Gleneagles is like a playground for adults (and also kids) in Perthshire in Scotland. It has been on my lists since my university days! I finally got a chance to go for a one night getaway to Gleneagles (in October 2020).
I am in awe of the atmosphere and the decor inside the hotel and of the scenery around the hotel grounds. There are loads of activities to do and things to see like golfing, shooting, and fishing. I swear that I could’ve spent a whole week here and I never would’ve been bored!
Overview and Practicalities
For people that don’t drive, it’s an ideally accessible destination. You can take a direct train from either Glasgow (~45 mins away) or Edinburgh (~1 hour away). The hotel offers complimentary pickup service to drive you from the station directly to the hotel.
The service at the hotel was very attentive. You can also text the reception if you have any particular requests. As we are still amid the pandemic, I will glance over the Covid measures at the hotel. Standard Covid protocols like social distancing, wearing masks in all indoor spaces, and sanitising were closely followed. There was also mini bottles of sanitiser in each room. While I was staying at the hotel, Scotland had just had newly announced measures in place including prohibiting the sales of alcohol indoors. Gleneagles had quickly adapted to the measures by creating outdoor areas where alcohol sales are permitted.
Dine and Drink
We had lunch at the Dormy upon arrival. The Dormy is located in the clubhouse next to the golf course and features your typical pub type of food like roasts and pizzas and also Indian food. We also checked out the Garden Cafe, which is a bit more casual and has canteen vibes. They have an assortment of cakes, sandwiches, salads, and soups to choose from. This is a great option if you want a quicker meal.
For a mid-afternoon snack outdoors, we went to the Gamekeepers Hut where you can enjoy a drink and some food. They had a cute wee teepee set up during our stay and also had a campfire where marshmallows were being roasted by the chef. Enjoyed some pretty indulgent s’mores and a glass of wine outside.
For dinner, we had the three-course set menu at the Strathearn. I had the scallops to start, veal for main, and a souffle for dessert. The meal was divine and worthwhile to check out.
The buffet breakfast is at the Strathearn as well. For covid, the breakfast buffet is closed for self-service but the same menu was available via table service. We were pretty hangry so kept constantly ordering more food from the waiters haha!
Reservations are highly recommended upon arrival. It seems that most of the restaurants were pretty full. I would’ve love to check out their other restaurants as well. Including Andrew Fairlie, which is the restaurant with the most Michelin stars in Scotland (2 stars), Birnam Brasserie, and afternoon tea as well. Because the alcohol restrictions were in place, I unfortunately also didn’t get a chance to check out the bars.
Explore
We asked the concierge to give us suggestions for walking routes. They gave us maps and highlighted routes for us. With this info, we embarked on two long walks during our stay. “Long walk” meaning a walk that takes at least 1 hour and can take up to a few hours. There was a route that we took along the golf course, where we accidentally walked onto the course and upset a bunch of old men. The golf course is stunning and you get incredible views of the hills in the background. The other walk started from the stables and along the horse riding school. This was right after some overnight rain showers and the grounds were muddy and mucky puddles.
The actual hotel itself is stunning as well and the interiors are to die for. They are notable for their pink Instagram worthy loos. You can also take a peek into the grandiose ballroom.
Things to Do
You can rent bikes and other equipment like tennis racquets and checkers board. Sadly because we had a relatively short stay, we didn’t have time to try the other bookable activities. But there are loads, there is even an activity planning concierge service within the hotel that can arrange your entire itinerary for you. There are activities like golf, shooting, fishing, ropes course, 4×4 drive, horseback riding, and more!
Relax and Recharge
The spa is like your typical hotel spa with spa treatments and multiple pools, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms, and gym. Due to Covid, they were running reduced services at the spa. So I choose not to get a treatment at the spa but would’ve loved to if they were running the full spa menu!
We still visited the pool and hot tubs. The hot tub that goes from indoors to outdoors is pretty lush. When we went to the hot tub, it was misty rain outside which added to the steamy spa atmosphere.
We also paid a visit to the gym to burn off all the calories we consumed at the various establishments around the hotel. Yay! The gym was newly renovated this past year, well equipped, and quite spacious. I also noticed that they have a Peloton at the gym too which is perfect for the Peloton fiends.
