We’re just back from a fabulous trip to Inverness and the Highlands with our wee doggo. We’ve been exploring Scotland as part of our job for nearly 4 years now and we love it. But this year it has been extra special to visit some of our favourite spots in the Highlands. I have fond memories from childhood trips to Nairn. My granny used to take us to Nairn when we were kids. She would get us a chippy and then we’d head down to the harbour where the waves would lash over the front of her car. In hindsight, my granny was a reckless type. Which is definitely where I get it. But this visit to the coastal town of Nairn was a restful and luxurious one spent at the Golf View Hotel and Spa.
Cosy, Coastal and Dog-Friendly
I got in touch with the Golf View Hotel after finding out that it is part of the Crerar Hotels group. We stayed at Thainstone House in Inverurie, a Crerar Hotel, on a staycation a wee while ago. Thainstone House was very dog-friendly without compromising on comfort. The grounds were fantastic and the staff were so lovely to our Callie. When I noticed that the Golf View Hotel in Nairn claimed to be equally as dog-friendly, with a touch of luxury, I had to stick my nose in for a look. Especially with it being on the coast in a town that holds special memories for me.
Firstly, there are heaps of things to do in both the Highlands and on the Moray Coast. So if you do choose to stay at the Golf View Hotel and fancy some adventuring, you’re nae gonna be stuck for things to do. 
Our trip was more of a relaxing one after a fantastic but completely knackering trip with Visit Scotland.
Sea View Feature Room
Our room was pretty, classic and cosy. We had a huge bed with a gorgeous carved headboard and crisp bedding. The bathroom was huge with a separate shower and roll-top copper bath. 
We also had a comfy seating area with velvet blue sofa and coffee table which we made good use of this after dinner at Hickory, the hotel’s in-house restaurant.
But, before we even got near dinner, we headed down to the leisure club. Mostly because we never have time for leisure clubs. And at the Golf View Hotel, we had the whole afternoon completely to ourselves. Callie went for a sleep in the room whilst we went for a wee dook in the pool and a blast in the outdoor hot tub, if you please.
It was fantastic and exactly what the doctor ordered, especially for Scott who had driven about 304038 miles over the previous few days. His back was utterly done-in bless him.
Hickory Restaurant
We sat down to dinner at Hickory, which was wearing all its bonnie Christmas decorations. We were sat right by the Christmas tree which puts our tree to absolute shame. The cocktails were fabulous. I had a Mai Tai featuring Sailor Jerry rum to kick things off, whilst Scott had… Guinness. Because that’s all Scott ever has. He likes his Guinness does our wee Scotty.
The food was lovely too. I had scallops with Stornoway black pudding to start off with, a true Scottish favourite. Scott had venison carpaccio with a side of Guinness. My scallops were cooked perfectly, seared golden on the outside and meaty and sumptuous in the middle. I love scallops, lots and scal-lots. For main I had one of the tastiest steaks I’ve ever had and Scott had seafood linguine.
The Hickory restaurant is super cosy with a lovely atmosphere and very similar to the Brasserie Prince within the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.
The Golf View Hotel & Spa
We had a really lovely chilled evening in our room with a heavy dose of room service (we had pudding in our jammies) whilst watching The Hobbit. This pretty coastal retreat is actually perfect for just being all coorie, cosy and relaxed. 
The Golf View Hotel has everything you need for a chilled staycation or coastal getaway in the Highlands, so when you can, or if you can, treat yourself to a me-cation by the beach. You can book your own Nairn memories here.
