Retreat at The Knowe Auchincruive Estate0

Again a perfect 10 for all the right reasons: 1 Communications with host Ann(ie) was clear and prompt to get us to the right place at the right time. 2 The Estate is clearly visible from the road, but not close to the road: nice and quiet. 3 Enough and good parking places on the premisses. 4 The estate does not look very big for the outside but surely is! It has been transformed from a former separate house for preparing for hunting, to a stylish modern villa, with a tea terrace in a huge tree behind the house. 5 Annie took great care in decorating each room and terrace - each room had its own - with great care for consistent style. She loves tigers and in pictures and statues the animals are omnipresent; not the real ones by the way. 6 The kitchen is enormous, yet cosy and beautiful, very clean and great for having breakfast. 7 The garden is well maintained. 8 The bathroom is private and immaculate with thick towels 9 Excellent bed, beautiful and comfortable linnens 10 Across the street - less than a minute away - is de the Burns-Wallace memorial: a pile of stones near the river, just a modest staircase away, easy accessible, with poetry on the pile. 'Worth the detour'! What stands out most is Annies hospitality. With a nice Scottish touch, she is full of stories, advice for day visits, and prepares and serves breakfast the way you wish. For the cereal lover, at least 10 varieties. We choose eggs and croissants with coffee (and tested several cereals). Nothing is a problem for her. She showed us around in her beautiful Estate of which she is really proud, for obvious reasons. This is what we wanted and got plenty of it.

Nothing really - The space between our bed and the big closet was a bit tight but not a problem.

Our host Annie was very friendly and helpful, plenty of parking space available, beautiful location and very quiet. Lots of choice for breakfast. Very convenient for visiting places around Ayr (highly recommend Dumfries House and Culzean Castle). We visited the Bothy Cafe at the River Garden project on our last morning at Annie's suggestion. It's a short walk from the Retreat along the river (open Wed-Sunday) and set in a beautiful garden, with allotment space where they grow their own produce. Very quiet, relaxing and well worth a visit.

We booked Annie's smallest room and we were very comfortable, but there is not a great deal of space to get past the end of the bed to the farther side of the bed.

Annie, our host, was wonderful, being very welcoming, friendly, and informative. The location was exceptional, situated as it was, within a countryside estate with beautiful walks along paths by the River Ayr in wooded surroundings. The accommodation was spotlessly clean and every facility you could wish for was provided. It was particularly nice, at the end of each day, to enjoy the long summer evening sunshine relaxing in the spacious gardens of the accommodation. Ideally located, only short distances away from many of Ayrshire's coastal resorts and picturesque villages. A very wide range of choice for breakfast was offered, provided by our cheery host. In addition, Annie left some very generous 'extras' in the bedroom fridge ready for us to enjoy on our arrival!

The bedroom we had was very pleasant with everything provided, but a little difficult too move around within. Although this wasn't a serious a issue for us, it might have proved to be a little more awkward for those of a 'larger' stature.

Beautiful apartment in gorgeous surroundings, sumptuously designed and furnished by Annie, the owner. Wonderful breakfasts made and served by Annie herself in her own large and beautiful kitchen. We very much enjoyed meeting and chatting with her and appreciated all her recommendations and help.

Loved the design of the bathroom, but a shower would have suited us better than the deep bath, which was rather difficult, at our age, to get in and out of. Next time we'll be aware and choose a room with shower in the en-suite.

If I could give Annie 100 stars I would. The estate itself is stunning, amazing location. The room was, tbh best room ive ever stayed in, in my life, spotless with lots of extra touches. Stayed in room with water bed, spa bath and booked hot tub just wow..so relaxing and enjoyed a lovely bottle of procecco left in room from Annie. The extra touches made this the best weekend away I've ever had...i highly recommended this stay. Annie also puts on a beautiful breakfast, loved chatting with Annie and other guests felt so relaxed and peaceful, sausages especially yummy. Private time in hot tub which was bliss, Annie again provides towels, robes, slippers..everything to keep you toasty hot and pampered when coming out of hot tub and gardens all maintained and delightful. Sat and had tea in garden after breakfast with fresh milk and biscuits Annie also provides, more extra touches. Enjoyed the peaceful countryside in a dressing gown and slippers, all provided by Annie. Annie such an approachable bubbly host who left guest to it but insisted she could help with anything if we needed her. But there was nothing i could possibly ask Annie for other than a hug at the end of stay to thank her for the time of my life. If you want a bliss break with extra touches this is the place to stay..thank you Annie x

You'd be mad to dislike anything..there are no faults..I seen some nutter gave one star...Annie made it clear she would do anything for you to give you the best stay.. how could anyone possibly give this establishment anything other than 10 stars, I've never known any host to bend over backwards as much as Annie did for all of her guests ... so I loved every moment of my stay.

The location was exactly what we were looking for - quiet, private, but also within ten minutes driving of Ayr. Beautiful property in green, luscious rural location. Generously appointed suite with everything required and welcoming hospitality. Fabulous bespoke breakfast prepared by the wonderful proprietor, Annie. On departure, Annie suggested we might visit nearby Dumfries House, unknown to us. We did, and it was a fabulous experience - thank you!

Just to say that a waterbed is not for everyone!

Everything about the stay from start to finish was tremendous, the host was very welcoming and met our every need , the room was spotless as was the entire property both myself and partner were totally blown away I would definately recommend this to any1 concidering staying here as we will definately be returning guests

The only thing I didn’t like was the fact I had only booked 1 night instead of 2

I’ve stayed in countless 5 star & boutique hotels, but they could all learn the meaning of ‘immaculate rooms’ & ‘great service’ from the Retreat at The Knowe Auchincruive Estate! Perfect venue & location for walks in the country or along the coast - my stay wasn’t long enough! Annie the host, was absolutely lovely & highly knowledgeable about the Ayrshire area! She couldn’t do enough, and the breakfast was fab! I will definitely return!

Everything was perfection!

The room was large, well furnished & spotless & equipped with everything you needed for a stay. Even toothbrush & toothpaste, incase you forgot your own! A handy mini fridge was also in the room which Annie had left a bottle of wine & chocolates for us. The bed was a king-size waterbed & was extremely comfortable! Was a bit unsure to start with but we both had a brilliant sleep in it. The grounds of the property was lovely also with handy country walks nearby with stunning views. The breakfast was delicious & freshly made for us by Annie at the time we requested. Can not fault this property at all & Annie is the perfect hostess being friendly , informative, & chatty . Highly recommend a stay here!!

Lovely location; sufficiently nestled away from any main roads so that the only sounds you could here were the river running beside the property and the cows (mooo!). The property was amazing; very modern, clean and comfortable. The proprietress Annie was fantastic, very friendly and accommodating. A great breakfast was also provided. I would highly recommend this B&B and we will definitely be staying here again in the future.

Nothing.