GLENEAGLES HOTEL REVIEW
The best place to stay on a Gleneagles golfbreak.

The Gleneagles Hotel*****

Tucked away in the first folds of the Ochil mountains, Gleneagles first stuns you with its stately grandeur then charms you with its warm embrace.

The hotel, externally austere, bursts with creature comforts inside.  The entrance and reception are surprisingly modern in design, yet redolent of the Art Deco style of the thirties from whence the hotel came into being.

The bedrooms in the main house on the other hand are more in keeping with what one might expect from the home of a Scottish Laird: each room is individually decorated in traditional cloths and colours and exquisitely furnished with antiques.  There is also a new wing "Braid House" where the bedrooms are much more modern.  For special occasions the Suites are palatial.

On the ground floor beside Reception you will find the large. welcoming bar and lounge with several real fires aglow all through the chillier months.  Snacks and sandwiches are available in the bar at most hours accompanied by a glass of beer or wine, or maybe a £1,000 shot of brandy; it all depends on your preferred choice of tipple.

On the ground floor too you will find a row of shops, a hairdresser, barber and a dedicated children's play area complete with various video games, table football and pool (useful for grown-up children too!).

Dining at Gleneagles

For dining the choices are seemingly endless.  At the very top of this food chain is the restaurant of chef Andrew Fairlie that bears his moniker for its title: the only restaurant with two Michelin stars in Scotland.  The Strathearn restaurant is next which offers traditional Scottish fare prepared to gourmet standards.  A more relaxed atmosphere pervades the Deseo Italian themed restaurant which is beside the pool and spa area of the hotel, try and get a table in the back in view of the show kitchens.  Last, but not least from a golfer's point of view, is the Dormy Clubhouse which remains open in the evening offering simple golfers dishes in informal yet very comfortable surroundings.

For dining off campus, Auchterarder is five minutes by cab or Concierge away and has a few good restaurants; plus we can recommend a few others tucked away in the hills for you.

Leisure facilities

The resort also has an excellent spa facility with a large indoor pool, plus separate pool with swimming lanes.  There are several jacuzzis around the main pool and an outdoor hot tub/jacuzzi.  Another part of the pool houses a dedicated spa area with saunas, hammams and the like.

Separated from the pool complex is the ESPA beauty spa with a huge array of relaxation and beautification treatments in a delightfully subdued environment.

Other leisure facilities available at Gleneagles include horse riding, fishing, shooting, mountain biking, gym, tennis courts, croquet, archery, falconry, off-road driving and even a pitch-and-putt course on the lawns in front of the hotel.

Other Auchterarder hotels

If you would like to enjoy the fabulous golf at Gleneagles, but prefer to stay in more modest surroundings, there are a number of B&B's in Auchterarder and the smaller hotels and guest houses below that we would recommend.  These are to be found in the villages around Auchterarder and offer a simpler level of accommodation, with a personal touch.

Tormaukin Inn

Take the high road that winds up through the actual Glen Eagles (a mis-translation of Glen Eglises by all accounts) to the small village of Glendevon at the top of the pass and you will be rewarded with fantastic Highland scenery and tranquility.

You will also come across the Tormaukin, another coaching inn that offers stylish cuisine and has a few bedrooms to boot if you would like to wake each morning in Highland isolation.

Smiddy Haugh Guesthouse

In Auchterarder's next town-neighbour Aberuthven, the Smiddy Haugh is a traditional Scottish coaching inn with a warm welcome, great food (you should come here for dinner wherever you're staying) and a few simple rooms.

The Blackford Hotel

The small town of Blackford is only a couple of miles from Gleneagles and its main claim to fame is being the home of Highland Spring water (there are four Springs in and around Gleneagles).

The new owners of the Blackford Hotel have completely modernised the bar and dining area and all of the rooms have been upgraded.  A comfortable place to stay, in a quiet little town.