Drumbeg Hotel — Hotel in Great Britain

You will find no finer than this. ||||Anne & Eddie Strachan converted this 1903 laird's house into a contemporary styled 5-star restaurant with 4 rooms, and there are also 2 larch-clad, self-catering studio lodges. We stayed in one of the lodges but ate in the house as my birthday treat. Anne is a passionate chef who uses the freshest, finest ingredients and Eddie is an accomplished artist, poet and fiddle-player. Their wonderful house is full of art, books and music. They are both extremely engaging, witty and knowledgeable.||||Situated in the small but hugely charismatic hamlet of Drumbeg (with award-winning Drumbeg Stores, and fabulous Little Soap and Candle Company with bijou tea room) it is some 30 minutes off the A894 along a single-track road. It sits on the edge of a small loch and has a magnificent view of the mighty Quinag. There is no street lighting round the house so you are wrapped in a canopy of stars at night.||||The uber quiet, very private, modern studio is well-appointed and is flooded with natural light. Underfloor central heating beneath the wood floor, fully equipped kitchen (dishwasher, microwave, fan oven, halogen hob, fridge, freezer - no washing machine), wet room and lounge/diner. A narrow staircase leads to a mezzanine floor and the very cosy bedroom (king-size bed). There is a tv in the bedroom with Sky offering a wide selection of radio channels too. Also a dvd player together with a library of films (think 'Elizabeth', 'WahWah', 'Mansfield Park', 'Of Mice and Men', 'Babel', 'Withnail and I''...). Good quality bed-linen, towels/flannels and teatowels are provided. The outside decking area has table and chairs overlooking the loch.||||On the night we dined in the house, we relaxed in the book-lined library on a putty-coloured Ligne Roset suite. We were handed a magnificent wine list including a choice of 3 champagnes to peruse as we nibbled on amuse bouche spoons of parma ham with balsamic and guacamole and cucumber. We moved into the relaxed dining area for a sumptuous 4-course meal. Fresh, melt-in-the-mouth lobster with lobster mousse to start: next, white turbot wrapped with spinach and fresh prawn on top, a whole langoustine served with lobster jus: finally, grouse with roast fig, white beetroot, asparagus tips, a swirl of potato and one of courgette puree. We finished with a 'birthday' meringue housing fresh cream, mango, pomegranate and strawberries.||||Their website states they .."create an environment which reflects pleasure in the art of living, in art, music and food, where the beauty of the surroundings and quality of the cuisine are exceeded only by the warmth of the welcome". I'd say that describes it...

Stayed two nights here while on a self guided country tour of Scotland. To start, I must say it was the perfect place to unwind in the evenings after out full days of sightseeing & driving. It felt like a home but it was more than a home... They delivered excellence in customer service in every way!

Food/dining area:

Loved how they had a restaurant on site.. They are home cooked meals by the way but they are chefs! The food & service in dining area was absolutely delicious & there were gluten free options for me. Nice presentation too. The view from the dining rm is low hills & the lake (across the street) & it's serene. It rained a lot when we were there but the lodge is cozy & the rain didn't bother us. The view of the hills & lake was not disturbed by the rain. Everything looked more green. There is a bar too but we didn't use it. The ammenities here are plentiful!

Rooms:

Cozy, clean & quiet rooms with two comfy single beds + adequate space for two for a short stay. Would have liked a view of the lake from the room and it wasn't a busy place when we were there but we were given the garden view room. Still nice as there are lots of plants & flowers. The room still suited us so we have no complaints about the room.

Common areas:

Lounge/common area near reception is bright, clean & cozy. Plenty of places to sit. The theme throughout the lodge is the iconic Scottish highland. It looked like an interior designer was hired for rooms & common areas but it's the work of the talented owners.

The drive to and from the lodge:

I love the remote location of this lodge & the quiet village where it's situated. The drive to the lodge is not bad at all. I read other reviews before coming but seriously there is nothing to worry about. It is a single lane hilly road but just obey the speed limit & drive carefully. Use the passing spots & there'll be no issues. This road was never busy when we were there. We drove on it in the early mornings & evenings for the most part. The views from the road are diverse and scenic along the way.. Green or barren or ocean scenery or a mix. Just a lovely peaceful drive! We spotted a red deer & waterfalls along the road!

We appreciated the late check in. It's needed when driving from a far & you want to finish the sights in that area.

They give the guests space & privacy. Sometimes this is not the case in a small establishment /b&b /guest house.

In closing , it was a great place for us as we are coming from a busy city in NA & we are also nature lovers looking for peace & quiet on our trips. Owners work hard to keep up a place like this & it really shows in their property & in the service they deliver to...

The Drumbeg Hotel is located in a remote location of the Drumbeg loop. There is a parking lot across the street for guests. Sheep roam freely on the road, as does a resident evening stag. ||The couple who run the hotel do it alone. There is an in-house restaurant as well as a bar, so one can relax with a drink if one chooses to.|One must pick a time for dinner and breakfast, as they can only accommodate so many people at a time with just the two of them acting as cook and waiter (and hotel concierge). ||There are several choices on the menu for dinner, and the meal was delicious and very reasonably priced. I chose the Brie & Beetrrot Tart with Kale pastry, fries, and roasted vegetables that included cherry tomatoes and broccoli. They also have a full bar that they run for patrons as well, so one can enjoy an evening cocktail, beer and/or wine. ||The hotel was super clean. We stayed in Room #2 on the ground floor. It was small and had 2 twin beds. The view out the back was of an unattended garden with pots strewn about, so there really wasn't much to feast one's eyes on. We could open the window for some fresh air, but not too far. ||Despite being quite small, there was a hostess tray with a tea kettle and all of the amenities as well as packaged cookies. There were plenty of outlets with the addition of a special extension to accommodate electronics. There was a flat screen television, but we never turned it on. | |The electric shower was small, but did the job. One must remember to turn on the switch which is located outside of the bathroom. ||The bathroom was definitely outdated, but certainly quite functional. Included with the room was a hair dryer, all-in-one body/shampoo and hand soap. ||The mattresses on the bed were extremely soft, and we both laughed when we sat down on them, because we kind of fell into them. But despite that, I did not have difficulty sleeping, and I'm used to a rather hard mattress. ||Wi-fi was very strong with a password.|Breakfast was included in the room rate and there were several choices. I chose yogurt with fruit, avocado toast with cherry tomatoes, feta and poached eggs. Presented beautifully and quite tasty. ||We did enjoy our stay. It was quite different than our usual Scottish experience, but definitely entertaining. Being off the NC500, this is the perfect spot to stop when traveling along the...