Crieff Hydro Hotel and Resort, Crieff

...===The following review is on Crieff Hydro - Ferntower Road -Crieff -Perthshire - Scotland ===

Crieff Hydro as I said above is based in the lovely surroundings of Crieff here in Scotland, Crieff hydro has been providing a excellent service to guests from all over the world for over 140 years and in more recent years being 2007 they were awarded the prestigious Visit Scotland Tourism Business of the Year. On offer there are over 213 ...
...We drove from Edinburgh to Crieff and it taken 1hr and 30mins which involved a wee emergency stop at the local filling station. Driving from Glasgow will take approximately 1hr by road. The nearest railway station to Crieff Hydro is Perth which is approximately 17miles away. There is a bus which runs between Perth and Crieff at a cost of £3.00 per person. Your nearest airport is Edinburgh or Glasgow then you would have to either drive or get the ... more

Thought I would write a review on one of the best hotels in Scotland in my opinion, I have visited this particular hotel on more than one occasion and always been delighted with the service, room, food, staff and everything else that one expects in this top quality place.

The following review is on Crieff Hydro - Ferntower Road -Crieff -Perthshire - Scotland

Crieff Hydro as I said above is based in the lovely surroundings of Crieff here in Scotland, Crieff hydro has been providing a excellent service to guests from all over the world for over 140 years and in more recent years being 2007 they were awarded the prestigious Visit Scotland Tourism Business of the Year. On offer there are over 213 en suites and a choice of 7 different bed rooms to suit all requirements

Getting there

We drove from Edinburgh to Crieff and it taken 1hr and 30mins which involved a wee emergency stop at the local filling station. Driving from Glasgow will take approximately 1hr by road. The nearest railway station to Crieff Hydro is Perth which is approximately 17miles away. There is a bus which runs between Perth and Crieff at a cost of £3.00 per person. Your nearest airport is Edinburgh or Glasgow then you would have to either drive or get the train.

Booking

This is what I was amazed by how easy it was, I initially made enquires to Crieff Hydro by email as I wanted to book several rooms for me and my work colleagues. They promptly replied within 24hrs and provided me with a breakdown of how the price was made up and what deposit I had to pay. I then just called the number they provided and paid the deposit on my debit card. You can also check availability and book online, visit the booking reception in the hotel or simply call them to arrange your stay.
I would always suggest that you book direct to ensure that you get the best price.

Arriving /Parking

As we drove in to the long driveway which leads to the main entrance I was like a child in a sweet shop, the gardens are well kept, I could see squirrels jumping about the trees and most of important I saw lots of smiley happy people. If was a little bit of a fight for a car park and after a quick drive around we managed to park our cars, may I add there was no charge either. Walking from the car to the main reception I was amazed with how clean the place was, it was evident that they maintained the grounds very well and that guests respected signs to stay off lawns.

*First impressions I was delighted

Reception/Welcome/Foyer

Pushing open the door you're immediately able to smell the fresh flowers that are sitting just within the main door, the foyer is very tastefully decorated in very traditional way, bright, clean and most welcoming to everyone.
"Good Morning and Welcome to Crieff Hydro" is how we were greeted by the very bright and bubbly reception staff, after a few simple questions such as name, home address and number in party we were handed our keys and told where to head. The reception area is modern, bright and very spacious.

*

What a welcome, if this hotel is like this all over I am in heaven is what I thought

Room we had and what is available!

We booked the Traditional double room in fact we booked 4 of them. Opening the door to the room once again the smell was very fresh and clean, at a glance it's very posh in my opinion. Beautiful pictures above the bed, lovely view over the grounds of the hotel. The very soft and welcoming bed was fresh and had what appeared to be brand new pillows, the sheets where ironed straighter than I have ever seen. The bathroom was very bright with large mirrors and a very clean shower/bath. The hotel had left some coffee, tea, sugar, milk, little biscuits for us to use. In the bathroom there was soap and shampoo for us also to use. Like all the other rooms available our room had ensuite. We got a decent sleep in the lovely comfortable bed; we were not woken during the night by any of the other guests. The room temperature was ideal for the time of year.

*It was the woo factor when I first went in to the room, I have been to some amazing hotels across the world but this beauty was on my door step. The rich colours made you feel very happy.
Other rooms available for guests include Executive rooms and suites. These are bigger than the standard rooms and offer additional benefits such as complimentary daily newspapers, 4 posters bed, and large spa baths.

Breakfast/Lunch and Dinner

Now this is something I always struggle with as I am such a poor eater, I am very fussy and dread going for anything to eat at hotels. Just before we went for our dinner I was chatting way with friends telling them that I am going to be struggling to eat anything here as it's a posh hotel. How wrong was I. We entered in the Meikle restaurant and were greeted by the staff and promptly offered a seat that suited us. Handed the menu and quickly looking over it to see what I can eat. I was amazed to see a good selection of food available to us. From fish to chicken and all in between. I chose the fish meal - When the food was brought to the table it was a decent size, well layout and it was nice and warm. The main meal and dessert was served very quickly and the overall quality of the food was very nice. The prices where fair, ranging from £6.95 to £19.95 for a main meal and desserts started from £2.95 which was for ice-cream. One thing which I thought was good is that you were able to request something different, I.e. I wanted cheesecake and ice-cream rather than fresh cream. The staff just taken note and within a few minutes it was in front of me. Members of our party had steak which was good quickly (so they tell me) they all had the choice of how it was cooked. *We stayed on a BBD therefore we had up to £18.95 per person at dinner time we in fact went over that and the outstanding balance was just added to our room bill.
Breakfast is provided in buffet style - Traditional Scottish breakfast on offer, in addition to your cereal, continental breakfasts and the onsite chef is there to make pancakes and omelettes. Tea, coffee and a wide selection of juices are also on offer. The layout of the breakfast buffet makes it very easy for all guests to use; there is lots of staff on hand to provide what assistance is required.
Lunch is charged to your room by simply providing the staff with your room number, we had a sandwich and a hot drink which cost £4.00 which we felt was very good considering the hotel we were in.
*I was very happy with the service, the staff were very friendly and the seats where very comfortable
==Leisure, Entertainment and shopping==
Crieff hydro has something for everyone and I was amazed with what was on offer,

Indoor Leisure

The hotel has a 20m indoor heated pool which is very clean and often under used, changing rooms on the side of the pool along with shower for all to use before and after your swim, there is a steam room for the guests to use free of charge and the spa pool is an excellent way to relax. Crieff Hydro offers swimming lessons to children and non swimmers; these are bookable in advance by telephone
I was very happy with the size of the pool, the layout and the fact they provide as many towels as you need is very good too.
Within the hotel you will find the snooker room which hosts two full size snooker tables with professional lights over head, even though the snooker is free to use you do need to pay 50p for the lights. The hotel does request that you do put the lights on when playing. Table tennis is also available for all guests at a cost of £1.50.
Five aside football pitches, basketball courts, badminton courts and recently refurbished squash courts are all available at cheap prices.

Outdoor Leisure

A hotel which offers a superb range of outdoor activities ranging from Mountain biking on the purpose built track to horse riding with fully qualified staff. I truly believe that there is something for everyone here.
Quad bikes, Horse Riding, Archery, off roading with a jeep, Air Rifles, water sports include the famous banana boot, skiing, golfing
All these activities are chargeable and I would advise that you book in advance to avoid disappointment. Please note that water activities are not available onsite you're taken away by bus to Loch Earn where these activates take place.

Entertainment

The hotel provides very basic entertainment for my age, being a young trendy person I was a little upset with the entertainment. They have a guy in his late 60s playing the piano and singing rather old songs. Sorry Crieff Hydro this was not for me.

Shops

Several shops on site that you're able to buy your souvenirs from, there are also shops which sell sports equipment not to forget the jewellers and the full kitted hair salon. I found the gift shop a little pricey.

Cost

The cost for booking and staying at the Crieff Hydro hotel varies so much I would strongly suggest that you call them on the number below to check the most accurate price and availability. We paid £37 per person per night on a bed, breakfast and evening meal basis. I thought this is a fantastic price for what the hotel has to offer.
http://www.crieffhydro.com/index.asp?pg=76
Crieff Hydro
Crieff
Perthshire PH7 3LQ
Scotland
Telephone : 01764 655555
Fax : 01764 653087

Final Thoughts

This is one of the best Scottish hotels I have ever stayed in; the location is outstanding and does Scotland proud. I found the staff to be very professional and I was delighted with the fact that I was able to have a decent sleep in a nice comfortable bed with no noise round about. The facilities in the hotel are just far from standard. I would recommend this hotel to anyone whether it is for a romantic night away, team building exercise or just a general break. 

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