(0844 879 9057,
www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk)
JUST getting to Forest Hills was all part of the fun for us, with tides swelling the River Forth and Loch Ard to overflowing, making the B829 from Aberfoyl
e to the hotel impassable for a couple of hours. That's why it's wise to time your arrival in Aberfoyle carefully to avoid having to retreat to the pub until the tide goes out. Yet it's this liable-to-be-marooned lochside location that makes Forest Hills hotel and self-catering lodges so attractive and such a great base for exploring the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and the Trossachs.
Why go there? The food alone, from Hungarian chef Zoltan Szabo and his team, will make you wish the tide would never go out so you can prolong your stay, but with Loch Ard and the Trossachs on the doorstep there's too much to do to stay indoors. At the resort itself you can play tennis, badminton, football, basketball, table tennis, giant chess on the lawn and if it rains, a more manageable indoor version. On the loch and the Forth there is kayaking and boating to be enjoyed, then there is Ben Lomond to be conquered, as well as mountain biking, hillwalking, quad-biking, off-road driving and archery, either through the hotel or through Activ8s in Aberfoyle (www.activ8s.com, 01887 829 292), golf at Callander and Strathendrick and cookery courses at Nick Nairn's Cook School. Or you could stay at the resort and head straight for the new Vital Health Club and Spa with its 18m pool, sauna, steamroom, gym and spa treatment rooms for a whole range of pleasantly lifting, brightening and firming procedures. There's also a children's club during school holidays.
How do you get there? One party alighted on the lawn in their helicopter, but we chose the more discreet motor car. From Aberfoyle, follow the B829 (for Kinlochard), along the lochside to Forest Hills. If you take the train to Stirling station, Forest Hills is a 35-minute taxi ride away.
What's the food like? A divine selection of ever-changing dishes that is so beautifully presented it's a shame to eat it. I did nevertheless manage to force down a starter of broccoli and brie pannacotta with oatcakes, followed by roast fillet of Shetland salmon and ending with banana-and-cardamom cheesecake, while the children feasted on a deluxe version of pizza, chips and peas, followed by home-made ice-cream, a description that doesn't do it justice. They also loved the freshly baked bread and bite-sized doughnuts that appeared at the extensive breakfast buffet.
Bed test Very bouncy, according to my three young testers, while I slept the sleep of the dead thanks to the absence of traffic, car alarms and city noises.
Room for improvement Thicker walls might have been a good idea for those next door to my children, which is why we took ourselves off to one of the self-catering lodges for the second night, where we could spread ourselves out and bicker to our hearts' content, while I lamented the sudden downturn in the standard of the cooking.
Out and about If a five-hour climb up Ben Lomond is too much, Doon Hill takes just an hour and a half. Circle the tree (home of the People of Quietness) at the top seven times and your wish will be granted. (On no account go round backwards. You have been warned.) Nearby is Scotland's only lake, the Lake of Menteith, home to Inchmahome Priory (where the four-year-old Mary Queen of Scots was sent for safety in 1547) and popular for fly-fishing (www.menteith-fisheries.co.uk. If it's raining, the Scottish Wool Centre is the place to stock up on sweaters and scones, or you can head for the hotel's health club and spa and sweat it out in the sauna instead. I was treated to a Decleor facial that rendered me as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as a fox finding a chicken tikka masala in our dustbin.
Little extras Being able to make tea and coffee in the room is a bonus.
The bottom line Check out the website for the latest offers. Prices per person in December start from £55 for B&B, £75 for DB&B.
The full article contains 731 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
