Kinloch Lodge, Skye, Scottish Highlands

Check out the Am Praban bar at Hotel Eilean Iarmain in Isle Ornsay where you'll hear Gaelic spoken and may even catch a ceilidh.

Kinloch Lodge is on the shores of Loch na Dal on Skye's Sleat peninsula, known as 'the garden of Skye'. There are a handful of traditional villages nearby and dramatic landscapes for walking.
By car: the hotel is 4 hours 40 mins from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is just under 8 hours' drive from Manchester. There is free parking.
By train: trains run from Glasgow to Mallaig for the ferry to Skye, and from Inverness to Kyle, where you can take a bus onto the island. thetrainline.com
By plane: fly to Glasgow Airport (186 miles) or Inverness (98 miles).

Kinloch Lodge is popular with walkers and food lovers (all the better to work off the effects of all that delicious cooking) and anyone who loves beautiful scenery at a slow pace. It's impossible to choose which is our favourite design touch - either the painting of Flora Macdonald in the dining room, or the letter from Winston Churchill in the drawing room.

We love little shop where you can buy wonderful things to eat and drink, kit to cook with and of course, Claire's cookbooks.

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Lounge
• Library
• Garden
• Beauty treatments
• Room service
• Free Wi-Fi
• Free parking

Our favourite rooms are in the main house, which we love for their cosy feel and proximity to the honesty bar. Nothing beats bathing in peat-stained water (said to make the skin soft and hair shine) from a roll top bath with a view of Loch na Dal.

Cosy Double with Sea View, Luxury, Suite
Facilities include: ensuite with shower or bath, fluffy towels, L'Occitane toiletries, desk, TV, tea and coffee facilities

Don't judge us, but despite all the fresh local seafood and game, we're still thinking about the dark chocolate fritter with Scottish raspberries and popcorn ice cream. It's hard to choose a favourite meal - dinner is divine, but a warm scone at breakfast and proper porridge, fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg, is pure indulgence too.

The restaurant: modern Scottish dishes, fine dining, Sunday roasts, all-day menu, organic wines, 122 different whiskies. Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Set dinner menu £75 per person.