[Disclosure: we stayed at Glen Clova free of charge, in exchange for this review. Thanks for supporting the brands which keep this site running!]

I’ve stayed in a lot of Scottish lodges in my time – like, a LOT of Scottish lodges – and I’ve honestly loved them all. There’s one lodge, however, which is always going to hold a particular place in my heart, and it’s this one:

This is our lodge at Glen Clova in the beautiful Cairngorms national park, and, as well as being the last word in luxury accommodation, it also just so happens to be the place I signed the contract with my literary agent: while sitting on this very sofa, in fact: 

But that’s a whole other story. For now, let’s backtrack to our arrival at Glen Clova; which is, as I said, in the Cairngorms National Park, near the village of Kirriemuir, and which offers accommodation in both the hotel itself, and in the selection of luxury lodges and private cottages which surround it. 

Our lodge was one of the Glen Lodges, which are the largest available, with accommodation spread over two floors, and consisting of three double bedrooms (each with their own en-suite bathroom), plus a large, open-plan living room and kitchen/dining area, along with a private hot tub and sauna. So we were totally and utterly spoiled, in other words. Here’s a look inside: 

The lodge itself had absolutely everything we could possibly have wanted: 

• Bright, spacious interior? – check
• Comfy beds with hotel-quality linen that makes you want to come home and immediately replace all of your bedding? – yup
• Complimentary toiletries in each bathroom? – there’s shampoo/ body wash in each shower, plus hand wash and lotion next to every sink
• Hairdryers? – one in each bedroom 
• Soft, fluffy towels? – too many to count
• Fully-functioning kitchen? – could literally have hosted a dinner party if we’d wanted to. (We didn’t want to, obviously, but still…)
• Free slippers? – brought them all home with me, so now I get to feel like I’m in a hotel ALL the time.
• Washer/dryer, plus ironing board and iron? – OK, I realise I’m probably alone in this, but as the proud owner of a very messy 7 year old, I do laundry everywhere I go, so yes, I was very pleased to find all of these in our lodge, so I didn’t have to come home with a suitcase full of dirty laundry. 
• Great views? – you decide…

Out of all of this, however, here’s the thing Max was most impressed with:

The hot tub.

Don’t worry, he was only ever in it for short periods of time (and so was I, actually, because it was so relaxing I kept getting in and immediately wanting to fall asleep), but it was a great way to wind down after a hard day’s exploring. As well as the hot tub, our lodge also had its own sauna, which we didn’t get around to trying, but which is another nice little touch:

Just a short walk from the lodge is the Glen Clova Hotel itself, which has two restaurants and a bar. We had lunch in the Brandy Bothy on one day of our stay, and dinner there on our last night; both were excellent, with super-friendly staff, fast service, and quite honestly one of the best halloumi burgers I’ve ever had (and I’ve had more than my fair share…)

In terms of location, Glen Clova is at the foot of Glen Doll, and although I’ve said the closest village is Kirriemiur, it’s a good 30 minutes away by car (down winding country lanes filled with stray sheep and a large number of pheasants…), so it’s very much a place to get away from it all, and enjoy some real tranquility. (Don’t worry, though; the lodges all have TVs and wi-fi, so you’re not totally cut off…).

Many of the guests here come for the hiking and fishing (of which there’s plenty, as you’d expect from the location), but you’re also within driving distance of quite a few places of interest, too. During our four day stay we did day trips to Glamis Castle, Arbroath Abbey, and the House of Dun, wandered around Kirriemuir and Forfar, and, on the rainiest afternoons, took Max to Pleasureland in Arbroath (Which he absolutely LOVED), and to a pretty good soft play in Forfar, which also has an ice-skating rink, if you fancy having a go at that. 

For me, though, I think the real beauty of a place like Glen Clova lies in the tranquility of the location; as we were traveling with a 7-year-old, we don’t get much in the way of down-time, but, as much as I enjoyed all of the places we visited, I think I’d have loved relaxing in the cabin with a good book and a decent glass of wine just as much.

If you’d like to experience Glen Clova for yourself, you’ll find their website here.