Lake of Menteith - Scotland

"ON GOLDEN POND"

While sipping a G&T watching the sun set over the lake, you could be miles away in Cape Cod, not just one hour from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Lake of Menteith hotel is nestled in the Trossachs and looks over Scotland's only 'lake' (apparently as a result of a cartographer's mis-definition of Gaelic).  The lake itself has a peaceful and relaxing ambience – particularly as a result of the only traffic being a 12 seater boat to ferry passengers to and from the romantic ruins of Inchmahome Priory and fishing boats from the Menteith fisheries, all of which can be watched from the comfort of the hotel restaurant with handily placed binoculars on the window sill. 

With such a setting, it would be easy for the hotel itself to rest on its laurels, but not for the current owner who has spent the last four years on an extensive refurbishment to a high standard.  Taking design inspiration from New England, the clean lines and understated charm of that region are evident, along with touches of Scottish art, which all make the most of the waterfront location.

The building has been a hotel since the 1920's and was formerly a manse for the neighbouring church, and while the design is sympathetic to this heritage, the modern amenities belie the age of the building.  The bedrooms are large and very welcoming with fresh fruit.  The design and lighting ensured that the room was fresh during the day and cosy at night. 

The clean lines of New England flows into the restaurant and lounge area with large windows taking in the golden sunset in the evening while at breakfast, choosing from a menu comprising of Scottish smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, kippers or the full Scottish breakfast, sunshine breaking through the autumn mists make for a perfect start to the day.

Good food is important to this hotel and the head chef, brings his experience of being part of the Glasgow institution, the Buttery, to offer a largely simple and understated Scottish menu.  Flashes of adventure were evident with the specials which included sea urchin and melt in the mouth cappuccino marshmallows for pudding shows the delicate side of the chef's love affair with fine- cuisine.

The distinct bar area makes for an even more relaxed experience with its own lunch and dinner menu, serving simpler classics than the restaurant, but still to the same high standard.

A unique touch is the malt vault, where twenty specially selected of the rarest and oldest malts are stored under lock and key which can be purchased by guests by the shot –allowing these malts to be tasted without the bank loan to buy a bottle!

The combination of good food, rare malts, cosy room and peaceful setting makes this an ideal bolthole to de - stress for a couple of days – whilst only being 1 hour from the hustle and bustle of Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Lesley - Anne Faichnie, Senior Solicitor, McGrigors