives cancellation charges when delays push your arrival back more than four hours, and gives you a free extra night if a departure sailing is cancelled by weather and you’re stuck. Booking direct rather than through an agent is what unlocks it.
Do children really stay and eat free?
There’s usually a live Kids Go Free offer where up to three children stay, play and eat free at breakfast and dinner sharing with one or two adults, on a minimum two-night stay booked at least seven days ahead with code KIDSFREE. It’s a promotion with no end date and can be pulled at any time, so confirm it’s still running when you book.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, but the rules and cost depend on where you stay: up to two dogs in a hotel room or retreat, three in a lodge, charged per night in the hotels but per stay in the lodges and retreats. Some rooms are kept dog-free for allergy sufferers, so say you’re bringing a dog when you book so you’re not put in one.
What are the check-in and check-out times?
The hotels and one-bedroom retreats are 2pm in and 11am out; the lodges, two-bedroom retreats and Cedar Cottage are 4pm in and 10am out. Early check-in isn’t guaranteed but reception will try if you ask, and a late check-out may carry a fee.
How old is the Playbarn for, and when does it open?
It opens at 10am and suits younger children, up to around 10. Closing hours can vary, so phone ahead if a late-afternoon session is the plan. Entry is free for guests with no drop-off, so you settle in nearby while the children play.
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Useful links
- Auchrannie Resort: the resort's own site for rooms, the pools, the Playbarn and booking.
- CalMac Ardrossan to Brodick: ferry times, fares and booking for the crossing to Arran.
- Scotland with little ones: our guide to the wider country, its coast and when to go.
Last updated July 2026.
