Gleneagles Hotel
World class golf and a world class hotel at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland
It is less than an hour's drive from Edinburgh but Gleneagles seems a world away. The five star luxury hotel is designed like a huge French chateau and the staff treat you like royalty from the moment you arrive. It took us a good hour to get used to the atmosphere of the place which is so dignified you feel you might get thrown out at any moment for not being classy enough, but that feeling soon goes and you can really make yourself at home.
Spend some time with the barman practicing your correct pronunciation of "Auchterarder" and then head out into the grounds. You can walk for miles without leaving the hotel grounds, but this is Scotland so even if you do, nothing bad will ever happen. Scotland is safe, friendly and welcoming.
They kept telling us that the restaurant is run by Andrew Fairlie who must be some kind of celebrity. He deserves to be world famous because the menu was exquisite. The sommelier chose some great wines for us during the weekend and we really ate well.
Oh, and then there is the golf. Ultimately you get to go home and say "I played golf at Gleneagles." It doesn't get much better than that. Move over Tiger, we are coming through!
