Monday, June 18, 2012

Staying at the Prince's House




By Alexa Bourne:


Today I'm taking you to another location in my happy place, Glenfinnan, Scotland. This is the Prince's House. The hotel is located a short distance from the train station and you are sure to get a warm welcome the moment you step inside. Hosts Kieron and Ina Kelly and their staff are very eager to make sure visitors are quite comfortable.


The building itself dates back to the seventeenth century, when it used to be a change house for people traveling through the Highlands along the legendary Road to the Isles. (Yep, that 2 lane road is part of the Road to the Isles!) At the time, it had 1 room on the second floor with straw for bedding and fireplaces on each end of the room to keep it warm.


Over the years, the house was expanded and now has 9 guest rooms, a lounge and a restaurant. Each guest room is individually decorated, and by far the fanciest room is the Stuart Room. This looks fabulous, doesn't it? This room is in the oldest part of the building and overlooks the fantastic hills.


In this hotel, you can enjoy excellent food in both the restaurant and the bar. Occasionally, you might even get a treat. This was where we sat in the lounge talking with the other tourists and the hostess when she asked a local musician to play a few songs for us. We all ended up having another drink and singing along! It was a fabulous evening, one I was sorry to see end.



When I stayed here with my mom for my first overnight trip to Glenfinnan, we did not stay in the Stuart room. Yes, it was (and is) beautiful, but it was also outside of our budget. The picture below was our room. Although it was small (by American standards), it was cozy enough and we still had a great view.

Something else I find interesting about this hotel is that they use locally grown produce as much as they can. Plus, their meats come from surrounding Highland estates.
I'll say again that the price of the hotels here in Glenfinnan is not cheap. Part of me thinks it's because Glenfinnan is such a small place, there aren't a lot of options and it may be out of the way to some people. But, as with the Glenfinnan House Hotel from my post last month, it is definitely worth spending a night or two here if you can. To learn more about this fabulous hotel, visit their website here.

4 comments:

Victoria Roberts said...

Alexa, thanks for sharing! I don't care how small it is. I'd sleep in a barn if I had the chance to go to Scotland. What exciting memories! Love the pics!

Alexa said...

LOL! I'm not sure I'd sleep in a barn, but I know what you mean.

I've got 1, maybe 2 more posts for Glenfinnan, then I've got to find another place to explore & share. I'm sure it won't be difficult!

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

I notice the slanted ceiling over one of the twin beds. We had that in one of the places we stayed at and I kept banging my head. One never learns easily...

Beautiful place. I'd love to stay there on a trip. Of course, I love to stay anywhere over there. :)

MK McClintock said...

I love Glenfinnin! It would be one of my happy places too. Thanks for sharing Alexa. I felt the same way about the warm welcome I received while visiting there-the people are amazing!