Dunking ma chips in tomato sauce whilst letting my piping hot battered haddock cool slightly, I looked over towards the horizon and seen a bank of haar and pure Scottish weather coming in over the brae. Luckily, Postsonachan is not too far from Tyndrum (or the Green Welly stop) so we didn’t have much further to drive in the dark even though it wasn’t 5pm yet!

Lying sleepily on the banks of Loch Awe, part on route to Oban, you’ll find the Portsonachan Hotel offering four varieties of accommodation to suit most guests. There are hotel rooms with en-suites and apartments situated on the banks of the loch offering stunning views; there is the converted coach house offering rooms and apartments and of course the fantastic Timber Lodges that sit snuggly against a private woodland with views over the loch.

REVIEW OF PORTSONACHAN HOTEL AND LODGES, ARGYLL AND BUTE

The hotel is dog friendly so all pooches welcome. They also offer a a variety of activities such as walking, cycling, sailing, climbing and fishing if you are so inclined but for us it was rest and relaxation all the way.

Portsonachan Hotel won the ‘Scotland 2021 Most Scenic Hotel and Lodges’ award, now I know why. Just about every part of the hotel and accommodation is geared up to create the most beautiful vista to look out over. The Highlands around Loch Awe offer an abundance of glorious Scottish scenery and you’ll be presented with so many Instagram opportunities your camera will get tired! There’s castles, hairy coos, stags, coastline and mountain ranges to spark joy in everyone.

The main hotel hugs Loch Awe and the first thing you will notice is the large outdoor patio that overlooks the loch - what an absolute delight it would be to be here in the Summer.

Inside the hotel you’ll find a cosy wee bar and large restaurant where breakfast, lunch and dinners are served if you are not self catering. It’s nice to have the option to dine out even if you are staying in the self catering accommodation. My review of dinner is coming soon.

Our accommodation for the night was the truly gorgeous Timber Lodges, located a few minutes drive away from the hotel. We stayed in the Kilchurn Lodge right on the road side with the private woodland behind us, and Loch Awe in front of us. Yes the lodge is in front of the road, but round here there are defo more sheep than cars so traffic was almost non-existent!

Out lodge slept six people and came with a hot tub! Yes!!!!

Three good sized bedrooms all with comfortable double beds, and plenty of built in cupboard space, two bathrooms - a shower and toilet and a bath and toilet, then an open plan kitchen, dining room and lounge area with a large deck that holds the hot tub and outside cooking area. There is also a sauna! Every part of your R&R is taken care of. I could easily have moved in.

The kitchen is modern and comes equipped with every utensil and gadget a kitchen needs. Most impressed with the wine fridge, dishwasher and another fridge stocked with your essentials like butter and milk. Items for breakfast had also been placed in the fridge and included grapefruit juice and yoghurts whilst there is a stock of coffee, tea and sugar also provided. We didn’t cook in the lodge as we dined at the hotel restaurant, but everything you need is right there.

The lounge is quite large with 3 springy comfortable sofas and a TV with Netflix and Amazon channels available. I really loved the space around the lounge as the hot tub, bathroom and sauna are all interconnected; one space leading into the next and back again. After the hot tub, the sauna was a my next favourite spot to dry off and get nice n cosy.

We arrived in the dark and spent most of the evening and after dinner in the hot tub. It sits on the front facing balcony and with it being so dark here at night, we had no idea what lay beyond until we woke up in the morning and were greeted with the lazy hazy view out over the loch. Beautiful.

Had the weather been a little brighter and slightly warmer, I would have been tempted to hop in here in the morning with a cuppa and slowly wake up. It’s incredibly tranquil and peaceful.

You can choose to have breakfast at the hotel or you can have a breakfast hamper to your lodge. The continental hamper is packed with everything you need for a good start to the day. Four different cereals, honey, jam, brown bread, two types of yoghurt, fruit juice and the most amazing boozy apricots which I couldn’t resist having over my Bran Flakes in the morning.

Our morning was slow and it was wonderful to just be able to enjoy having a cuppa coffee and the slow pace without having to answer emails, phone calls and juggle! By the way, they do have decent strong wi-fi!

Although only two of us, our lodge could easily and comfortably host a family. There is ample room throughout with no pokey corners or difficulty in navigating around furniture. Parking space is available next to each lodge and a large covered back porch area for removing wet and dirty clothing, wellies etc after excursions or activities.

For me, this was an opportunity to press the reset button and recharge the batteries. Although only for one night, heading out into the Scottish Highlands and all that fresh Scottish air does wonders for you.

Would I visit here again? You bet ya!

This is a superb spot to consider including in your wee trip around the Highlands, or if you are on route to Oban make that detour (the hotel is under 1hour drive from Oban) or even if you just need a wee Scottish Highland break from the hustle and bustle. Drive time from Edinburgh is just over 2h30mins, from Glasgow 1h50mins, and 20mins from Inverary, so really worth considering.

Portsonachan Hotel currently have an Off Peak Deal available for the Timber Lodges including a hot tub - Buy 3 nights stay for 4! Monday to Thursday. Check out the deal here

Portsonachan Hotel, Dalmally, Argyll, Scotland, PA33 1BJ. Tel : 01866 833224 www.portsonachan.com

• Dog friendly

• Vegan and Vegetarian food available

• Check for Gluten Free

• Covid restrictions applied with hand sanitising stations throughout and all staff wearing masks

My Spoon Award : Gold Spoon 9/10

I was invited by Portsonachan Hotel to review their accommodation offer. Accommodation, food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.