Meldrum House Hotel, Aberdeenshire

I stayed at Meldrum House with VisitAberdeenshire
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Welcome to Meldrum House Hotel 

I’m a sucker for a good Scottish country house hotel – four poster beds, carpets to dig your toes into, wood panelled rooms, cocktails in front of huge roaring fires, leather sofas, toasting the haggis, and fine dining – and Meldrum House Hotel* deep in the heart of rural Aberdeenshire fulfilled my country house dreams and more. 

Sitting within its own 240-acre estate, Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course is located just outside Oldmeldrum, 30 minutes north of Aberdeen. Built as a tower house by the Barony of Meldrum in the 13th century, Meldrum House grew into the baronial home which now operates as a 4-star boutique hotel today – complete with its own wee herd of shaggy highland coos and 800 year old cave bar. Let’s check in to Meldrum House Hotel.

Rooms at Meldrum House Hotel 

Checking into Meldrum House you can choose from three types of rooms:

My room in the recently renovated Stables was bright and spacious with a pitched roof and dormer windows, decorated in contemporary Scottish colours and tweedy touches – think muted tweeds and greens rather brash tartans. Other rooms in the Stables have beamed ceilings and a cosier, darker feel. All of the Stables rooms have super modern bathrooms with Temple Spa products, power showers, massive white fluffy towels and cosy dressing gowns.

Dining at Meldrum House Hotel

Cocktails by the fire are a prerequisite before dinner at Meldrum House’s 2 Red Rosette restaurant, or try a local gin; Teasmith Gin is made with black loose leaf Ceylon tea and House of Elrick gin is made with water from Loch Ness!

Located to the rear of the hotel, the Meldrum House’s restaurant overlooks the grounds and is stylishly decorated. The à la carte menu offers up Scottish favourites such as scallops and stornoway black pudding, Highland venison with sticky red cabbage, goats cheese wellingtons and stunning aged steaks from local butcher Presly’s of Oldmeldrum. Private dining rooms are available to celebrate special events – we were treated to a gorgeous 5 course fine dining menu, along with a dramatic interlude to properly toast our haggis course! Make sure you retire back to the lounge for an after dinner dram…

If you prefer a more casual meal, the hotel’s 1236 restaurant serves up dinner in what was the hotel’s original larder and storeroom. Go for haggis bon bons with a whisky glaze, 24-hour braised beef cheek pies and Glen Garioch whisky-smoked salmon. 

For the morning after the night before, breakfast is served in the restaurant is and is also à la carte –  be good with homemade granola or deservedly naughty with porridge with cream and a dram dram of Glen Garioch Founders Reserve, or go for a Portsoy smoked salmon with scrambled free range eggs. Make sure you try a local buttery – an Aberdonian treat – kind of like a salty croissant! 

The Cave Bar

When a hotel wins the 2019 award for the best whisky bar at the Whisky Magazine’s World Whisky Awards you know you are in for a treat. Meldrum House’ Cave bar is located in an 800 year old turret and serves up 120 malt whiskies and blends. With an old and rare cabinet and a Whisky Club with 44 lockers to hide away your special stock to drink in the bar – even Sir Alex Ferguson owns a locker at Meldrum House – the Cave Bar is a real destination for whisky lovers. 

The local whisky of choice is of course, Glen Garioch, made steps away from the hotel in Oldmeldrum. My favourite dram is the super rare 15 year old, Sherry Cask, or if you are feeling adventurous try the 20 year old Wine Cask.

Things to do at Meldrum House Hotel

You might be tempted just to curl up for the weekend, but outside the hotel is Aberdeenshire and it would be a shame not to explore.

Then after a long day exploring Aberdeenshire, head back to the Meldrum House Hotel and head straight for the Cave Bar for your whisky of choice and snuggle in for the night….

Love, from Scotland x

Book: Meldrum House Hotel*

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