Pitlochry
Great Places to Stay
- Best Western Scotland's Hotel, Pitlochry, Perthshire
Location
Pitlochry in the heart of Perthshire offers everything for the visitor to Scotland. It's an attractive historic town which developed in the late Victorian period, drawing tourists to this quiet Highland riverside retreat when the railway came to town. First and foremost is its first class theatre, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, a magnificent building on the banks of the River Tummel. With six plays running in repertoire through the summer and autumn (May to October), with matinee and evening performances it's possible to see three plays over a two-day visit. "Stay six days, see six plays" is the motto. Pitlochry is an ideal base to tour the surrounding lush green countryside with some great attractions - The Pass of Killiecrankie, Blair Castle (see illustration), Loch Tummel and the Queens View, with golf courses, gardens and distilleries all nearby.
The Hotel
Best Western is a very different kind of group of hotels because it is not a chain of identical style of accommodation. Best Western Hotels have been hand picked to form a collection of 300 independent, privately owned hotels across Britain (and thousands more worldwide). It all started around 60 years ago when M K Guertin decided to form a partnership between a small number of hotels with the aim to recommend each other to their guests. Today the company is the world's largest hotel group.
The turreted red brick Best Western Scotland's Hotel is conveniently situated right in the centre of the town, five minutes from the railway station and just off the main street, Atholl Road. This is a fine place for shopping with tweed, tartan, outdoor clothing and knitwear shops, gifts, souvenirs and local arts and crafts.
The hotel is graded 3 star but has surprisingly good "5 star" facilities including a large indoor heated swimming pool and leisure club, beauty salon, bar and two restaurants.
The 72 bedrooms, of various grades and sizes from single to four poster rooms, offer all modern comforts with TV, direct dial telephone, work desk, power points, ironing board, trouser press, hospitality tray and complimentary bathroom toiletries. Most of the bedrooms have been upgraded over the past few years including the C listed building Bank House next door which has been converted to create eleven superior double rooms with spacious marble bathrooms. Opposite the main hotel is Dunevis annexe with four superb family suites featuring large master bedrooms with separate children's rooms and bathrooms.
Business guests are also well catered for with five conference suites and meeting rooms which can cater for up to 120 delegates. A range of day events and residential packages are available.
Dining
Rather unusually for such a moderate sized hotel there is a choice of two restaurants giving guests the opportunity to sample Scottish and Italian cuisine. In the main dining room, Head Chef Jim Miller and his team prepare classic Scottish dishes using fine local produce. The menu changes daily but this may offer cream of mushroom soup or 'Finnan Haddie' mousse to start followed by Perthshire blackface lamb, beef, venison or freshly caught Tay salmon. For dessert you can experience some good traditional nursery puddings such as bread and butter pudding, orange sponge pudding with custard as well as chocolate fondant and ice-cream or cheese platter.
In complete contrast you can have lunch or evening meal at Luigi's Italian bistro (Pitlochry's only Italian restaurant), just off the hotel lobby. This is a colourful and lively place decorated in Mediterranean blues, yellow and terracotta. The delicious, soft foccacia bread, which is brought to the table (complimentary) with a dish of olive oil, is home made. So too is pizza dough, freshly made on the premises each day. There's a good choice of classic pizzas and you are invited to select your own topping. Recommended is the seafood linguine stuffed with mussels, prawns, salmon in a saffron cream and the wild mushroom risotto. Elsewhere, fillet steak, chicken and scampi so that there is surely something for all tastes and ages. Good value Italian wines by bottle and glass and beers. Apart from meal times Luigi's is open all day for coffee, drinks and snacks with special early bird prices for pre-theatre supper, 5-7pm.
Leisure
Whether staying on business or leisure, guests have unlimited free use of the hotel's indoor leisure facilities. Relax around the luxury heated pool, jacuzzi, sauna and solarium, keep fit in the gymnasium and enjoy an aromatherapy massage or facial in the health and beauty spa. Natural health practitioner Pam McFarlane is on hand to offer a wide range of therapeutic treatments, reflexology, detox programmes, and assist with sports injuries, arthritis and back problems.
The hotel is an easy fifteen-minute walk through woodland and along the riverbank to the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Outwith the main repertory season there are occasional concerts, talks and events through the winter months.
Conclusion
The town centre location is one of the attractions of this Best Western hotel, with free parking and within easy walking distance to the shops, restaurants, railway station and theatre. It's particularly suitable for families with children who will enjoy the swimming pool and leisure facilities. Friendly staff, home comforts and great pasta and wine at Luigi's.As I say, 5-star amenities for a 3-star price.
More Information
For more information or to make a reservation at Best Western Scotland's Hotel, Pitlochry (Tel. 0044 (0) 871 222 4809) see the Scotland's Hotel Web site.See also:
- Glamis Castle, Angus
- Places to Visit - Perth
- Scone Palace, Perthshire
- First Scotrail - Rail services in Scotland
- GNER - Rail services from England
Return to the Index of Great Places to Stay in Scotland.
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