Christmas Bliss at Portavadie
One thing I love about December, festivities aside, is that it seems to be the month where you begin taking stock of the year passing by. I find myself just now in a coffee shop writing this, remembering all the things 2016 threw my way; I turned the grand old age of 30, I met a guy (a wonderful guy at that - yes they are out there!), I hit a bump in the road with my career and threw caution to the wind and switched career paths, finally got to Dubrovnik in amongst all the challenges, hiked up Ben Lomond with determination I never even knew I had and enjoyed so many fun moments and adventures with my loved ones.
December, is also the month where you begin looking forward to all the adventures, challenges and memories the next year may bring. It's one of those limbo months in between the old and the new. You may wonder where I'm going with this, and it's this...I believe it's important at this time of year to slow down, relax, and look back on and (most importantly) forward to the adventures in life. And there's no better way of doing this than taking yourself off somewhere quiet and remote where you can relax in the year's epilogue. My choice this year, was Portavadie, a waterside oasis with beautiful lodge hotel, apartments, dining venues and spa facilities. So here's my thoughts on my trip to this beautiful, secluded Scottish gem...
Following our escapades in the leisure facilities we checked out the rest of Portavadie, peeking in at the Marina Restaurant & Bar (perfect for a little bit more of a fine-dining angle to your stay - it's a little pricier than it's alternative at The Lodge) and the Marina area which was beautiful in the dark night, star filled sky.
We headed back to our room to refresh, have a few drinks and open our presents (we couldn't wait til after dinner, I just got too excited!). With a spring in our step we headed downstairs to the Lodge Kitchen & Bar which was the restaurant based in our building. The menu was filled with hearty food and drinks - perfect! Whilst I went for the traditional Mac n Cheese with a side portion of chips, Tony went for Gammon Steak. Both meals where absolutely delicious and hearty sized portions, perfect to settle in for the night. The Mac n Cheese melted in my mouth, which means, it's a good one.
Feeling rather full after the mains, we decided to share a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I'm not a big fan of the traditional ones with dates etc but this one was plain, moist and sticky, exactly how I love it so for me, the food, wine and attentive waiting staff hit a 5/5.
We spent the rest of the night chilling in the cosy room with our feet up, completely stuffed from a great dinner.
Awaking the next morning we heading back down to the Lodge Bar & Kitchen for a continental breakfast (which was included in our £89 room price). Sometimes continental breakfasts can be a little lacklustre but we were treated to hot drinks, orange juice and a buffet of cereals, muesli, sourdough bread toast, cheeses, meats, jams, fruits, yogurts and pastries. It was lovely and light, which is ideal.
Minor leisure facilities blips aside, we had such a wonderful and relaxing time at Portavadie. It's the perfect place to head to relax and rejuvenate and hopefully I'll get to go back and try out those outdoor facilities! Just remember to take this time and look back on all the wonderful memories of 2016 like I did on this trip, Here's to all the joys coming in 2017 - happy new year when it comes everyone!
Leanne x
December, is also the month where you begin looking forward to all the adventures, challenges and memories the next year may bring. It's one of those limbo months in between the old and the new. You may wonder where I'm going with this, and it's this...I believe it's important at this time of year to slow down, relax, and look back on and (most importantly) forward to the adventures in life. And there's no better way of doing this than taking yourself off somewhere quiet and remote where you can relax in the year's epilogue. My choice this year, was Portavadie, a waterside oasis with beautiful lodge hotel, apartments, dining venues and spa facilities. So here's my thoughts on my trip to this beautiful, secluded Scottish gem...
Located on the shores of Loch Fyne, Portavadie is around 2 hours drive from Glasgow which believe me, doesn't seem so far when you're singing Christmas Car-oake enroute. We arrived on Christmas Eve eve during Storm Barbara which treated us to quite the journey down the small country roads to get there (seriously Babs, what were you up to??).
With a choice of cottages, couples retreat, apartments and lodge rooms to stay in, we went for a room in the lodge with its scandi-like atmosphere and view of Loch Fyne. It really was the perfect room to celebrate Christmas in, a massive bed, TV, couch area with views overlooking the loch. We couldn't have asked for more.
You just couldn't beat sitting on the couch with a glass of fizz watching Storm Barbara and all her fury, creating great waves on the loch below us.
The bathroom was a decent size with shower, heated towel rail and Scottish Fine Soaps bathroom goodies.
The leisure facilities were one of the main reasons we were drawn to Portavadie. Featuring a heated pool, hydro pool with overhead jets providing a flow of water, dry sauna room and jacuzzi, all of which provided us with ample opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves.
Unfortunately the outdoor infinity pool (yes infinity!) and hot tubs were closed due to the storm, which was disappointing but completely understandable with the weather outside. This does however bring me to my negative angle of the trip. When we checked into the Lodge, we were told by reception that the outdoor facilities were open and the wind would even provide a lovely experience, and in our excitement ran to the leisure area (it's in a separate building a 5 minute walk away), only to be told the outdoor section was closed and had been so all day. This is something that the staff should be aware of as it causes confusion and disappointment for its guests. Even the next morning another round of staff were still unsure whether or not the outdoor facilities were open so perhaps this is something that can better be communicated to guests in future. Another slight blip at the facilities was that we were using the facilities for 40 minutes going back and forth with the leisure reception staff making them aware that the indoor hydro pool and jacuzzi were not on - they finally realised they hadn't switch it on...Which then meant the jacuzzi was slightly cold when we finally got in. Slight blips in what were really good leisure facilities.
We headed back to our room to refresh, have a few drinks and open our presents (we couldn't wait til after dinner, I just got too excited!). With a spring in our step we headed downstairs to the Lodge Kitchen & Bar which was the restaurant based in our building. The menu was filled with hearty food and drinks - perfect! Whilst I went for the traditional Mac n Cheese with a side portion of chips, Tony went for Gammon Steak. Both meals where absolutely delicious and hearty sized portions, perfect to settle in for the night. The Mac n Cheese melted in my mouth, which means, it's a good one.
Feeling rather full after the mains, we decided to share a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I'm not a big fan of the traditional ones with dates etc but this one was plain, moist and sticky, exactly how I love it so for me, the food, wine and attentive waiting staff hit a 5/5.
Awaking the next morning we heading back down to the Lodge Bar & Kitchen for a continental breakfast (which was included in our £89 room price). Sometimes continental breakfasts can be a little lacklustre but we were treated to hot drinks, orange juice and a buffet of cereals, muesli, sourdough bread toast, cheeses, meats, jams, fruits, yogurts and pastries. It was lovely and light, which is ideal.
Minor leisure facilities blips aside, we had such a wonderful and relaxing time at Portavadie. It's the perfect place to head to relax and rejuvenate and hopefully I'll get to go back and try out those outdoor facilities! Just remember to take this time and look back on all the wonderful memories of 2016 like I did on this trip, Here's to all the joys coming in 2017 - happy new year when it comes everyone!
Leanne x