A luxury Edwardian granite guest house on the banks of the River Dee has achieved the highest Quality Assurance (QA) accolades from VisitScotland.
The national tourism organisation presented owners of Lys-Na-Greyne, Garry and Joyce Welsh, with its 5* Quality Assurance guest house award, in recognition of its exceptional standards. At the same time, it was presented with a Taste Our Best award.
Built in 1912 for Sir Francis Outram Bt, Lys-Na-Greyne is nestled in the tranquil wooded conservation area at the west end of Aboyne. Sitting on the north bank of the River Dee, its westerly outlook provides stunning views up the Dee valley.
Set in over three acres of mature gardens in Rhu-Na-Haven Road, it offers visitors luxury bed and breakfast accommodation in the heart of Royal Deeside - an area rich with natural beauty and offering outdoor activities all year round.
Developed and improved over the past 25 years, VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance (QA) schemes are world-leading and provide a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors. They allow businesses not just to meet visitor expectations, but exceed them.
QA can open the door to new customers. It is a powerful marketing tool and works well with online review sites in using an independent perspective to measure visitor experience against tried and tested criteria so visitors know exactly what to expect.
Newly refurbished to the highest standards, Lys-Na-Greyne currently offers three en-suite bedrooms, one of which has a balcony and walk-in wardrobe. An additional three rooms will be available by spring 2016. An ideal base for tourists exploring Royal Deeside, it is within easy reach of the city for business visitors.
Owners Garry and Joyce Welsh said:
“We are immensely proud to have received this 5* award from VisitScotland. As a start-up business, it is a huge boost and encourages us to strive to maintain this high standard.
“There has been an enormous amount of hard work not just by ourselves, but by family and friends alike and this makes all that work worthwhile. Being able to offer visitors to Royal Deeside the opportunity to enjoy the area in such a wonderful setting is a real privilege.”
Philip Smith, VisitScotland Regional Director, said:
“This beautiful guest house in the heart of Royal Deeside thoroughly deserves its five star recognition, as it offers visitors an exceptional standard of accommodation in a beautiful location.
“To have also achieved a Taste Our Best award is a further feather to their bow. We know that visitors love authentic, quality Scottish food and drink and Taste Our Best is all about taking this knowledge to the next level and encouraging the tourism industry and businesses to recognise the real benefits of sourcing, using and promoting local and Scottish produce. We have a wonderfully rich natural larder in Aberdeenshire, with some of the best products in the world right on our doorstep.
“It is vital that everyone involved in tourism works together to offer visitors a fantastic experience when visiting and staying in Aberdeen City & Shire, to strengthen our tourism offering. Our Quality Assurance scheme helps businesses to reach their full potential and truly shine. The scheme is about more than just the ‘stars’ on the door - it’s about the entire visitor experience, about investing in your business and making it as economically sustainable as it can possibly be.
Lys-Na-Greyne was also awarded Taste Our Best, a joint initiative between VisitScotland and the Scottish Government. Launched in 2013, the scheme is designed to recognise businesses including hotels, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, visitor attractions and B&Bs that not only offer a quality food and drink experience, but include and promote Scottish produce on their menus, to give consumers choice.
The breakfast menu at the guest house includes Sheridan’s Pork Sausages, local free range eggs, Stornoway Black Pudding, Balmoral Bread and Aberdeenshire Butteries.
For more information, visit http://www.lys-na-greyne.com/