Muckrach Lodge Hotel & Restaurant

Relaxed and informal, this Victorian hunting lodge is set in 4 hectares of the Cairngorms National Park and offers comfortable surroundings with an award-winning chef, a fine wine list and a whisky bar with 70 different whiskies. Guests can enjoy the jazz night, take lunch on the terrace or just recline in front of a roaring fire. This charming, family-friendly country house hotel was renovated in 2007 and comprises a total of 12 rooms. Facilities on offer to guests include a lobby area with a 24-hour check-in/check out service, a hotel safe, a bar, a restaurant, conference facilities and Internet access. Guests may also take advantage of the laundry service, and there is parking available for those arriving by car.

The hotel's bedrooms are warm, luxurious and comfortable places in which to relax and sleep. The hotel's four-poster bed is a fabulous place to enjoy with a loved one, and the family rooms will comfortably accommodate families of four or more. All the rooms are beautifully appointed, and some overlook the castle. Fabulous Tea Forté teas and Arran aromatic bath and shower gels, together with L'Occitane products for the men, are complimentary. The private bathrooms come with a shower and a hairdryer, and further room amenities include a direct dial telephone, a TV, a radio, a stereo system and Internet access. Rooms are also equipped with tea and coffee making facilities, an ironing set, a king-size or double bed, centrally regulated heating and a safe. All rooms feature a terrace.

The restaurant serves beautiful dishes made from the best quality local ingredients. Most of the meat and poultry comes from within 30 miles of the hotel, and the fish and seafood from Scottish boats working out of Moray and West coast harbours. Head Chef Addy Daggert, twice winner of the Grampian Chef of the Year award, creates stunning menues.

The hotel has a jazz night, and the resident whisky expert offers private whisky tasting in the bar (free at the hotel). The hotel can also organise a round of golf at the famous Championship Boat of Garten course or at any of the wonderful golf courses nearby. Other activities available in the local area include mountain biking, quad biking, horse riding and clay pigeon shooting (subject to availability and charges).

Check in: 14h. Check out: 12h.

On the A9 northbound from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Perth, take the A95 turn-off north of Aviemore. Follow this to the junction with the A938, and turn left. In the village of Dulnain Bridge, turn left onto the A938, and the hotel is just out of the village on the right-hand side. From the North and Inverness, take the A9 south, and exit at the A938 junction. The hotel is 6 miles east of Carrbridge on the left-hand side.