I had been going to title this post “escape to the country” but considering I live in the countryside that felt a bit redundant. Instead, I opted for escape to the loch which was a much needed night away from work and general stress.
*Gifted stay but all views and opinions as always are my own.
The Four Seasons Hotel is in the village of St. Fillans on the side of Loch Earn. It was a beautiful Autumn day when we went and it was even dry and sunny which is always a shock to the system in Scotland.
The hotel offers a mix of gorgeous rooms and chalets in breathtaking Perthshire countryside. The views are amazing and even better when the sun is shining. There’s also access to the Trossachs National Park which makes it the perfect location for anyone that loves to go hillwalking. If you love the Beatles it’s also the perfect place for you as one of the chalets even has a blue plaque to commemorate the band staying there.
After a walk to find a cafe for a cup of tea and a scone for afternoon tea (I promised the husband) we ended up back at the hotel due to the fact it’s now low season and nowhere else seemed to be serving food. We were then able to check into our room so that we could have a pre-dinner nap. Someone else napped, I ended up watching quiz shows and Lord of the Rings.
We’d already chosen where we were eating based on the menus available on the day. This was such a help for me as my food allergies make dining out a difficult experience- just ask the husband! While the restaurant menu sounded amazing, there were just too many options that I couldn’t have so we opted for dinner in the Tarken bar instead which was a better fit for us.
Fast forward through me being asleep and my husband who was on night shifts being awake all night. This is not a reflection on the bed or the hotel, more that his sleeping pattern doesn’t revert on his days off so he’s in a permanent nocturnal state. This did, however, mean that we were the first down for breakfast and getting ourselves organised for the drive home.
I’m going, to be honest, and admit that I’m not much of a breakfast person so didn’t actually remember to take pictures of the food (bad blogger). I did try some of the salmon that they smoke on site and it was delicious.
My one thought which isn’t a criticism but an observation is how much older the demographic of guests was while we were there. I felt very out of place and like I didn’t belong. Susan, couldn’t have been more accommodating with our requests and made us feel at home but I did feel I was being judged by the other guests. Maybe they were expecting us to be the disruptive ones – which if you know me couldn’t be further from the truth.
Don’t let my issues stop you from going as it’s a beautiful hotel that’s clean, dog-friendly and provides a rubber duck in each bathroom. If one only knew what the function of a rubber duck was!
Overall we had a great stay and it’s definitely somewhere I would consider for a mini-break when the weather is better.
