House of the Cat

Guest: Audrey (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 10/27/11 Review Submitted: 11/30/11

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Tychat. The location was perfect for day trips to many beautiful areas of Scotland. The house had all the amenities you could want in self-catering. The added bonus was free access to the cat for our entire stay. Or maybe we were his added bonus (he learned the beauty of prosciutto). Internet access was great, fireplace was nice on chilly nights. Nice deep soaking tub too. We would definitely stay here again (particularly if we can be assured a vacation cat).

Recommended for:Pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

Best of Inverness accommodations !

Guest: Jillian (Peachtree City, Ga)
Date of Stay: 04/07/11 Review Submitted: 11/09/11

My husband and I enjoyed our stay at Tychat House so very much. We had a few interesting glitches because the internet cable and the water line were accidentally cut while we were there. Franz and his wife Mimi were on vacation, so it was sort of the "perfect storm" of things going wrong. Justice had a friend come and check on us and went the extra mile to see that we were taken care of. The problems caused us to cut our time at Tychat House short, but we felt that Justice was more than fair in his compensation and we will be back! The house itself could not be a more wonderful place. The views are dramatic and the house is very warm and inviting. Looking out over Loch Ness at Urquhart Castle all lit up at night was amazing. We loved having Tychat House as our "home base" while we wandered all over the highlands. We especially enjoyed dinner at The Kitchen in Inverness. It sits right on the River Ness with a beautiful view of the castle. We were pleasantly surprised that the weather in April was really wonderful. We had very little rain and the day time temps were in the 60 degree (F) range. We hopefully plan to return to Scotland with our adult children this summer and would love to stay at Tychat House again. Thank you, Justice for your kindness and fantastic customer service!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

Stunning!

Guest: Jennie (Wausau, WI)
Date of Stay: 09/10/11 Review Submitted: 09/29/11

The pictures absolutely do not do this property justice! The scenery is even more stunning than the pictures can convey. We stayed here for 4 short nights. It was in a great location that allowed to explore the Highlands in the day and rest at night. The views from every window are just gorgeous. I loved sitting on the couch and looking out of the window. Inverness is less than a 20 minute drive away and Drum (I cannot remember how to spell the full name of the town) is less than 5 minutes away. If you need groceries I would recommend stopping at Tesco in Inverness. Drum does have a convenience store but it is limited in what it has and its hours. Franz, the caretaker, was very helpful during our stay. The cat which we named "Mr. Pillowpants" was very friendly and would always greet us when we returned from a long day out. The only downside was that we couldn't stay longer. Do not hesitate to book this property, it is as advertised and absolutely stunning. We hope to return someday.

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with teenagers, families with young children.

New Jersey Renters (USA)

Guest: Rich and Susan (Pitman, New Jersey, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 08/28/11

Indescribable is the first word that comes to mind. Where to begin? The house was amazing. The views were incredible. You are actually staying in a part of history. Research for the Loch Ness Monster was actually done from this estate. You can visualize researchers looking at the lake from the solarium and the decks. We loved cooking in the kitchen. We actually cooked a haggis with neaps and taters with a whiskey crème sauce. The little firebox was great. It pumped out a ton of heat. We were blessed by the weather. Hardly any rain. 65 and perfect almost every day. We spent many nights on the deck outside the bedroom, having a dram, watching the boats, and looking at Castle Urquhart. The owners are very willing and helpful. They set us up with golfing, fishing and horseback riding. The golf in Scotland is totally different than the golf in New Jersey and there are many beautiful courses in the area. Fly fishing was a blast. We each caught a tiny fish, but we caught something. We would have to set this up on our own, but the owners did this for us. Franz and Mimi, the caretakers were as friendly as could be. Franz kept us supplied with wood for the fireplace, and we burned a ton of wood. Both were available to answer our questions about shopping, pubs and restaurants. The most pleasant surprise was the cat. The caretakers have a tabby that we fell in love with. The cat basically stayed with us our entire stay. Murron, as we named her (William Wallace’s wife in Braveheart), was amazing. She was a talker. The first night she came in talking to make room for her in the bed. Seriously, the cat would hold a conversation with you. She would hang outside with us on the deck. The one rainy day, she never left the house. There are some things to do. We ate at different places everyday, which included haggis at least once a day. Again the views from the house were incredible. As we stated, it was indescribable. We would recommend this cottage to anyone and we hope to return again someday. We cannot thank Justice, Mimi, and Franz, enough for their hospitality.

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

If you don't see Nessie here.....

Guest: Mike 6 (Encino, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 07/21/11

...you won't see her at all. Fabulous property with unparalleled views of Loch Ness. The house was perfect for our family vacation with plenty of space for two adults and two kids. The kids wanted to stay forever, with the views and the easy access to hiking. The location is ideal, with great privacy but relatively close access to Inverness and many tourist attractions (especially Glen Affric). Royal Dornoch Golf Club is about an hour away, Nairn about 30-40 mins. Franz was terrifically helpful and friendly, with many tips about local activities. His directions were spot on, and his ratings were too. Thanks, Franz, hope to see you again soon!

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

As advertised--and more

Guest: AnneRobert (Tuscaloosa AL USA)
Date of Stay: 07/17/10 Review Submitted: 07/19/11

Everything about Tychat House was even better than we anticipated. Very comfortable beds, well-equipped kitchen (including slow cooker & two French press coffee makers), and absolutely spectacular views of Loch Ness and Urquhart castle from every window! The caretaker was efficient and pleasant; the owner was quite responsive to pre-trip emails; the resident cat was charming (and made no attempt to enter the house; though we would not have minded, other guests might). Altogether a marvelous place to stay.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

A house with charm and history

Guest: Chicago Traveler (Chicago, IL)
Date of Stay: 03/29/11 Review Submitted: 04/08/11

Tychat House is way more stunning than what these pictures reveal. You're basically on a huge hill overlooking Loch Ness and the Urquhart Castle ruins. Amazing glass windows are positioned throughout the house for astonishing views. Every so often while you're sitting by the fireplace you'll see sheep wander into the front yard. For a city guy like me, it was really something special. I'll admit that I did get a little spooked at times... I was staying with two other people, and maybe we have just seen way too many horror movies... but the Tychat House is very quiet at night, and not all of the windows have drapes. For example, the refrigerator is in the washer/dryer room, which is right next to a door with a large window that doesn't have a drape or blinds. So if it's late at night and you're going to the fridge, it's a little spooky. On the flip side, Inverness is probably thousands of times safer than Chicago, where I live. One piece of advice: the house gets cold (I repeat, I live in Chicago, and I felt cold in this house), so bring warm clothing. But overall, I wouldn't stay anywhere else in Inverness. This property is great for a group, or two couples, or a family with children. Our little group of 3 really loved the house. It's also cool to know that Robert Rines lived there while he was doing all of his famous research on the Loch Ness monster. As I said in the title, charm and history!

Owner response:We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay at Tychat House and thank you for the feedback re: the heating system. After receiving your review, we discovered that the circulating pump for the forced hot water system was not up to snuff. SInce then we have replaced the pump with a much larger one and the system is performing well now. I do hope that you will think of us again in the future and take good care. Justice Rines Owner Tychat House

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Amazing place!

Guest: Trudy (Iqaluit, Nunavut Canada)
Date of Stay: 10/11/10 Review Submitted: 11/01/10

The house was spacious, very comfortable and exactly as it is portrayed in the pictures and description. The pictures on the website are wonderful but they can't begin to show how spectacular the views are, but the evening views of Urquhart Castle take your breath away.I loved the house itself and location where I felt I could totally unwind and disconnect from daily life. I would HIGHLY recommend this house!

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Excellent stay

Guest: Jenny (Batavia, IL USA)
Date of Stay: 10/06/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

We had a relaxing stay in Drumnadrochit and wished we had an extra day just to lounge around the house, read and enjoy the fireplace. The kitchen is wonderfully appointed and we ate most of our meals at the house. The daytime views are wonderful but the evening views of Urquhart Castle and a star filled sky take your breath away. If you look carefully you can see Nessie sunning herself across the loch. Thank you for sharing your family home with us.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

Amazing place!

Guest: Georgia and John (Atlanta, GA, USA)
Date of Stay: 09/20/10 Review Submitted: 10/02/10

The pictures on the website are wonderful but they can't begin to show how spectacular the views are from this home. Our favorite thing to do was just looking out the windows at the loch and the castle ruins. The home is beautifully furnished and has all the modern conveniences you need. We enjoyed all of our day trips -- there are so many things to do in the area. Justice, thank you for sharing your family home. We definitely want to come back again soon!

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.