Family Stays
Family accommodation near Inverness, under one roof.
For one or two people, the choice between a hotel and a self-catering home is mostly taste. For a family of five it becomes arithmetic: how many rooms, how many meals out, and how much of the holiday gets spent moving between two spaces that are not connected.
The Main House at Mardon sleeps up to five in one booking, with a full kitchen, a private garden and free gated parking, about 15 minutes from Inverness.
- Sleeps
- Up to 5
- Bedrooms
- 2 + sofa bed
- Garden
- Private
- To city centre
- ~15 min
What changes when a family of five books self-catering instead of a hotel?
Two things, and everything else follows from them: room count and meals. Five people usually means two hotel rooms and eating out every day, while a two-bedroom self-catering home is one booking with its own kitchen.
A standard hotel room is built around one or two guests. Five people rarely fit, so you are booking two rooms as a matter of course rather than by choice. That means two key cards, two sets of luggage, and a wall between the adults and the children unless you have paid extra for adjoining rooms.
A two-bedroom self-catering home avoids the split. One booking, one check-in, everybody in the same place. It sounds obvious until you have done the alternative with tired children.
We covered the full comparison in more depth in self-catering versus a hotel for a family of five, including where the cost difference actually shows up.
What does the sleeping arrangement actually look like?
The Main House has one double bedroom, one twin bedroom with two single beds, and a sofa bed in the living room, sharing one bathroom. That covers two adults and three children, or five adults who know each other well.
Being precise about this matters, because "sleeps five" can mean very different things. Here it means two proper bedrooms plus a sofa bed, not five beds crammed into two rooms.
One bathroom for five people is the honest constraint. On a family holiday with a fixed morning departure, that is the thing to think about rather than square footage.
If one bathroom for five will not work, booking the Annex alongside the Main House gives you a second bathroom, a second kitchen and a separate front door, which is a different proposition covered on the group accommodation page.
Is this a good base for family days out in the Highlands?
It works well for anyone driving. Culloden Battlefield is about 5km away, Loch Ness is 25 to 35 minutes, Nairn beach is 20 to 25 minutes, and the Cairngorms are 45 to 60 minutes. All of it assumes a car.
The Highlands are not a walkable destination. Almost everything a family wants to see involves driving, which makes free parking at the accommodation more useful than a central location you then have to drive out of every morning.
Nairn is the reliable one with children: a proper sandy beach, 20 to 25 minutes away. Culloden is close enough to do in a morning. Loch Ness is a half-day whichever way you approach it.
A full set of drive times and suggestions is on the explore page, which is more useful than another generic list of Highland attractions.
What should families know before booking?
Three practical things: no pets are allowed, the property is set up for guests with a car, and it sits on the A96 corridor rather than in a quiet rural spot. Some guests notice road and railway noise.
Taking those in order. No pets is absolute at both units, so a family holiday with the dog needs a different property.
On location, this is a roadside position chosen for convenience: direct A96 access, 15 minutes to the airport, under a mile to a Tesco Extra and the retail park. The trade-off is that it is not silent, and guest reviews say so. Better to know that now than on arrival.
Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 11am, which on a family trip is worth planning the first and last day around.
Which Mardon unit suits this kind of stay?
The Main House sleeps up to 5 across 2 bedrooms, and the Annex sleeps up to 3 in 1 bedroom. Both are self-contained with their own kitchen, bathroom and entrance, and both can be booked for the same dates.
| Unit | Sleeps | Bedrooms | From | Min nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Bedroom Main House | Up to 5 | 2 | £150/night | 2 |
| 1-Bedroom Annex | Up to 3 | 1 | £120/night | 2 |
| Both units together | Up to 8 | 3 | Two bookings | 2 |
The Main House and Annex are separate self-contained units, reserved as two bookings rather than one. Availability for both on matching dates is confirmed when you enquire.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many people can stay in the Main House?
Up to five. There is one double bedroom, one twin bedroom with two single beds, and a sofa bed in the living room, plus one bathroom.
Are children welcome?
Yes, children are welcome at both properties. Quiet hours run from midnight to 7am, which in practice suits families better than it restricts them.
Are pets allowed?
No. Pets are not allowed at either property, so a family travelling with a dog will need to look elsewhere.
Is there outdoor space for children?
The Main House has a private garden, and parking sits behind a gated entrance off the A96 rather than opening straight onto the road.
Can we book both units for a bigger family group?
Yes. The Main House and Annex are booked as two separate reservations and together take up to eight people on the same dates.
Do we need a car?
Effectively yes. The property is set up for guests who drive, public transport nearby is limited, and most Highland days out need a car anyway.
One booking, one set of keys, one kitchen.
Send your dates and the ages of anyone travelling with you, and you get a direct reply from your host, normally within a few hours. Mardon Holiday Home is a licensed short-term let, licence D, HI-50270-F.