My family and I are driving up to Edinburgh from London on 4th week of May, and we were thinking of staying overnight somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, I tried booking at a hotel called Laggan Gaskmore Hotel http://www.lagganhotel.co.uk/Hotel/Hotel.html but they are booked out during that period. Can anyone recommend a similar place in the same area? We are eight altogether in our family (4 children), we would like a place with the comfort of some modern amenities, and are not considering anything too off the beaten "rustic" pathways :>)
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1266 posts
William - When I'm the Highland, I generally stay in Inverness. You may want to have a look at SmoothHound
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1859 posts
We enjoyed Old Pines at Spean Bridge. It was very family friendly, the food was delicious, and the location was convenient---about ten miles NE of Fort William.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
William,
You might look into in Aviemore. (Pick yourself up off the floor Toni, yes, I'm recommending Aviemore.) This is Toni's favorite village in the Highlands. I like the area, but had been put off by the village, probably due to locals who I know who think it's an upstart place. The village was founded in the early 60's as a purpose built Ski resort. I has indeed gone through a bad time since the 90's, nearly getting the Carbuncle Award in 2001 for the most depressing town in Scotland. They were edged out by Cumbernauld for the award and I recently read an article in Scotland Magazine that said that they town has come back and they've done it through collaborative efforts and and a 30 million pound investment by a consortium headed by Macdonald Hotels. They've got rid of the 60's chalets and found ways to entertain people in the rain per the article. (It's the March 2010 issue.) There are four big hotels--Freedom Inn, the Aviemore Highlands Hotel, The Four Seasons Hotel and the Hilton Aviemore. Also, there are lots of smaller hotels. The Macdonald Hotels own the Four Seasons. ; ) The area is lovely. Lots of hikes and walks in the Cairgorms and on Rothiemurchus Estate.
I like Inverness as well, but if you want the countryside, Aviemore is a good choice. If you don't want to go this far north, look into the small hotels in Dunkeld and Birnam in Perthshire. It too is a beautiful area.
Pam