Romantic Highland Getaways in Scotland - The Boatshed at Ardanaiseig Hotel

Ardanaiseig Hotel is a baronial mansion on a hillside, overlooking the stunning Loch Awe, in a quiet and remote corner of the Western Highlands of Scotland. On a recent visit, I stayed in the Boatshed, the hotel's private loch side accommodation, perfect for a honeymoon or a very special romantic getaway.

Read a full review of Ardanaiseig Hotel
See more pictures of Ardanaiseig Hotel and the Boatshed

Ardanaiseig Hotel Essentials

• Address: Kilchrenan by Taynuilt, Argyll PA 35 1HE, Scotland
• Tel: +44 (0)1866 833333
• Website
• Email:
• Price Band: For the boatshed -$$$. Rates are per person on a B&B basis. Dinner, B&B rates also available.

A Place Apart

The Victorian boatshed is about 500 yards from the main hotel. At reception, they give you the keys to a golf cart so that you can come and go at will and dress for romantic dinners without getting muddy on the walk up through the dark meadow. On the way down to the boatshed, my only company was a small group of floppy red-haired highland cattle grazing in an adjoining field.

The boatshed was converted and modernised in 2006. Unlike the rest of Ardanaiseig Hotel, which is decorated in antiques and theatrical kitch, the boatshed has been given a 1960s treatment, with a combination of collectibles - Murano glass, designer furniture - and reproductions gathered by Ardanaiseig's owner, Bennie Gray, founder of London's Grays Antique Market.

A Private Suite on Loch Awe

Inside, the boatshed at Ardanaiseig is a spacious, glamorous one bedroom suite. Downstairs, past the entry/mud room, there's a small galley kitchen and wet bar, a piney, Scandinavian style bathroom (with generous, full-sized Molton Brown toiletries and fluffy bathrobes) and a huge, galleried living/dining room with a vaulted ceiling. The loch side of the room is a two-story-tall wall of window glass, directly over the water. The living room is equipped with a modern home entertainment center that includes a wide-screen television, DVD player and sound system.The dining area is equipped with a modern glass table and lucite chairs.

Upstairs in the gallery, the bedroom is furnished with minimalist retro glamor - deep blue walls, a ruched silk bedcover and a sinuously curved dressing table. It's a bit like a stage, with the fourth wall a splendid view over the rest of the boatshed and the loch.

If all that nature makes you feel a bit exposed, you can, of course, close the draperies across the front of the sleeping gallery. But waking up to watch the mist rise and the cormorants shake off their wings on this quiet corner of Loch Awe is unforgettable.

Getting Married at Ardanaiseig

The hotel is licensed for both civil and religious marriages - in the house and the scenic, loch side amphitheater. It can accommodate 32 overnight guests - 38 in a pinch - and up to 70 wedding guests.

There are seven 3-course menu options for wedding parties, including two vegetarian options, with vegetables, fruits and herbs from the hotel's own walled garden and greenhouses.

Learn more about dining at Ardanaiseig and Chef Gary Goldie's cuisine by reading a review of Ardanaiseig hotel

Putting it All Together

The hotel provides a useful list of wedding contacts and suppliers. In addition to the usual necessities - flowers, wedding cake, limousine, photographer, disco, stationary, favors, hairdressers and so forth - the list includes several contacts for such Highland extras as:

• Highland music - pipers, clarsach, ceilidh bands
• Kilt and highland dress hire
• Fireworks

There are also contacts for the local Church of Scotland minister and the Oban Registrar (for civil ceremonies).

If you are thinking that a Highland wedding might be just the thing, find out more about Getting Married in the UK.