Nethy Bridge is a nice wee village,well served by hotels! Grantown on Spey is good for shopping and walking roundabout and nearby, Boat of Garten has a lovely gallery combined with coffee shop. Famous as the viewing spot for Ospreys there are excellent walks around the loch. The steam railway from Aviemore to Nethy Bridge via Boat of Garten provided hours of fun and photos for my husband. Aviemore is somewhat over developed, but a M&S food store was under construction whilst we were staying so that will improve things. Good place for a comb through the charity shops. The environment is a stunning location with every kind of activity to suit children of all ages! I urge you to visit. We visit Scotland every year and will be torn between returning to the West Coast which we love, and this gorgeous area.
I cannot, sadly, be so enthusiastic about either the cottage in which we stayed or the agency through whom it was booked. The agency were fine at dealing with difficulties whilst we were there, but totally ignored the review which I took the time to write on our return. We travel as a family of 4 - 3 adults and a teenage boy. I always book accommodation for 6 so that we have plenty of space, but this cottage is so small that we felt very cramped and on top of each other. Unusually for Scotland we had some very good weather so were able to make use of the outside furniture otherwise the constriction might have become unbearable. The fact that it is possible to fit 2 double beds and two singles is not, in my view sufficient cause to claim that a property is suitable for 6 people. The dining table is designed for 4 - adding 2 folding chairs does not make it bigger and the space in which it sits is cramped. The "sitting room' (a standard sized conservatory) just about contains two three seater sofas, but 6 people sitting on them would be very cosy - knee to knee and elbow to elbow!
We had nice chats with the neighbour, but if you are seeking privacy or a property set away from neighbours this is not the place. The photos are skillfully taken, but there are two more rentals on the lane and a permanent family who are very overlooked by the conservatory. I believe that the description says that the garden is fenced - do not think this means that your children or animals are in any way contained as the lane runs between the house and garden and is the access for the other properties.
The upstairs toilet is a macerator and the water supply to the property is idiosyncratic.
There is no hanging space in the upstairs double and the upstairs twin has a small rail.
My conclusion is that it is very small - expect the space that you would get in a caravan.