Chistmas Fantasy in July - Inverlochy Castle

Since it is nearly 100 degrees and so humid that it feels like a sauna in my part of the world today, I thought that I would take a moment to reflect up on a place that I have dreamed of spending Christmas for several years now.  Yes, this dream does generally come up in the hot summertime, but it is still a dream that I would like to fulfill.  If your Christmases are anything like mine, they are generally enjoyable, but usually filled with rushing from place to place, eating large meals and opening gifts at each home. This becomes even more daunting in the modern age with so many broken and blended families.  By the time that Christmas is over, with its stress, family dramas, overeating, hurried driving, etc., you end up exhausted and wondering how it all passed so quickly.  So, my go-to fantasy of Christmas involves myself and my husband sneaking away one Christmas to a beautiful, luxurious and peaceful place, and to enjoy the time as it slowly passes.  Where might this place be, you ask? Well, let me tell you....

Morning, December 24 - 
Imagine that you arrive at the airport in Edinburgh.  Now, usually when you arrive here, you must make your way to the car rental area and spend time checking in and claiming your car, but today, there is non of that hassle.  Because today, THIS is what picks you up, a gleaming Rolls Royce Phantom, here to shuttle you to your fantasy Christmas break. You settle back in its plush seats and take time to relax (and possibly nap) as it drives you to your luxurious holiday accommodations.
Yes, the drive is a little long, 3 hours, but who minds with such a comfortable ride?
After your relaxing drive across breathtaking countryside, you arrive, and before you looms the Inverlochy Castle Hotel.

Photo courtesy Inverlochy Castle

Photo courtesy Inverlochy Castle

This Victorian castle is stunning.  Set in amongst lochs and mountains with views of Ben Nevis, Inverlochy Castle is simply beautiful.  After being greeted warmly by the courteous staff, you are whisked away to the room that you have requested (the Queen's Suite).  Once inside the Queen's Suite, you indulge in a luxurious bubble bath in the deep antique tub. When you emerge from your relaxing bath, there is tea and biscuits, which you eat while looking out the large windows at the snow covered mountains.
After an afternoon of relaxation, you assemble with the other hotel guests in the festively decorated Great Hall, where you are treated to Christmas music and a Champagne reception before being treated to a delicious meal.  After dinner, you return to you room where you curl up in your comfy four-poster, canopied bed and sleep the night away with visions of sugarplums in your dreams.
Christmas morning dawns bright and crisp with a fresh layer of snow covering the nearby mountains.  After enjoying a delicious chef-prepared breakfast, you bundle up and take a leisurely stroll our the hotel grounds, enjoying the views of Ben Nevis.  A little cold from the morning walk, you decide to spend the rest of your morning in front of the fireplace in the Great Room getting to know your new friends who are also enjoying a Christmas break.
A little while later, you return to your room where you are greeted by Father Christmas, who has brought you gifts and Champagne! After enjoying your champagne and gifts, you make your way
back down to the Great Hall, where you are served a traditional Christmas lunch while listening to beautiful music.

Photo courtesy Inverlochy Castle

There are so many dishes to choose from, but your favorites are the Roasted Turkey with winter vegetables and chestnut stuffing, followed by mince pies and chocolates.   After lunch, you decide that a leisurely walk around the grounds is in order, followed by an afternoon curled up in front of the fireplace, reading your favorite novel.  After such an enjoyable day, you are ready for a light dinner and an evening listening to live Christmas music in the Great Hall.

Photo courtesy Inverlochy Castle

Boxing Day Delights
After such a restful and enjoyable Christmas day, you are up early and ready for an eventful Boxing Day.  In the Dining Room, you indulge in a Full Scottish Breakfast. With so many delicious choices, you leave the Dining Room filled to the brim with breakfast goodies.  A walk around the grounds in the fresh snow seems like just the thing to work off some of that extra energy.  After your walk, you return to the front grounds and enjoy a spellbinding falconry display, followed by Clay Pigeon Shooting (which you excitedly join in) and a Sheep Dog trial later in the afternoon. After spending the day in the fresh air and sunshine, you decide that an early night would top off your day, and retire to you Suite for the evening where a room service dinner is brought to you.
Your Christmas break has flown by, but you leave the next morning (in the Rolls Royce) happy and well rested, full of Christmas Cheer.
To find out more about Inverlochy Castle Christmas http://inverlochycastlehotel.com/festive/christmas/

Well, this is the end of my Christmas Fantasy. I hope that wherever you are, you enjoy a little Christmas magic in July today,

Five Fabulous Scottish Bed and Breakfasts

Six Brunton Place Guest House - Edinburgh

photo courtesy sixbruntonplace.com

At the end of a busy day, there is nothing better than to return to a warm, cozy room and relax.  Six Brunton Place Guest House in Edinburgh is an oasis in the middle of a bustling city.  It is conveniently located in the heart of Edinburgh, just across from the lovely Royal Terrace Gardens.  Six Brunton Place boasts 4 comfortable rooms and a mouthwatering breakfast selection.  It is within easy walking distance of the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is very close to several restaurant.  
 http://www.sixbruntonplace.com/index.html

photo courtesy northlandsbandb.com

Northlands Bed and Breakfast - Pitlochry
There is a reason that Pitlochry has been a major tourist destination in Scotland for over 150 years.  The natural beauty of the area combined with the Victorian feel of the high street draws people from all over the world.  Northlands Bed and Breakfast combines the charm of a Victorian home with elegant, modern accommodation.  With 3 spacious, comfortable rooms and a fresh, delicious breakfast served overlooking the gardens, a stay at Northlands is restful and rejuvenating!
http://northlandsbandb.com/index.html

Pitreavie Guest House - Dunfermline

photo courtesy pitreavieguesthouse.co.uk

Comfortable, homey rooms and beautiful gardens make Pitreavie Guest House an ideal base for touring Scotland.  Located in Dunfermline, just miles from Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Stirling, Dunfermline makes an excellent touring base for east and central Scotland.  Pitreavie boasts a wide selection of rooms, from an en-suite single to two family rooms.
http://www.pitreavieguesthouse.co.uk/index.htm 

photo courtesy daviotlodge.co.uk

Daviot Lodge - near Inverness
A comfortable, 5 star lodge in the country, close to Inverness and just a couple of miles from Culloden Moor, Daviot Lodge is a wonderful place to stay in the highlands.  Spacious, well appointed rooms and a breakfast of high quality local ingredients makes your stay perfect.  Daviot Lodge has several rooms for you to choose from!
http://www.daviotlodge.co.uk/index.html 

Barrimore Guest House - Oban 

photo courtesy http://www.barriemore-hotel.co.uk

Location and lots of character make the Barriemore Guesthouse in Oban one of the top B&B's worth visiting in Scotland.  Located on the Esplanade with views overlooking the bay, the Barrimore boasts spacious, updated rooms an a terrace where you can kick back and enjoy the view.  Just a short walk from beautiful downtown Oban and the sea front, you will be treated to a scrumptious breakfast with selections such as Oak Smoked Loch Fyne Kipper, Smoked Haddock or a traditional Scottish breakfast.  The Barrimore provides a high level of accommodation in updated, comfortable rooms.

http://www.barriemore-hotel.co.uk/index.html

Terrace Cafe - Floors Castle, Lost In Translation

Do you ever have those days while on vacation that just seem like you are not the sophisticated traveler that you thought you were or that next time the government is just going to say, No, you cannot leave the country because you are such a bad example to the world?   Yep, I have those days, and I am *hoping* that I am not the only one.  This is an example of a portion of one of those days, and it involves myself, my husband (Brandon), his mother (Tater) and Lulu...
It was a lovely spring day when we decided to visit Floors Castle. We arrived around lunchtime and noticed that there was a café a the garden center called the Terrace Café.  That was a good thing because we were hungry (as usual!).  The café turned out to be a lovely little place, bustling with smartly dressed people eating yummy looking food.  One thing that I always notice in restaurants in Scotland is that they sound different from restaurants in the US.  I believe that this sound is china teacups and saucers clinking together.  You definitely don't get that sound from the giant plastic cups in US restaurants!  So, here we are at this lovely café with smartly dressed locals and their clinking teacups and I already feel slightly out of place.  As an American abroad, I always feel slightly underdressed and obtrusive, like there is something setting me apart that makes people look and say, "oh, it's an American, I hope that they are not too loud and don't eat with their hands!"  The restaurant staff greeted us warmly and led us to a table overlooking a field of what appeared to be decorative grasses and wildflowers (I'm not a gardener, so I am not too familiar with plant names).  They handed us our menus, and this is when it began, our journey into a day where we were, if not Ugly Americans, we were Clueless Americans.

Terrace Café - photo by www.scottish-borders.info

The clue to this was when Lulu looked at the menu and promptly decided that everything was too expensive.  You see, Lulu is a small woman with a big appetite. That appetite however, is only apparent when presented with a $4.99 all you can eat buffet at Ryan's.  If you are not from the US and are reading this, or have never experienced an "all you can eat" buffet in the US, take a moment to Google Ryan's buffet and look at images, and it will give you an idea of the abundance of food.  At a buffet such as this, Lulu can easily consume 4 desserts (2 before the meal and 2 after), and at least one large plate of food, but probably 2.  However, the higher the prices go on food, the lower her appetite goes.  With the exchange rate between US and UK currency at that time, she was not hungry then entire trip to Scotland.  So, she promptly decides that the best course of action, since she is not hungry, is to order a green salad and a glass of milk.  After looking over the menu, Brandon and Tater were both interested in the Coronation Chicken, although none of us had ever heard of this and had no concept of what it was.  Our server that day was a young man, who I believe was just being trained for the job because there was another server assisting him at times.  Brandon and Tater ask the young man "What is Coronation Chicken?"  I must say, at this point the server looked a little baffled that we would not know this and responded "It is chicken in a sauce."  Hmmm, ok we still didn't really understand, so Brandon asked "How is the chicken prepared?"  The young man said, "Well... It's cooked...with a sauce."  I think at this point he was thinking "How could anyone not know what Coronation Chicken is?!?"  Well, we didn't.  I was a little leery of this exotic food, so I went with the mushroom and spinach tart, Brandon and Tater both ordered the Coronation Chicken, and as mentioned, Lulu ordered the green salad...and milk.  
At this point, thankfully, they brought us some lovely homemade bread, and it was delicious.  A little bit later, our food started arriving.  I need to add a caveat here.  Brandon is a picky eater.  He believes that mayonnaise was invented by the Devil.  So, first comes my spinach and mushroom tart, and it looked lovely. Then Lulu's green salad and milk.  It was exactly as advertised, a green salad.  She was a bit disappointed when she saw this, not really believing when she ordered it that it only greens. Then comes Brandon and Taters food, and I have to admit, when they sat it down in front of Brandon, my first thought was, "Why did they give him potato salad?" Brandon picked up his fork, thinking that there was a chicken fillet underneath whatever was just brought to him, and moved it around, trying to find the chicken.  There was no chicken fillet.  Brandon asked the server "What is this?" and the server, looking at him wearily, said "That's the Coronation Chicken".   Then it struck me, "Oh!  It's like a chicken salad!"  (This is what we in the US refer to chicken mixed with mayo and other ingredients.  Well, needless to say, Brandon was crestfallen.  I love mayo, though and quickly offered to change plates with him.  It wasn't the servers fault, after all, that we didn't understand what it was.  That dilemma solved, we moved onto eating.  As can be imagined, Lulu was not quite satisfied with her plain green salad and milk, and I have to admit at this time, we were teasing her that the cook had went out in the field by our window and picked grass for her plate :)  To improve the taste of the salad, Lulu decided to apply some of the course salt that was in a bowl on the table. She did so and then took a bite.  She chewed for a minute and said sadly "Now it feels like it has sand on it!"  Even though Lulu was not quite satisfied with her meal, the rest of us were very happy with ours, and Coronation Chicken has since became one of my favorite dishes to eat when I visit Scotland.
The servers and staff of the Terrace Café were very friendly and patient with us, and I would happily go back again.  I would highly recommend stopping by the Terrace Café if you are in the area.  The website is: http://www.roxburghe.net/plant-centre/plant-centre-terrace-café

Until next time,