Readers, hello! We’ve been off on our travels again – last month
we were in Mexico – more on that soon, but for now, I’m focussing on somewhere
a little closer to home – Perthshire!
We were recently invited to enjoy an overnight stay at The Four Seasons Hotel, a 3 Star hotel in St Fillans, a small Scottish village
located next to Loch Earn.
The hotel was bought over two years ago by Sue, a lovely
lady with a history of working in some of the big-name chain hotels who had a
dream of buying a small independent place in the highlands of Scotland.
For those of you not familiar with St Fillans, it’s a small
village, it sits right on the banks of Loch Earn (amazing views!) and enjoys a
gorgeous vista over the hills and mountains beyond. Around 200 people live in St Fillans and
nearby you’ll find walking routes, golf, fishing and other water sports
available to you.
The Four Seasons Hotel offers accommodation for all –
providing a range of rooms and chalets for guests. A number of rooms are also
dog friendly, which is great for those not wanting to leave their furry friend
at home. We met a few friendly pups during our stay!
We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, having
enjoyed a countryside drive up from Glasgow and a stop off at the antiques
centre at Doune on the way. We then went
for a stroll around the village after checking in. There was homemade shortbread waiting for us
in our room and Sue had left a letter for us, with information about the local
area, to make us feel welcome. Our room
(room 10) was located at the end of the corridor at the far end of the hotel
and had spectacular views across the loch.
It was roomy, had all the necessary amenities and the bath
with a rubber duck waiting on the edge was a welcome addition. There were bathrobes in the cupboard, fresh
bottled water and a small TV, should you not wish to enjoy what’s outside the
window!
As the weather was spectacular, we decided to sit at the
outdoor seating area in front of the hotel, where several other guests had congregated
to enjoy the views and a beer (or two) in the sunshine. There are around 6 tables available for guests,
each seating 2 to 4 people and bar food is also served outdoors during the good
weather. A few guests were enjoying the
fish and chips when we were there, however having dinner booked in the restaurant
later, we decided to hold back.
A note to any guests – there isn’t a huge amount of
facilities in the village itself, so it’s probably best to drive, or hire a car
if you’re coming from overseas, to allow you to explore the surrounding area
easily. We brought our Uno cards with
us, which provided hours of entertainment in the hotel bar, however we did spot
a number of board games in the corner of the bar, so please don’t feel the need
to pack your own!
We were booked in for dinner in the hotel’s Meall Reamhar
restaurant where we were offered both the bar food menu and a more formal set
menu. We chose the bar menu, for its
more varied selection, however the staff were kind enough to let me order the
scallops from the set menu, so I could try them. They were delicious and incredibly well
cooked (there’s nothing worse than a chewy scallop). Mr What Claire Did had the soup of the day to
start with – a hearty portion served with fresh bread.
For mains, we both went for the fish – me, I had the fish
and chips I’d spotted the other guests having earlier on. 2 small pieces, in a light and crispy batter,
was just enough, plenty of chips and a side of minted crushed peas were very much
enjoyable. Swordfish was the dish chosen
by Mr What Claire Did – which came with 4 different types of corn, including
popcorn! I didn’t try it, but he did
comment that the fish had been well cooked.
The portions we had were generous, so two courses may well
be enough for you, however, I’d been told the white chocolate tart with
chocolate strawberries was a favourite and I felt it would be rude to not at
least try it! Did I manage to finish it?
Not quite, but, I had also dipped into Mr What Claire Did’s bread and
butter pudding by this point.
The restaurant had 4 or 5 other tables in for dinner when we
arrived, but the food arrived with us quickly and was hot and fresh.
It was dark by the time we finished dinner, so we couldn’t
enjoy the great views any longer. We did decide to have a drink in the small
bar next to the dining room (the hotel has two bars; however, we didn’t visit
the other) and play a few games of Uno before bed.
The hotel is located in a quiet and picturesque location –
despite being on the other side of the road from the loch, we weren’t bothered by
any traffic noise from our room.
Our stay also included breakfast the next morning – there was
a selection of cereals and juices, some pastries and a help yourself hot
selection, however I didn’t try this. Toast and tea was brought to the table by
the staff and each of the tables has a “reserved for X room” sign, so you can
find your way to the table that designated for you at breakfast.
From chatting to the owner Sue before we left, it’s clear
she’s keen to strike the balance between developing the hotel for future, but
also not taking too many big steps that puts the local clientele and regular
visitors off return visits. The lounge
area outside the restaurant has recently been redeveloped with modern
furniture, is freshly painted and has some lovely plants that I’d happily have
taken home with me! There are parts of the hotel that would benefit from
development in the future, however, we can’t fault the cleanliness of our room
when we arrived, which is always the first thing I look at.
The hotel offers several pet friendly rooms; however, these
are clearly marked and not all rooms are available to pet owners. The views from the rooms at the front of
hotel also showcase Scotland’s scenery at its best.
A Saturday night stay in low season at The Four Seasons Hotel in St Fillans starts from £86 for a classic room (via booking.com) for 2
people including breakfast.
Disclaimer: I was invited to enjoy a one-night stay at the
hotel, on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis for 2 people. Any opinions expressed are my own.
