I felt like fairytale princess on a visit to Scotland’s castle country

IF you’d like to relax and unwind in a hotel fit for a queen, head for Aberdeenshire — Scotland’s castle country.

As we drove up a winding tree-lined track, my jaw dropped as the majestic Ardoe House Hotel and Spa revealed itself.

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Tucked away on 30 acres of stunning grounds just five miles outside Aberdeen, the 19th century baronial mansion looks like something out of a fairytale — with its granite exterior and turrets sparkling in the sunlight.

The grand home was built in 1878 and designed by famed architect James Mathews, who took inspiration from the royal residence at Balmoral.

One step through the grand wooden doors and you’re immediately steeped in opulence.

An intricately-designed mosaic floor leads to a long corridor lined in dark wooden panelling enriched with interiors of royal blue, purples, greens and golds.

I admired the ornately-patterned ceiling and original hand-carved cornicing as a friendly member of staff checked us into the four-star residence.

Past a sweeping staircase and colourful stained-glass windows, we headed into the decadent drawing room for a ‘pick me up’ after a three-hour drive from Glasgow.

I opted for a frothy espresso martini, while my husband Dave sipped on a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc.

We sat chatting and studied the large oil-painted portraits of past figures adorning the walls, along with other ancient trinkets on display around us, before heading up to our chamber.

All 120 bedrooms underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2019 — bringing guests sophisticated modern luxury with a twist of Scottish tradition.

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After a quick look around our spacious ‘Privilege Bedroom’, we headed to the spa in our fluffy robes.

The bubbling warm jacuzzi was first to tempt us and we lay back feeling completely relaxed and away from it all.

Dave then worked up an appetite in the 18-metre heated swimming pool, as I went to sweat it out in the sauna and steam room.

Experts are also on site offering an array of personalised wellness and beauty treatments using ishga products, but we skipped this and headed back for dinner.

Blairs Restaurant is where they really roll out the red carpet, offering a locally-sourced menu exploring the very best of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire produce — with plenty of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options.

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I opted for a starter of ham hock terrine topped with a tart piccalilli on rough oatcakes, while Dave tucked into a silky-smooth chicken liver and cognac parfait with Arran onion chutney and oatcakes — both divine.

Mains of haggis crusted Glenfeshie venison and a 28-day aged ribeye were quickly devoured.

We polished off our bottle of red, as we played spoon wars over a delectable white chocolate cheese cake — maybe sharing was a bad idea.

We retired to the dimly-lit Soapie’s lounge — named after the family of North East soap tycoons who built Ardoe House — nursing our nightcaps in front of a roaring fire. Then we were ready for sleep.

It was hard to drag ourselves from the heavenly soft king-sized bed the next morning, but we had places to go, castles to see.

Thankfully the extensive continental and Scottish breakfast buffet was worth getting up for.

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First we visited Drum Castle — one of Scotland’s oldest tower houses — which was just eight miles down the road and spent the rest of the morning at Crathes Castle, wandering its glorious colourful gardens and admiring the highland cows grazing nearby.

We thought about driving the 45 miles to Balmoral itself, but it was rumoured the Queen was in residence and we didn’t want to bother her.

So it was back down the A90 for us and back to reality.

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