Reborn after a major renovation, Cameron House offers world-class facilities and five star service, with a programme of activities that will appeal to all ages.
Perched on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, with the wild and moody Trossachs National Park on its doorstep, the outlook from Cameron House is as spectacular on a sunny day as it is when the rain sets in, which is fortunate, because the sun seems reluctant to show its face for much of our stay.
It is a holiday of firsts for us, the first time we have been to Scotland and, incredibly, the first time we have stayed in a hotel with children. There is, of course, nothing better than spending a few days ensconced in luxury while your every whim is catered to, just not with little ones in tow… why ruin the experience with tantrums, early tea times and enforced bedtimes, we have always reasoned. And until now, we’ve saved hotels for stolen weekends of grown-up pleasure and stuck to self-catering breaks when it comes to family holidays. But this time I’m after a real break, with no domestic responsibilities, so we decide to revisit our opinions on this.
An epic position on the shores of Scotland’s largest Loch
Five-star Cameron House promises to offer everything families could want – no less than six restaurants to suit all palates and dinner-time schedules, leisure facilities both inside and out to appeal to young and old alike, and beautiful bedrooms and suites with room for everybody to spread out and find their own space.
Though it has been sympathetically extended over the years, the heart of the hotel lies in a 17th century baronial mansion complete with towers and turrets. This part of the hotel was almost destroyed by a devastating fire in 2017, and the whole hotel has since undergone a multi-million- pound restoration project which saw the original manor painstakingly rebuilt and included the addition of the sparkly new Lomond Wing that opened this year – it now offers 208 bedrooms including 28 suites, with 115 self-catering cottages and apartments set across 400 acres of land. It sounds vast, but, with exceptional service from the Guest Experience Team – you can’t miss them as they’re impeccably dressed in bespoke Johnstons of Elgin attire – it has an exclusive, boutique feel. We are welcomed like family and shown to our room, which boasts a cosy bunk room, as well as a comfortable sitting area overlooking the Loch and a luxurious marble-clad en suite. Decorated in an autumnal palette with richly patterned wallpaper, dark wood, tactile leather and tartan fabrics, the aesthetic is Scottish country house chic, and there are all the little luxuries you would expect, including flat screen TVs in both the main bedroom and the bunk room, a Nespresso machine and fluffy robes in a selection of sizes for the whole family.
Endless accommodation options
I’m booked into the spa for a treatment and the children are keen to explore the leisure facilities on site – an 18-metre swimming pool complete with water slide beckons – so we don’t hang around for long. I head to the reception area, where I am ushered into one of the Cameron House cars for the short transfer to the spa, which is located, along with the golf clubhouse, a few minutes’ drive down the Loch shore. Here, a tempting menu of ESPA treatments are on offer, along with thermal and hydrotherapy facilities, and a serene indoor swimming pool with vast picture windows plus a rooftop infinity pool, both offering views of the spectacular Scottish scenery. I spend an idyllic afternoon having my tensions massaged away before making full use of the facilities and relaxation areas, dragging myself reluctantly out of the bubbling rooftop pool as the sun begins to set.
An exciting programme of activities and a choice of dining experiences make Cameron House the ultimate family friendly break
We eat dinner on our first night in the Cameron Grill, which is relaxed and welcoming for the children, but still manages to feel like an indulgent treat for us. The menu focuses on locally sourced meat and fish, though there are some more unusual veggie options, too. And the children’s menu is well received by our brood. The littlest orders macaroni cheese and is delighted at the attentive service he receives: “Sir would like ketchup with his pasta? Why of course…”
Breakfast is served here, too, and in the light, we appreciate the spectacular views of the Loch, which is dramatically wreathed in mist on this drizzly day. We’ve an action-packed morning planned, so we fill up from the buffet and treat ourselves to something cooked from the à la carte menu, too. Afterwards, we head to the Marina, where we have been booked onto an exciting excursion on the hotel’s speedboat, Wee Warrior. Whipping across the water with the spray in our faces, bumping over waves and landing with a splash is a truly exhilarating experience, and from here we can admire the hotel from a whole new vantage point. It is certainly commanding viewed from out on the water.
We speed across to Inchcailloch island, pulling up at the wooden jetty to disembark. Here, there is time to explore, and we spend a happy hour discovering this little uninhabited Eden – scrambling up the winding summit path to the viewpoint to admire the vista, skimming stones from the windswept beach at Port Bawn and discovering the old, ruined farm. Nature is giving us quite the show, with the autumn leaves at their fiery finest, and we spot fallow deer darting off through the undergrowth.
Back at the hotel, we are just in time for an early afternoon tea in the light-filled Lobby Bar, where the children are treated to their own tea, especially designed for little folk. The attention to detail is incredible. Full and happy we head to the Cameron Cinema, where we curl up on the comfortable seats and enjoy a cosy afternoon watching a family film with little boxes of popcorn from the kiosk.
There’s another swim on the cards when the film finishes, which is just as well, because we are far from being in calorie deficit today. It’s my first experience of the leisure complex and it doesn’t fail to impress. With a bubbling spa bath as well as the fun flume, it certainly has something for all of us.
Dinner that evening comes courtesy of the Boat House, which is a short stroll from the hotel, set in a gorgeous position overlooking the Marina. Decorated in boardwalk chic, the menu is unpretentious, and seafood-led. We enjoy our food and then linger over wine, while the children enjoy beach-combing on the sand outside, making friends by the giant chess board. It has been another successful evening for family friendly dining.
We’re due to check out the next morning, but there’s no pressure to leave, with guests encouraged to enjoy the facilities for as long as they wish on the day of departure, so we stow our luggage at reception after enjoying another hearty breakfast and then hire bikes to explore the local area, returning for one last swim before hitting the road. Holiday expectations have been well and truly adjusted – there’s no doubt we could all get used to this level of luxury. An epic position on the shores of Scotland’s largest Loch, endless accommodation options, an exciting programme of activities and a choice of dining experiences make Cameron House the ultimate family- friendly break.
Prices start from £430 per night for a Classic bedroom on a B&B basis, interconnecting rooms are available on request. Prices for a family suite start from £580 per night on a B&B basis (cameronhouse.co.uk).