Karma Lake of Menteith

The staff are warm and understanding, and the welcome dram of whisky was a nice touch. When we asked for a kettle because we don’t drink coffee, they supplied one, even though kettles had been removed because some guests used them to cook rice or noodles. The rooms have very good coffee machines instead. The continental and cooked breakfasts were filling, and the WiFi and parking were good. There’s also a shepherd’s hut sauna with wild swimming in the lake afterwards. It’s free for hotel guests on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with a charge at other times. The games room has music, a large TV, a pool table, and other games. There’s no lift, so ask for a downstairs room if mobility is an issue. We spent two nights in Osprey, went elsewhere in Scotland for three nights, then returned for another 15 nights in Highland. That room was a treat, with a huge bathroom, separate shower, double sinks, and a claw foot bath for a long soak. It also had a dressing room and study, and a main bedroom with a beautiful oak four poster bed and lovely views over the Lake of Menteith. The armchairs, though, were painfully hard and left me with a bad back. We ended up sitting on the bed to watch TV. After I raised it with Lizzy for the fourth time, she got two comfortable chairs brought in from elsewhere, which I really appreciated with more than a week still to go. The hotel sits right by the lake, with stunning views. The rooms are fairly spacious, but the property overall could use some freshening up and care. We know it’s old, but it was a little below Karma St. Martins, our favourite UK Karma location, and Karma Salford Hall, which we also loved. It feels a bit remote, but once we looked at the map, we realised several places were within reach by car, or by driving to a train station. Even with a road closure, we visited Stirling, Dunblane, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Loch Lomond, Doune Castle, Stirling Castle, Eilean Donan, Urquhart, Culloden and Glenfinnan Viaducts, a couple of whisky distilleries, Inchmahome Priory by private arrangement, Perth and Scone Castle, and the Culloden and Bannockburn battlefields. We’re still here and looking forward to the evening ceilidh, held on the last Friday of each month.