Hotel Reviews
(Afternoon Tea was the order of the day and what better place to have it than the stunning baronial mansion that is Mar Hall . This stunning building dates back to the early 18th century and was recently renovated at a cost of around 15 million. The building was formerly Erskine Hospital but does not give a hint of this nowadays . The ground has a golf course and spa and it is classed as a 5 star wedding venue . On this count i can not argue. The long winding and immaculately kept driveway hides a stunning loch view until you turn a sharp left at the end and there is the reason this place holds a dear place in my heart . A view to die for and A couple of bronze stags welcome you to the grand halls . Inside the main Hall is the reception where you are courtesly greeted on arrival and shown into one of the most beautiful drawing rooms i have seen. Lovely tapestries on the wall and mostly all original features still remain here. Love the large wooden doors of all different sizes leading into different corridors and allowing a peek view of the stunning view outside and all around the grounds. Anyhow i was here for the Afternoon Tea priced at £22-50 each ( The cake stand pictured was for 2 people at a cost of £45 June 2016) . Now on my travels in the last 20 years this would not be considered cheap or even moderate so i was anticipating great things. We were seated at a table for two which was a great deal higher than the chairs making eating and viewing what was actually on your table a bit of a problem. In fact both myself and my guest had to stand up every time we wanted to see or move something on the table . This will be over looked i told myself when the Afternoon Tea comes. We were politely told our Afternoon Tea would not be long and neither it was . Out arrived one stand with 6 tiny sandwiches ( No garnish , dressing, or savouries) A middle plate with two rock hard scones and a tablespoon of clotted cream . The 1 strawberry which garnished the clotted cream sadly tasted of onion . The top tier was full of tiny little pastries which looked great but i would question whether they were all Baked on the premises . Sadly my experience was tarnished by the offering of the two tiny egg mayonaise sandwiches ( 1 for me and 1 for my guest ) They tasted of vinegar and quite obviously had turned in the heat of the kitchen or just not fresh . A second batch was brought to the table which were perfect and tasted of egg mayonaise but by this time i was feeling a bit queezy at the thought of what i had just eaten. There was no atmosphere in the large beautifully decorated halls where we sat and this is a shame . Overall i would say my experience here is not how i remember it from years gone by but for a wedding venue or overnight stay it would be hard to beat .
It was a beautiful September weekend and the sun was shining on my drive through the beautiful Argyll and Highlands countryside and onto Oban . This is always a stunning drive through Loch Lomond and onwards through Crianlarich and today was no exception . The Oyster Inn at Connel is absolutely brilliantly situated overlooking Loch Etive and views to Mull , Lismore and Morven .
The Restuarant is an ideal place to lose yourself and unwind with the views alone - but the food ........ ! On arrival at this small and cosy Inn you are greeted by wooden floors and creels and seafood memorabilia everywhere , no doubting this a place for good seafood . I absolutely loved the decor here and the bar was just fantastic full of character . The rooms are spacious enough and are set at the back of the building with all mod cons and spotlessly clean . This is a 4 Star Inn and the reason in my humble opinion is for the food . I had quite simply some of the best seafood and fish ever served to me in Scotland and not overpriced or over rated . This restuarant is not pretentious, but our young male waiter knew his job inside out and his knowledge not only on the food but the wine and surrounding area should be commended.
An absolute credit to the hospitality industry and he should be a shining example on how to treat and serve customers in a dining experience . I digress , My associate had the biggest wooden slab of the biggest and juiciest Langoustines i have seen , whilst i had succulent sea bass served in a thai style soup with noodles . Excellent all round 3 courses were consumed and not rushed . I love love love this place and can not sing its praises high enough. I will be back very soon Oyster Inn at Connel .
Cafe Circa in Doune is in beautiful Stirlingshire countryside and boasts a massive shopping area as its neighbour a few feet away as the Scottish Antiques and Arts Centre. If you are looking for a day out whether its raining , snowing or the sun shining then look no further as this place has it all. My sole intention today was to Assess the Baking for Cafe Circa but ended up having lunch before the marathon session of Cakes. Cafe Circa is a very welcoming , friendly and relaxed Restuarant type cafe with big wooden table and chairs and stone walls.
There is a wood burning centre piece in the middle of the restuarant which you can just picture in the dead of winter and beautiful pieces of Art displayed around the walls and sills. Anyhow i was served by a lovely bubbly and chatty man all dressed in black ( As were the rest of the staff ) and very knowledgeable about the food which was served here . You could tell before the food even arrived that this p[lace was well run. I ordered the Salmon Fishcakes and My associate ordered The Fresh Fish and Chips . Both dishes were served with a homemade tatrtare sauce in a lovely scallop shell and a basket of chips .
The lovely salad was one of the best salads i have eaten , just full of so many different types of fruit and vegetables and cut in long spirals with a lovely dressing. For dessert i had Chocolate Brownie served with little hot marshmallows and icecream. Again Homemade and one of the best i have eaten - truly decadent . My associate had a Highland sticky toffe sponge with ice cream - light as a feather and all you would ask for in a fresh homemade pudding.
What i loved about Cafe Circa was the owners hands on approach which is evident in everything about the place. The staff are always more clued up and attentive when the owners are working and have a presence. There is passion and care put into the food that was prepared and served. Customer service and great Homecooking at a great price is not achievable in Chain type restuarants and thats why places like this will go from strength to strength . I dont know how many times i have eaten in 4 or 5 star restuarants that cant make desserts like the ones i ate today . But dont spend all your money in this Restaurant as right across the pavement is one of the best shopping experiences around ( Purse emptied in less than an hour) . This is a day out so go on and spoil yourself at this suberb Centre and eat the best food around without it hurting your wallet. Slainte
This weekend i had the privilege of staying at many beautiful Hotels ,none more so than Knockendarroch House Hotel in Pitlochry . This beautiful Hotel was once the home of an Aberdonian lawyer back in 1880 . It was sold in the early 1900s to a jeweler - James Robb who then sold it on to the newly formed Pitlochry Theatre Company . In recent times a new family - McMenemie took the home over and turned it into todays finest Hotel in Pitlochry. The Hotel has a 4 star rating and most certainly has earned it with its majestic views alone , overlooking stunning countryside from an elevated and enviable position in Pitlochry. I stayed here one night only and will certainly return. From the moment i entered the welcome was unobtrusive and friendly , just the way i like it. My room was quite simply breathtaking with views from large glass windows on two sides of the room. Very clean , quiet and well equipped . The most pleasing reason for my review however was the dinner and breakfast which was served in informal surroundings , but just excellent. From the onset i had canapes in the lounge before making my way through to the small but atmospheric dining area. My choice this evening was seared scallops on a bacon mash which were cooked brilliantly , piping hot and a work of art on my plate- too good to eat !
Pork medallions and to finish a strawberry shortcake. The breads were all homemade and actually the best bread i have eaten to date in any restaurant . The oatcakes served with the cheese were also homemade and excellent. I can not rate this location ( 2 Min walk to village of Pitlochry) , Food , Service and all round Hotel highly enough and will most certainly return for a longer stay in the very near furture.