A Mid Week Break At Cameron Lodges, Loch Lomond: Review

Last week we enjoyed a four night stay mid-week at Cameron Lodges on the shores of Loch Lomond.  Cameron Lodges are set beside the stunning Cameron House Hotel right beside the famous Loch Lomond, where you can stare at the gorgeous scenery all around.  As it was almost winter when we arrived it was fairly chilly, but that didn’t stop us making the most of our little holiday.

We arrived on the Tuesday afternoon and after a very quick and easy trip to the reception area we drove around to our lodge for the week, number 1, right beside the hotel and a stones throw from the loch.  Our lodge could sleep 6, in a double bedroom with en-suite, a twin bed with en-suite and two fold down beds upstairs in the living area.

The two bedrooms were downstairs as you enter the building, which is a little different to how houses are normally laid out, but this means that the living are upstairs has the best views across the grounds and over to the loch.  There is also a balcony area upstairs which must be lovely in the summer months, but a bit too cold and dark for dinner in winter, although my husband donned his jacket for a quiet coffee one morning.

The living area is nicely laid out with beautiful furnishings and decor and a fully equipped modern kitchen.  The oven, microwave and dishwasher are all fairly easy to work and if you have any problems all the instructions are in the files on the counter top when you arrive.  Also in the information files are everything you need to know about the resort and different activities available in the surrounding area.

Once we had explored inside and unpacked an arranged concierge drove us to La Vista restaurant, which really is only a 5 minute walk from our lodge, but as it was pouring it down and pitch black we took the car instead!  The restaurant is a lovely little Italian restaurant, with a fantastic fire place and delicious food, we were impressed as soon as we walked through the door. 

Seated at our table both the boys were given a kids pack with crayons, games, puzzles and more, which was more than enough to entertain them until their dinner arrived.  The kids could choose from three courses, with a fairly good selection too.  In the end (once torn away from the puzzles) they both chose the melon and berries for a starter, which they both devoured, a burger for the 5 year old and pasta for the 2 year old, which again were a big hit and then chocolate cake for littlest and ice cream for his big brother, which really did not last long with our two sweet toothed children.

I personally love sea food and there was a great selection on offer and after much deliberation I chose mussels for a starter (although I lost some to the boys hungry mouths), the Sea Bream for a main and cheesecake for dessert.  My husband chose the carrot and orange soup for a starter, lamb for his main course and cheesecake for dessert.  We both were amazed at just how delicious the food was, the Sea Bream is the best fish I have tasted in a long while, so I left very happy.  Although it was dark when we ate our meal, in the lighter summer evenings there is a lovely view across the marina and the loch from the restaurant, a perfect place to wind down for the day.

The next day I went to Cameron Spa a 10 minute drive up the loch from the lodges to enjoy a relaxing massage at the spa.  It has been a while since my last spa experience and although I was a little nervous, I was immediately put at ease by the beautiful setting and the friendly staff.  As you walk through the doors into the spa you are greeted by the relaxing sound of running water, and it’s lovely and warm for those who are wandering about in robes and slippers.

In addition to the treatment rooms you can also use the spas other facilities including the indoor pool, roof top infinity pool, hydrotherapy pool and dining area.  I didn’t have time for the other facilities, but the aromatherapy massage was brilliant and really helped my aching neck and back.  I can imagine it being a great to place to spend an afternoon with friends and then catching up over a drink in the Claret Jug bar and restaurant next door.

The Carrick is the home to the well known PGA Championship Golf Course, which also has top quality golfing facilities including a driving range, private tuition, golf academy, golf shop and the Highland Laddie halfway house.  Plenty to keep any keen golfers occupied for the day! Back at the Cameron House lodges there is also the Wee Demon Golf Course, which is a tricky 9 hole golf course over looking the loch.  It seemed rather popular when we were walking past.

On the Thursday, after breakfast at our lodge, we popped next door to the leisure centre attached to Cameron House hotel.  The leisure centre facilities are free to lodge residents, simply present your card to the desk and they will provide you with towels and point you in the direction of the changing rooms.  The changing rooms are split into men’s and women’s, so remember to split your swim things into two bags if you’re going with the kids.  You also need to put in your own four digit code to the lockers and remember it for when you come out again (I may have had an issue with remembering what the code was the first time…).

There are two main pools, the smaller one has a splash pool by the side for the littlest kids and a flume down into the deeper end of the pool.  We mainly stayed in this pool for the kids to practice swimming, my husband and I took turns to go down the flume as the kids weren’t interested! There are classes in the smaller pool at certain times, so we were asked to move to the larger pool when we were there in the morning.

After our swimming session on Thursday we got dried off and walked down to the marina to board the Celtic Warrior for a champagne cruise.  The boat is a good size and has both a comfy seating area downstairs and seats on the roof where you can get a good view of the loch.  We chose to sit up on the roof whilst we were out on the loch, fortunately it was good weather for it!

The crew of the Celtic Warrior were great and kept us entertained with stories about the loch and surrounds, I particular liked the vantage point to see the Highland boundary fault where lowlands meet highlands.  As it is the ‘champagne cruise’, you receive a complimentary glass of champagne whilst on the water.  The kids had a glass of water each, although there are soft drinks for them if you would prefer.

It was only early afternoon once we arrived back at the marina and as we could see Lomond Shores at Balloch from the marina, we decided to walk along the track beside the loch.  It’s only a 10 minute walk until you arrive beside the high ropes course and then you emerge into the main shopping area.  We have visited previously to see the falconry and also the fantastic aquarium there, but on that day we chose to just walk along to the excellent little play park.

The park is a good size with a range of different activity areas to suit different ages.  It’s obviously much busier during the summer months, which is also when a small road train operates, pedal boats and canoes are available for hire on a small area of the loch and there are plenty of places to buy ice cream.  As Thorntons cafe was just around the corner I popped in to buy a couple of hot drinks and cakes for us and the boys.  I also loved browsing around the RSPB shop, finding lots of sweet ideas for gifts, I didn’t even realise the RSPB had actual shops to visit!

Once back at the lodge I drove back to Balloch to pop into the Co-op to buy some food supplies and dinner, they are pretty well stocked and you can find some tasty snacks and meals to cook.  We quite liked the freedom of being able to cook ourselves in the lodge or visiting one of the many restaurants in the resort.

On our final day at the lodge we spent the morning in the pool and then headed off for another walk in the afternoon.  We loved watching the sea plane take off and land on the water, we would see it moored to the jetty beside Cameron House hotel every day and marveled at how amazing it would be to see the loch and Scotland from the air.  At £119 per person it’s a bit out of our price range, but maybe one day.

We hope to visit Cameron Lodges again one day, perhaps with grandparents in tow to look after the kids for a bit of time on our own, although a creche and kids club is available at certain times if you would prefer to use that.

J x

* We received the stay at Cameron Lodges for the purpose of this review, however all opinions are our own.