Rediscovering relaxation, and a thank you.

Last weekend I had the most wonderful getaway with John, to the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro Hotel. We took the hours drive to Dunblane and were welcomed at the hotel by their friendly reception staff and a warm cookie each (which really hit the spot after our car journey, and what seemed like an absolute age since breakfast)

Our room was lovely and spacious, with a lounge area and a wonderful view over the front lawn over the hotel out towards the town of Dunblane. I know I’ve said it before, but I really bloody love Scotland.

For an evening ahead of dinner and drinks I wore my new dress from Ravi Famous 🙂

As tempting as it was to lounge about on the comfy sofa drinking wine and watching saturday night tv (classy girl) we were invited down to a cocktail masterclass before dinner!

John getting in about the cocktail class.

We were shown by the super talented Mixologist how to make various cocktails, which we then got to sample and have a go of making one too. Above is John with an Raspberry and Elderflower Collins, which was definitely my favourite one we got to make!

After the class it was time for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant The Kailyard, which is by Nick Nairn so we knew we were in for an absolute treat.

I LOVE FOOOOD. I had pate to start, steak for my main and a gorgeous apple pie for dessert. Interrupted in the middle by my favourite cocktail, an amaretto sour 🙂 It wasn’t actually on the menu but they were happy to make one for me! Dinner was fantastic, we sat with Charlene and her fiance who were also there for the night. We had a few more drinks before bed and Gillian and Morag joined us for a night cap too. We went back to the room, got into our jammies and dressing gowns and John ran me a relaxing bubble bath. By this point I genuinely didn’t want to go to bed because I didn’t want our lovely weekend to come to an end.

The next morning, we were very lazy and rather than getting up early to go try out the hotels health and leisure facilities, we had the most amazing breakfast in bed! I have never ordered room service like this at a hotel before, it was such a treat. We checked out at 12, and not knowing what lay ahead for the rest of the day I had packed some goodies for the journey courtesy of Scottish Hampers.

We were absolutely stuffed after breakfast but spent the afternoon munching through some bits and bobs out of the Jura Hamper. I think one of these would be the perfect gift for a right foodie like my Mum. You can see via the link exactly what it contained, and they are all Scottish sourced/inspired – with a few of my favourites being the orange blossom honey, shortbread and madiera cake (totally reminds me of my Granny’s house on new years eve!) I had hoped we could have went a drive somewhere for a picnic once we checked out, but the typical Scottish weather ended up taking a turn for the worse. So we have just made a small dent in this amazing hamper but it won’t be long before the sun comes out again and it will be the best excuse to go on a mini road trip up north.

Saying goodbye to Dunblane. This is the view from out the front of the hotel.

We left feeling totally refreshed and relaxed. Apart from a slight twinge of hangover lingering from the wine and cocktails consumed the night before, I had the best nights sleep in that bed! Totally did not want to get up come morning. But it was time to go and I could not have felt more welcomed and comfortable during our stay. I felt absolutely spoiled the whole weekend and so grateful for getting to spend some quality time with John amongst our busy work schedules ♥ I want to explore more hidden gems like this across Scotland, and save my hard earned cash for escaping like this every few months or so. I can honestly say that the Doubletree by Hilton at Dunblane Hydro have got hospitality down to a fine art. Thank you for making us feel so at home!

I have another thank you for you guys – the readers of this blog. It is such a privilege having somewhere to share my thoughts, photographs and adventures. I am now sitting with over 1700 readers between GFC and Bloglovin’, and I wanted to mark this occassion by offering a wee something special in return.

Prize 1 – £100 Hilton Hotel Voucher
This can be used at any Hilton across the UK and is valid for one year.

Prize 2 – A case of Häagen-Dazs Secret Sensations Ice Cream
 *8 x 500ml Pint Cups of Chocolat Fondant or Creme Brulee.

Prize 3 – A Pair of Tickets to the London Dungeons
A trip to see some spooky attractions in London worth £48.

All you need to do to enter is be a follower of my blog, and leave a comment on the post with your email address saying if you would be interested in winning prize 1, 2 or 3. You can enter for all of them or just one or two – whatever you fancy! The competition for all three will be drawn a week tomorrow, so you have up until midnight on the 30th of April to enter.

Best of luck! 🙂

*Little
Blog of Horrors in conjunction with Häagen-Dazs is offering readers the
chance to be amongst the first to taste its indulgent Secret Sensations
flavours, Chocolat Fondant & Crème brûlée
– now available in pint size tubs for an even saucier treat! The
pint-sized Secret Sensations – with pockets of decadent sauce hidden
throughout rich Häagen-Dazs ice cream –  can be found in most major
supermarkets (RRP £4.99) One winner will receive one case
(12 x 500ml Pint Cups) delivered right to their door – visit www.facebook.com/HaagenDazs for further information!


Prize Terms and Conditions

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