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By Inverewe Garden, Highland, Poolewe, Ross-shire IV22 2LD
IV22 2LD


Pool House

Wester Ross, United Kingdom [view map]

Style
Eccentric, dramatic and homely
Setting
Loch on the wild side

Pool House is full of passion – for wine, food and stylish decor, all vocations for a family who have searched the corners of the earth to furnish their delightful loch-side hotel.

Need to know

need to know - Pool House
Rooms
Seven suites, all with views of the water.
Rates
In low season, £245–£450; in high season, £270–£495, including full Scottish breakfast, tea and sherry.
Check-out
Midday, although this is a little flexible; check-in, 3pm.
Facilities
Full-size billiards table, malt whisky room, library, in-room massages with prior notice, fishing rod for the jetty. In rooms, flatscreen TV, DVD player, WiFi (£10 for 24 hours), minibar; some have iPod docks and underfloor heating.
Children
Over-16s welcomed, but really this is a place for grown-up couples.
Hotel closed
3 January to 12 February; November and December annually.
Also
Ask the hotel to organise a guided walk or a marine cruise from Gairloch to see Minke whales, dolphins, porpoise and seals; or go hawking at Kinlochewe. Groups can request falconry displays at the hotel itself.

In the know

Our favourite rooms
Every quirkily decorated suite is enormous, with heart-melting views of the water. Our favourite is the Diadem: very intimate, with its own fireplace. Indian-themed Nairana, the ground-floor master suite, has its own entrance and a sitting room overlooking the water. The Whimbrel boat house has a hot tub on the terrace, sea-view bath, and huge bed – an exact replica of one Napoleon had made for Josephine. Campania, in the main house, is as big as some city flats, with a fireplace-enhanced lounge, decking area, and Victorian canopied bath.
Packing tips
Walking boots and binoculars are essential.
Also
A car for exploring is crucial: you can rent a car from SRW (Sharp’s Reliable Wrecks) at Inverness airport (+44 (0)1463 236694). They’ll meet you with the keys at arrivals if you pre-book.

Food & drink

food and drink - Pool House
Hotel restaurant
After canapés in the lounge, guests are seated in North by North West at 8pm for John Moir’s seven-course Modern Scottish supper. Mains may include Loch Ewe lobster, or saddle of local venison with roast vegetables and buttery mash. Book dinner in advance and let hotel know if you have any allergies or intolerances so they can tailor the dishes accordingly.
Dress code
Smart in a special-occasion-visit-to-relatives way; rugged (and warm) enough for rambling.
Top table
As close to the windows as you can get so you can watch the seals, sea birds and astonishing sunsets.
Room service
Have a ‘picnic breakfast’ delivered between 8am and 10.30am; from 11am until 10pm, there’s a variety of time-suitable snacks and cold platters on offer.
Hotel bar
Sample from the vast array of single malts, including fine and rare examples, in the Billiard Whisky Room, or in front of an open fire in the cosy sitting room.

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Pool House

By Inverewe Garden, Highland, Poolewe, Ross-shire IV22 2LD

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Pool House

Wester Ross, United Kingdom [view map]

Local restaurants

In summer, enjoy a lunch of fresh mussels with garlic butter at the Kishorn Seafood Bar (+44 (0)1520 733240).

Local bars

Local pubs include water’s-edge Badachro Inn in Badachro (+44 (0)1445 741255), which serves deliciously fresh prawns and salmon, and The Old Inn on Gairloch’s fishing harbour (+44 (0)1445 712006), where you can catch live, local music on weekend evenings; they've lots of real ales, too. 

Local cafes

The licensed Aroma Café at the sensational Perfume Studio in Mellon Charles (+44 (0)1445 731618) is open 10am–6pm throughout summer (closed January to March). The tasty soups, door-stop sandwiches, home-baked cakes and aromatic coffees and teas will counter any chills; in fine weather, head to a picnic table for some otter-spotting. Around the corner from Pool House is the Bridge Cottage & Café Gallery on Poolewe’s Main Street (+44 (0)1445 781335), a great stop-off for home-made soups and cakes. For afternoon tea, pause in the Inverewe Garden Restaurant (+44 (0)844 493 2225), across the water from Pool House in the National Trust tropical gardens.

Worth getting out of bed for

The Harrisons are full of information about their local area and can help you organise all kinds of activities. Spend a day getting to grips with Harris hawks (+44 (0)1445 760204). Take a walk to the site of the World War II plane crash. Give the hotel two days' notice and they can arrange whisky tasting at Glen Ord Distillery. In the summer, learn yacht sailing, or go power-boating with a qualified instructor. Take a fast boat to the Summer Isles for a picnic. Visit the Isle Maree: sail across to this second seat of Christianity to see Viking graves. See a porpoise from the 30-foot yacht Ventura (+44 (0)1445 781729).

Diary

July Gairloch sheepdog trials (+44 (0)1445 712412) – watch the dogs in action. August Assynt Highland Games Culag Park at Lochinver (+44 (0)1571 844647; www.albagames.co.uk) for highland dancing, piping, and salmon and trout fly-casting championships; Duck Race, when hundreds of rubber ducks are floated down the river in biannual watery madness.

For a full list of bars and restaurants in Wester Ross, click here



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Pool House

Wester Ross, United Kingdom

Pool House hotel Wester Ross
Number of people
2-14
Licensed for weddings
Yes

Wow factor

Go for a unique firelit ceremony at twilight on the shores of Loch Maree; it has to be about one of the most romantic and beautiful places to cement your bond.

Need to know

The award-winning wedding co-ordinator can arrange a piper or harpist. The bride and groom are presented with a decorative box containing the traditional Hebridean good-luck symbols. The hotel can arrange all the catering and flowers – invaluable considering that significant logistics are involved in such a remote place.

Inspiration

Weddings can be held anywhere in Scotland, and there are numerous sites on the shores of dreamily inspiring Loch Maree; Tollee Bay is a particularly popular spot. A yacht is on hand to take couples out to one of the tiny islands for a private lobster picnic.

Click here to view more wedding hotels in United Kingdom


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