STAY : Review of the Cromlix Hotel, Dunblane, Scotland
Turn off the busy motorway and within a few minutes you’ll know what rural Perthshire is. Lush green countryside teaming with birds a-tweeting, sheeps a-baaing and cows a-mooing. Drive slowly through the sleepy village of Kinbuck, round a corner and almost immediately find yourself at the gates of the Cromlix Estate.
Set in acres of woodland, this luxury hotel is owned by Tennis Ace, Andy Murray who bought and refurbished this Manor House to its former glory, reopening it in 2014.
REVIEW OF THE CROMLIX HOTEL, DUNBLANE
With castle feels including ivy clad turrets, this hotel has 10 guest bedrooms, 5 suites, a self catering Gate Lodge, a traditional games room with snooker table, conservatory restaurant, bar, 2 drawing rooms, whisky room and a consecrated chapel.
Met at the top of the stairs in the gardens, a staff member will accompany you into reception to collect your room key and then take you on a tour of the hotel. This plays a pivotal role at the moment with regards to Covid, walking you through their one way system and their own covid compliance rules to ensure that guests and staff remain as safe as possible.
Regarding Covid, the Cromlix could not be more conversant if they tried. I applaud them for their conduct and safeguarding measures they have in place. There are hand sanitising stations throughout the hotel, a one way system as I have mentioned, your room door comes with seal for you to break and you might also catch staff fogging/sanitising well used areas throughout your stay.
All the rooms are named after famous Scots such as Robert Burns, Sean Connery and ours, Andrew Carnegie.
These suites are ginormous with a separate lounge area, large bathroom and a bedroom. Check out my Instagram reel for a suite tour here.
The decor is charming and sophisticated offering a luxurious retreat for those wanting to escape a crazy city vibe. You’ll find Victorian etchings and oil paintings adorning the walls, plush fabrics contrast playfully against each other, heavy pile carpets lie under foot and opulent curtains hang heavy waiting to be drawn closed at the end of the dayl Much of the furnishings and antiques where inherited from the original house and it’s great to see them lovingly restored and settled back into this manor house.
If you’ve pre-ordered champagne, prosecco or chocolates, this is where you’ll find them; quietly waiting for you in the lounge.
This bathroom is a thing of pure beauty. I really did want to climb in the bath, throw open the curtains and spend sometime just looking out the window. The copper toned free standing bath is the show stopper here and fills the room framed perfectly with a large window backdrop. His and hers sinks and rainfall showers don’t overcrowd this space, showing off the sheer size of this bathroom.
Underfloor heating, warm towel rails and toiletries from Penhaligon give nod to the attention to detail. I particularly loved the salt scrub nestled on the bath caddy (it also made a great holder for the glass of red wine later that evening!).
The bedroom is set to impress. The bed looks so enticing with crisp white 400 thread Egyptian cotton linen and brocaded headboard canopy, to the bay windows each bordered with the green ivy. This room will be even more spectacular in the Autumn/Winter as the ivy changes from green to reds, really enhancing the russet colours in this room.
Antiques and comfortable armchairs filled this large space with ease providing a peaceful and tranquil setting for the ultimate in comfort and relaxation.
The TV is masked as a wall mirror providing only digital terrestrial TV channels and older tech in way of an ipod docking station is visible. Wi-fi is free but slow. Tech amenities could do with an upgrade to include USB sockets and cable TV. Providing in-room tea and coffee making facilities and replacing the plastic cups with glassware, would round off the luxurious finishing touches perfectly.
We enjoyed a Whisky Tasting and Dinner in Chez Roux that evening, but I will cover this in another blog post. Read that post here
Breakfast is served between 7-10am and we were seated in the spacious elegant drawing room. This area is used for Afternoon Teas served later on in the day.
The Breakfast menu is fairly standard with some unusual dishes standing out like the Porridge Brulee with whisky, cream and demerara sugar; and Cinnamon Spiced Apricots but we chose the Full Scottish Breakfasts so we could try a little bit of everything.
Breakfast was nice, it was well cooked and my poached eggs perfect. I did think it rather mean though that they only give you half a slice of haggis and black pudding!
On speaking with the Chef, I obtained some background on their Kitchen Garden and bee hives. The bees are mostly kept to pollinate the garden ensuring higher yields of vegetables and herbs. Such a wonderful luxury to have and fantastic that they are able to grow their own and incorporate what they can into the daily menus.
The grounds and gardens at the Cromlix are mature and absolutely spectacular. The lawn is available for croquet, with garden chess and noughts and crosses ready to be played. Beyond the lawn and gardens are great walks around the woods and the loch. There are a few activities that you could participate in at the Cromlix including trout fishing, archery and a game of tennis of course.
The Cromlix is luxurious and most definitely a place to stay for a special occasion or a romantic getaway. Your comfort, enjoyment and well-being are at the forefront of this hotel’s ethos and you know that you will be looked after from the moment a staff member welcomes you.
The Cromlix is a spectacular hotel with warm and friendly staff. An extravagant retreat and an expensive indulgence but a place you’ll make memories.
The Cromlix, Kinbuck near Dunblane, Perthshire, FK15 9JT. Tel : 01786 822 125 www.cromlix.com. Overnight stay, bed and breakfast cost £625.
My Spoon Award : Tartan Spoon 10/10
I was invited by The Cromlix to review their accommodation and food. An overnight stay, food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.