Packing my case and loading it into my car had never felt so good. My holiday to Germany in February and Barbados in March felt like it was years ago and just a distant memory.

Tunes on and heading over the Forth Road Bridge brought with it thoughts of relaxation and a feeling of belonging - Scottish Highlands, I was coming for ya!

REVIEW - WHISPERING PINE LODGE, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS (BLACK SHEEP HOTELS)

Whispering Pine sounds sexy. alluring even. It conjures up images of a wooden log cabin set amongst a forest of trees, secluded and quiet. A private get-away.

Whispering Pine Lodge, Black Sheep Hotels, isn’t miles away from the image in my head. It’s fairly secluded and remote located on Loch Lochy, but only 15-20 minutes from Spean Bridge. It’s quiet; the loch is still and surrounded by loads of trees, hills and Scottish countryside. It has an essence of a log cabin, in that its cosy and welcoming and quite quaint.

All the rooms are inspired by the Scottish Highlands and you’ll find lots of gorgeous touches like tartan, wooden panelling and antique furniture. There are various rooms from family rooms to the Luxury Spa Rooms and two themed suites - Robert Burns and the Mary Queen of Scots.

The redheads stuck together and I was staying in the Mary Queen of Scots Suite. This suite is large and luxurious with Scottish blue drapery, antique furniture, canopy four poster bed, carved wooden dining table and spacious seating area in front of by a marble fireplace will take you back in time to the 16th century.

There are alot of antique nik-naks in this room which for me made it overly fussy. I loved the decor but there is very little free clean table top space which just opens up the opportunity for breakages.

The large four poster bed gave us ample space but with thin pillows it was a little difficult to get comfy. The room however was spotless and cleaned to a very high standard.

The bathroom is large with a massive bath, his and her sinks and a gorgeous walk in shower with plenty of space to turn around in (yes you can freely pick the soap up off the floor!)

I adored the china teacups and plates available for your morning and afternoon cuppas, along with Scottish shortbread biscuits. It’s a nice touch.

Exploring the rest of the hotel, the Burns Bar is a gorgeous cosy wee spot and I could have sat here for many hours sipping on a whisky and putting the world to right but unfortunately with the current Covid lockdown rules it meant that we had to have our drams and cocktails outside on the rather wet soggy terrace. We lasted about 4 minutes outside! They have a superb outdoor deck that over looks the loch, and this would have been greatly improved with outdoor awning and heaters available so that guests could drink their welcome drinks/cocktails/ drams outdoors after the 6pm curfew.

The Lochside Brasserie is light and airy with large floor to ceiling windows that bring the loch right into your entire view. The staff are very friendly, welcoming and helpful, although the language barrier and the wearing of masks means that a few things do get lost in translation.

The menu is substantial and building on their USP as an Indian owned and led company; it is very heavily Indian food influenced.

You’ll find an interesting mix of Scottish and Indian dishes. Cullen Skink sits on the starter menu next to Cod Tikka; and Tandoori Biryani twins with Haggis, Neeps and Tatties.

The Indian food is exceptional with the Chicken Tikka flavourful and succulent, and the Garlic Paprika Prawns juicy and well spiced.

The Scottish Stovies are not as you would expect; they are most definitely a Stew with mash potatoes (however still tasty) and the Lobster Thermidor with cheese crust and thermidor butter is more of a Lobster Moray but again still tasty.

Out of the desserts the Bread and Butter pudding was the star of the show, with a massive hit of warming cinnamon and a soft buttery texture. The Sticky Toffee Pudding (as you know this is always ordered) left my heart saddened. It required at least a bucket full of toffee sauce and it had been heated up in Mr Mic (the microwave) which meant that the edges were are hard and chewy! Not a pudding I would have again!

Breakfast is back in the Lochside Brasserie and watching the morning sun rise and the haze lift off the loch, is a delight to watch whilst sipping away on a cuppa or two.

Breakfast is basic and you have to be very clear on what you want. How you want each item cooked and how many. I was most disappointed in the sausages as these were catering quality and with such amazing Scottish produce on their doorstep, ingredients for breakfast could have been exceptional. My big bugbear is that the breakfast they offer is an English breakfast and not a Full Scottish! (there’s nae haggis, black pudding or tattie scones!)

The price point for some items on the menus is fairly costly with some starters costing up to £12 per dish and the Stovies will set you back £16.50.

Whispering Pine Lodge offers a fantastic location from which to explore this area of the Scottish Highlands from Fort William, Port Augustus to Loch Ness and Inverness. There are some incredible walks to be had around Ben Nevis and a huge amount of water sports to get involved in, including white water rafting, canoeing and kayaking.

Best of all, Whispering Pine has its own spa run by Sleeping Beauty Spas and they offer a range of spa treatments including massage, facials, manicures and reflexology. I thoroughly enjoyed my Ginger and Grapefruit back massage which included a foot rub.

The staff at Whispering Pine are genuinely lovely where nothing is too much hassle. They run a fairly strict Covid safe hotel (which is reassuring) with temperature checks on check-in and all staff wear face masks at all times. The restaurant is well sanitised and there are hand sanitising stations throughout the hotel.

This is a fantastic lodge to stay at when discovering the Scottish Highlands. There is no windy off road tracks to find and drive along to find the place, it’s right on the A82. The hotel is dog friendly and it does feel like a grand home from home.

There are some tweaks I would recommend regarding the food, but for an over night stay or two it’s pretty good.

Whispering Pine Lodge, Black Sheep Hotels, Spean Bridge, Letter Finlay, A82., PH34 4DZ.

Tel : 01397 713966 www.blacksheephotels.com

My Spoon Award : Silver Spoon 8/10 for accommodation. Food is award 7/10.

I was invited by Black Sheep Hotels to review their accommodation and menu. Accommodation, food, drink and spa treatments was complimentary but the views are very much my own.