Macdonald Loch Rannoch Hotel & Resort, Pitlochry

>>>>Overview<<<<

Macdonald Hotels have 40 hotels situated all over the UK. They have hotels in rural areas as well as in busy towns and city centres. They have mostly 4 and 5 star hotels and claim to offer impeccable service, fine cuisine and first class accommodation for a memorable stay.
We decided to go away for a relaxing few days and chose the Macdonald Loch Rannoch Hotel as this looked like it ...
...>>>>Location<<<<

The Macdonald Loch Rannoch Hotel is situated in the picturesque village of Kinloch Rannoch set on the banks of Loch Rannoch.
The village of Kinloch Rannoch is around 20 miles outside of the small town of Pitlochry and the City of Perth is about 45 miles away.
Kinloch Rannoch really is in the middle of nowhere so as you can imagine the road to get there is very long, narrow and ... more

>>>>Overview<<<<

Macdonald Hotels have 40 hotels situated all over the UK. They have hotels in rural areas as well as in busy towns and city centres. They have mostly 4 and 5 star hotels and claim to offer impeccable service, fine cuisine and first class accommodation for a memorable stay.
We decided to go away for a relaxing few days and chose the Macdonald Loch Rannoch Hotel as this looked like it would be perfect for us! "Hidden away amid 250 acres of breathtaking Perthshire countryside lies an enduring testament to the charm of Highland living. With its comfortable lounges, sumptuous bedrooms and stunning views, Loch Rannoch Hotel is a reminder of gentler, less hurried times".

>>>>Location<<<<

The Macdonald Loch Rannoch Hotel is situated in the picturesque village of Kinloch Rannoch set on the banks of Loch Rannoch.
The village of Kinloch Rannoch is around 20 miles outside of the small town of Pitlochry and the City of Perth is about 45 miles away.
Kinloch Rannoch really is in the middle of nowhere so as you can imagine the road to get there is very long, narrow and winding so you need to take your time. However, the scenery is beautiful so you will want to take your time anyway!

>>>>The Hotel<<<<

The hotel is a 19th century former shooting lodge and is cream in colour with lots of character. When we first went inside my first thoughts were that the décor was a bit old fashioned, but this did not put me off. However I think it would be a whole lot nicer if it was tidied up a bit and given a fresh lick of paint in certain places. For example in a couple of parts of the hotel the carpet looked a bit worn and the paintwork was peeling.
We found the hotel's staff to be very good. When we first arrived the staff at reception could not have been more helpful telling us good places to visit and all about the hotel. We also found the bar and waiting staff to be very friendly and efficient.
We booked on a bed and breakfast basis and this cost around £65 each per person per night (we booked last minute direct with Macdonald Hotels so this included a discount).
On the Macdonald Hotels website it shows pictures of the hotel and it looks quite small and very remote, however they fail to show you that there is a timeshare complex right next to it. To be honest this didn't really bother us but it would have been nice to know it was there!!

>>>>The Rooms<<<<

We were lucky to have a front facing room with beautiful views across Loch Rannoch. These rooms are a bit more expensive, but in my opinion a good view is worth the money. Our room was freshly decorated and I was relieved, as I was worried it was going to be a bit dated like the rest of the hotel.
The rooms are a good size, extremely clean and well equipped with tea and coffee making facilities, an ironing board and a TV. In addition there is plenty of storage space.
Please note there is no hairdryer so you have to take your own.

>>>>Food and Drink<<<<

We only ate breakfast in the hotel and this was excellent with a good choice of hot and cold food. We also found the breakfast staff to be very friendly and efficient. Please note if you don't book bed and breakfast it can be quite expensive to eat there as a breakfast costs £16.
We never tried the restaurant as it seemed to be quite expensive; we therefore ate out most of the time. We did however eat in the bar one night and the food was ok and a lot less expensive than the restaurant. The bar served food such as sandwiches, fish and chips, steak pie and steaks. As I said before the food is just ok but there are a lot nicer (and cheaper!) places to eat nearby. I recommend going into Pitlochry as there are a lot of lovely places for food there.
We had a few drinks in the bar one night and managed to spend £30 on 3 rounds of drinks!! The only reason we stayed in the bar was because the Scotland game was on and as soon as the game finished the bar emptied and to be honest I'm not surprised, as it was £6 for a glass of wine!! So needless to say we didn't drink in the bar very often. The bar is also very old fashioned and doesn't offer much of an atmosphere because it's so quiet.
There is another hotel (the Dunalistair) which is about 5 minutes away from the Loch Rannoch hotel and is situated in the centre of the village. Other guests told us that this was good for food and drink and a lot cheaper than our hotel. We never got a chance to try it, but perhaps we will if we ever go back.
If you are looking to buy some cheap snacks and drinks to keep in your room the Co-op in Pitlochry offers the best value for money, however if you don't want to travel that far there is a small shop in the village which is also quite good and offers quite a good range of products.

>>>>Things to Do<<<<

The hotel has a leisure club which has a 12m swimming pool, sauna, steam room and a gym. We used this a few times and it's very good. The pool was always very quiet so this allowed us to have a relaxing and peaceful swim!
I would really recommend going into Pitlochry as it's a lovely village with a lot of nice shops, bars and restaurants. They also have their own Festival Theatre and Scotland's smallest distillery.
The House of Bruar is around a 30 minute drive away and this is also worth visiting, it is quite an expensive shop but the restaurant there is very good.
If you are looking for good shops Perth is the place to go. It is about an hours drive away and the shopping centre is very good.
Because of the hotel's situation there are a lot of places to see. Dunkeld is a lovely nearby village which is worth visiting; the Queen's view is also worth going to as the views are amazing (it looks right over Loch Tummel). There are also many other places worth visiting but it would take me forever to list them all!! Perthshire is such a lovely part of Scotland.
However, there is not much to do at night as the hotel is fairly quiet, and also as I've mentioned before the drinks are very expensive so going to the bar is not an attractive option!

>>>>Overall<<<<

This is the perfect hotel for couples looking for some quiet and relaxing time together. It is a nice hotel but perhaps not worth the money, as some parts are in need of upgrading as they look a little grubby (the bar in particular). The food and drink is also so expensive that you could end up spending an absolute fortune if you came here and spent all of your time in the hotel!!
This was a good stay and I really loved the situation and exploring Perthshire, but due to the prices I'm not sure if we'll be back any time soon which is a real shame. This hotel has the potential to be a fantastic hotel as it is in an excellent location, with 47 rooms and its own bar and restaurant, it's a shame that the décor and the prices of food and drink let it down. 

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