Gleneagles: A Scottish Fairytale
There are some hotels that are simply a place to sleep and then there are hotels that are the reason for the trip. Gleneagles is definitely the latter.
Set in the Scottish countryside about an hour outside of Edinburgh, Gleneagles feels like stepping into another time. Think tartan, fireplaces, old cars, champagne carts, falconry and Highland coos. Add in an amazing spa, three golf courses, more activities than you could possibly fit into one trip and plenty to keep the kids entertained and I was sold.
We visited over Easter in April with our two kids, who were 31⁄2 and 6 at the time, and I pretty much fell in love the second we arrived.
Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland
Getting There
We flew overnight into Edinburgh and splurged on a car to drive us directly to Gleneagles. My brain simply cannot comprehend driving on the wrong side of the road, so I considered this a safety expense. It also meant we could climb into the backseat and get a couple more hours of sleep.
Gleneagles Train Station in Scotland
There is, however, a much easier and less expensive option. Gleneagles has its own train station just a few minutes from the hotel. When we left, the hotel car dropped us at the station and we took the train straight back to Edinburgh. Super simple. Even the tiny Gleneagles train station was charming and beautiful because apparently nothing here is allowed to be ugly.
We arrived at the hotel tired and way too early to go to bed, so we changed into bathing suits and jumped into the indoor pool. It was the perfect way to wake ourselves up and push through the jet lag.
The Hotel
It’s hard to explain exactly what I loved so much about Gleneagles because it was really all of it. The entire property has this glamorous, old-world feeling without feeling stuffy.
Even the bathrooms were one of my favorite details. Velvet curtains, chandeliers, giant leather chairs and mirrors surrounded by lights made them feel more like old Hollywood dressing rooms than hotel bathrooms. I realize getting excited about a hotel bathroom sounds ridiculous, but look at it.
Old Hollywood-style bathroom at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland
They also have the softest robes for both adults and kids, which quickly became our uniforms anytime we were in the room. And the bedding was so comfortable that I actually emailed the hotel after we got home to find out who made it. If that’s not a hotel endorsement, I don’t know what is.
The coziest robes in the fluffiest beds
There’s also an adorable flower shop, an ice cream and tea shop and a few high-end stores right on the property. Basically, you can eat, drink, shop, spa and entertain your children without ever having to leave. My kind of place.
And because this is Scotland, there are rain boots you can borrow for outdoor activities. We were there in April and definitely put them to use.
They even have a tartan Barbour Land Rover sitting outside. Because of course they do.
Tartan Barbour Land Rover at Gleneagles in Scotland
The Food
I need to talk about breakfast because this may have been the best hotel breakfast spread of our lives.
There was a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar, a rainbow juice station, a smoked salmon station and basically anything else you could possibly want for breakfast.
Breakfast at Gleneagles - smoked salmon spread
But I found my favorite on day one and never looked back.
Every morning I ordered the most insanely delicious smoked salmon croissant topped with traditional Scottish crowdie. I had never heard of crowdie before this trip and learned that it’s a soft Scottish cheese. I have also not stopped thinking about this croissant since.
THE smoked salmon and crowdie croissant at Gleneagles breakfast
For dinner, you absolutely have to go to The Strathearn. The restaurant feels like you’ve stepped back in time and is fancy in the best possible way. We had an incredible dinner there, complete with a champagne cart wheeled right up to the table.
There are few things in life I enjoy more than champagne coming to me on wheels.
The most charming dinner at The Strathearn
The American Bar
Speaking of stepping back in time, The American Bar may have been one of my favorite places in the entire hotel.
It feels straight out of the 1920s - dark, glamorous and the perfect place for a cocktail. We managed to sneak away for drinks there at night without the kids and went back almost every evening.
The American Bar at Gleneagles
There’s even a gorgeous vintage Rolls-Royce outside the hotel just in case you weren’t already committed to pretending it’s 1925.
The famous Gleneagles Vintage Rolls-Royce
Little Glen Adventures
One of the things Gleneagles does incredibly well is kids. There is SO much for them to do, but the hotel never feels like a kids resort.
Our kids did Junior Off-Road Driving, where they got behind the wheel of mini Land Rover replicas and drove around an off-road course.
Yes, they actually drive them.
At the end they were awarded their official Gleneagles Off-Road driver’s licenses, which I’m pretty sure they were more excited about than their actual passports.
Gleneagles Junior Off-Roading
There’s also a little scavenger hunt around the property where kids carry a booklet and find different stations to stamp along the way. Complete the booklet and they get a prize at the end. Obviously once my kids learned there was a prize involved, we were completing that booklet.
Scavenger hunt stamping station
Gleneagles also has a kids club called Little Glen & The Den. We happily dropped the kids off while we went to the spa for massages.
They had fun. We had massages. Everyone won.
Little Glen and The Den
Falconry
Gleneagles has a ton of country activities and we decided to try falconry.
I should mention that I am terrified of birds.
I had absolutely no intention of letting one anywhere near me until my six-year-old raised his hand to go first. Apparently watching your six-year-old voluntarily hold a bird of prey is all the motivation you need to conquer a lifelong fear.
If he could do it, so could I.
And I did. And it was awesome.
Falconry experience at Gleneagles
Conquering my fear of birds at the Falconry
We also got to see the Highland coos, which may be the cutest cows on the planet.
Highland coos
Golf
You can’t really go to Gleneagles and completely ignore the golf.
My husband took a lesson at the PGA National Academy while I continued my lifelong commitment to enjoying golf resorts without actually golfing.
Gleneagles PGA Golf Academy
A Day Around Scotland
As difficult as it was to leave Gleneagles, we did manage to venture out for one day.
We packed quite a bit into it, visiting Loch Lomond, Glengoyne Distillery and The Kelpies, with a stop in Glasgow for lunch.
Glengoyne Distillery
The Kelpies
Then we happily headed back to Gleneagles.
The Verdict
Gleneagles is one of those rare hotels that manages to be romantic and glamorous while also being incredible with kids. We could have a fancy dinner at The Strathearn, drink cocktails in a 1920s bar and get massages at the spa while our kids were off driving miniature Land Rovers and completing scavenger hunts.
And somehow none of it felt like we were at a “family resort.”
It was charming, a little eccentric, completely over-the-top in all the right ways and filled with the kinds of little details I remember long after a trip is over.
I went to Scotland excited about Gleneagles.
I left completely in love with both.
Family at Gleneagles in the Scottish countryside
