At the end of October we left school after a busy Halloween activity day and headed for a much needed break at Cameron Lodges at Loch Lomond. I had never been before and was very much looking forward to it. I love Loch Lomond and had stayed in Cameron House Hotel many years ago, the Cameron Lodges are within the grounds of the hotel. The scenery out there is stunning. It makes you truly proud to be Scottish and live within a short drive to one of the most spectacular places in the world, especially in the autumn season. Breathtaking.
Off we set on our journey, thankfully we are only about 40-45 minutes car journey from here, but took a bit longer with rush hour traffic on a Friday. We headed for Cameron Lodges reception when we arrived and were greeted with one of the friendliest receptions I’ve ever came across, which was a good start. Checking in was simple and we were given a map to where our lodge was along with some information on what was on during our stay, numbers, etc. They are really organised. We unpacked and had a look around the lodge. We were staying at number 31 which sleeps 8, 3 bedrooms and one pull down bed in the livingroom. There were 3 bathrooms and all the rooms were spacious. You can have a look at my tour video below:-
Once we were unpacked and ready, we headed the short walk to The Boat House for our dinner. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, but the scenery was beautiful. The Boat House was family friendly, stunning and the staff were lovely and helpful. There was a roaring fire that the children were amazed at and we had the most amazing meal. The children had melon for starter, pizza and Aria had chicken and homemade brownies for dessert. The menus were varied for them with a wide range of choices. My husband is Gluten Free and they catered for him with a separate menu and even had a gluten free roll for his soup. I went for fish and seafood as you can see in my photos below, it didn’t disappoint. You can find out more about Cameron Lodges dining.
We picked up a few bits for breakfast the next morning at the local co-op and had a great night’s sleep. The bedrooms are luxurious and comfortable. With tv’s, sockets, different sets of lighting and most have a bathroom which is gorgeous. With big white fluffy towels and toiletries to use. Lovely lighting and just the feel of luxury that you just go ahhh. You know what I mean, don’t you?
There is a large tv in the living room with the options to watch films and a music player you can connect your phone too which is fab. Each room has large windows and stunning views, but the window in the living room is truly breathtaking. It’s huge and the doors open out onto a covered balcony where you can sit and watch the golfers as ours overlooked one of the holes or just watch the beautiful sky. I cannot put into words just how stunning it really is.
The kitchen comes equipped with a dishwasher, coffee machine, fridge, freezer, etc. As well as a full stock of crockery, cutlery and all the other kitchen utensils you’d ever need. And it looks great. It comes with a starter pack of a dishwasher tablet, dishcloth, etc. It really was a home from home. There is a book with all types of places to visit and things to do as well as a list of phones numbers to call.
The dining table was huge and we enjoyed a meal there on the Saturday evening together. You can make your own meals in the kitchen or there are numbers for deliveries or so many different places to eat out. It was perfect to sit around the large table and chat about our day.
On the Saturday we had a busy day planned. We were up bright and early. The boys went into the kids club at the Cameron House leisure club. This was fantastic and really reasonable too. They craved pumpkins, made wax figures and much more. They loved every minute of it. Whilst away there Aria spent some time walking about with her daddy. The grounds are wonderful and so peaceful the kids can play and have fun. There is even a little mini crazy golf. While they did this I went to the spa at The Carrick. Oh my goodness this is the height of luxury. The spa itself looks amazing and even have a waterfall in the main area. I had the most amazing massage, it was bliss and just what was needed. I didn’t get a chance to fully utilise the spa as only had an hour, but if you book in for a massage you get to use the spa facilities and they look wonderful. You can even have some sweet ginger tea in the relaxing room. I could just move in here I think.
After some lunch we headed back down the marina, which in itself is an amazing place to just walk around and have a nosey and all the luxury yachts.
The children were amazed and Lucas has decided he wants a jet ski after watching some out on theirs. He might need to wait until he’s a famous footballer for one. Yes that’s his plan. We headed out onto the Loch on The Celtic Warrior Cruise. This was one of the best treats we’ve ever had. Not only was the boat beautiful and well equipped, the scenery was truly breathtaking, but the two members of the crew who took us out were really funny and catered for our every need. They had different types of drinks on board. Robert and I had a wee glass of prosecco and the kids had soft drinks.
Downstairs within the main part of the boat there are lovely leather seats, blankets if you get cold and even a bed if you fancy a snooze. Upstairs you could get the most amazing and spectacular views from the comfort of the seats out in the open air.
The views were stunning. The water was calm and everyone on board had a great time. If you’ve never been on a boat before, this is the one to choose. The crew kept us amused with stories and talking about the different places we passed. We went out a fair bit into the loch and then turned to come back. It took about an hour and definitely something we’d do again.
I was a bit click happy on board, but who wouldn’t with scenes like this. The boys didn’t want to come off and we saw the sea plane which you can hire out. It’s not the cheapest starting from £119. But can you imagine the views you’d see? All in all we loved the Celtic Warrior Cruise, it was something really special and memories we will all treasure.
We chatted all the way back to our lodge, taking in more of the sights around us. One of the other things about staying at Cameron Lodges is that you can use concierge service. You dial the number in your pack and they will pick you up and take you to different parts from the Marina to the Carrick spa. Fab if you don’t drive or the weather is bad. The grounds are vast which makes for some spectacular walks.
Later on that afternoon we went swimming in the Kids Zone at Cameron House Hotel. It is a lot of fun, there is a small pool for Aria and the larger pool for the bigger children with a fun water slide. There are life guards on hand to keep an eye out for any trouble. For the adults there is a separate pool, jacuzzi as well at steam rooms. There are lots of different activities on within the Cameron House estate from pony trekking, archery, clay pigeon shooting to mountain biking.
After such a busy day, we had a chilling evening back in the lodge with some tv, food and family snuggles. Not before we had a wee bit of time on the balcony. It was one of our favourite spots. Just look at that view. What do you think? Isn’t Scotland amazing?
The next morning we packed up ready to head out for the day before heading home. I have to say we were sad we weren’t staying longer. We took one last stroll out in the grounds and played with the autumn leaves.
We have loved stayed at Cameron Lodges and can highly recommend them. We will be back, both as a family and hopefully, Robert and I will get some time away together. It is a perfect place for all the family, especially an active one with lots of activities to do onsite, but also with quiet spots to enjoy the views. It would be bliss as a break with friends or as a couple, lots of adult activities as well as kids. There is a babysitting service if you want to go out together and all the staff are lovely and accommodating. If you are into golf, the golf courses I am told are excellent. Most of all the lodges are out of this world and the views, well…. breathtaking. We will be back.
What do you think of it?
Do check out Cameron Lodges instagram feed, I took over it for the weekend we were away, for more photos.
Disclaimer:- We were given a complimentary lodge and a few activities, some of which we paid ourselves. All thoughts and opinions are my own