I'm thinking of heading to Scotland for our one week honeymoon at the start of December. Can anybody recommend a nice rural hotel, perhaps with pool etc that would befit such an occasion? Ideally we would fly to Glasgow and then drive on from there.
Cheers
The MacDonald hotel just outside Kinloch Rannoch? Or somewhere in Pitlochry, just up the road? Easyish drive from Glasgow. It's unlikely you'll want to go outside much at that time of year...
I honeymoooned at the start of December on Harris, just along the road from [url= http://www.scaristahouse.com/ ]Scarista house[/url] in a self catering cottage. We got lucky woith the weather and it was just superb, planned to stay one week and move on but stayed two instead.
Don't think it has a pool, but it does have a sea!
Self catering could also be good; especially if there is a hotel / few restaurants nearby
Any more tips from the daytime crowd?
Could you fly to Inverness and make it to the Torridon Hotel? No pool but loads of coastal walks and fantastic winter scenery.
Yep, Inverness is definitely an option, ideally we would be flying from Birmingham. I only said Glasgow as that is where the inlaws live, so it seemed a decent place to start.
Auchrannie on Arran would be good punt, bracing weather and then good facilities, probably dirtcheap at that time too.
Or try the St Andrews hotels, The Old Course generally has good rates in December, has great leisure facilities, St Andrews has decent pubs and take your pick from picturesque fishing villages and coastal walks.
Good VFM is Crieff Hydro again has good leisure inc it's own cinema, very central so day visit to Edin or Glasgow and easy strikign distance of places like Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Munros like Schiehallion.
Gleneagles if you are flush, best hotel in Europe.
Cameron House and The Lodge on Loch, both on Loch Lomond. Crieff Hydro in Perthshire. Or the Gleneagles if you are minted and can put up with the golf crowd, although in December this may not be such a big issue.
We honeymooned in the Torridon hotel, but I wouldn't choose December! I'd be looking for less travel, no point driving for a day each way just to sit in the rain with only 6h of light each day. Ardanaseig hotel might be a good choice?
Arisaig is mine and MrsI's favourite place up there. No posh hotels for us though but a beautiful part of the world.
The Lodge on the Loch isn't all that, it's a wedding conveyer belt and not that great from what I've heard. Can let you know in a few weeks as I'll be going to one.
Arran is a great place but you have to be careful with ferries at that time of year, not unknown for them to suddenly cancel when it gets rough (and it does, often).
Will have a think, I know there are places but my minds a blank at the moment.
Thermals.
Hot water bottle.
Heated gloves.
Whiskey. 😀
How about Glencoe House?
[url= http://www.glencoe-house.com ]http://www.glencoe-house.com[/url]
Not a hotel as such, but I've seen inside and it's very impressive. You'll be well looked after too. 90 mins from Glasgow Airport.
Take a trip to Edinburgh Airport and get on a flight to the maldives.
+1 to crieff hydro.
Can stay in the hotel, or they have self catering places too (but you can also dine in the hotel).
Main dining room used to be dress-up posh but not sure if it still is. Great breakfasts.
Quite a lot to do on-site too if it's wet.
Scotland in early December?
I live here and love the place, but for the kind of prices you will be paying I'd be going somewhere with better weather and nicer restaurants.
Lisbon?
Lucca in Tuscany?
I think that you will struggle to find a decent hotel with pool, with decent alternative eating options nearby -outside of Edinburgh or Glasgow (possibly St Andrews).
A couple of options to consider are however the Dunkeld Hilton or the Aviemore Highland Resort (Macdonald).
Thanks for all the suggestions, there is plenty to look at.
We are planning a 'bigger' holiday next year (probably to Canada), so this is really a few days to relax. I don't want to fly anywhere long haul as it is a pain in the backside, especially after the chaos of a wedding. One other thought that I had was a few days in Iceland - not the supermarket!
Of the places above, the Hilton at Dunkeld is worth a look.
Dunkeld / Birnam is a nice small town / large village. There are plenty of walks to do to suit any weather conditions. You can get up on the hills or there are plenty woodland and river walks. Also lots of waterfalls nearby, so if it lashes down they're worth a look. Dunkeld is quite a well to do place so offers a good line in delis, cake shops, pubs etc. Very good biking in the area too. It's probably one of your best bets for December.
