Well, we’re not long back from one of our best hotel stays in Scotland. Considering we’ve been at this varied lifestyle for over 4 years, and have stayed in a lot of quirky, weird and wonderful places, I think that speaks volumes. Unassuming, modest and tucked away in Royal Deeside territory, Maryculter House offers a lovely stay amongst 800 years of Scottish history in an old Jacobean hotel. But you’d never have known it could be this good. Because most of the time, hotel stays don’t offer half as much as Maryculter does. And even if the offering is spot on, sometimes it doesn’t live up to expectations. With the current climate and the struggle to attract and hold on to hospitality staff, you’d think Maryculter would slip up somewhere. At least once. But nope, not a knight was out of line in this excellent and historic country house experience.
Jacobean Jaunts
I’m so stubborn by the way. SO stubborn. These last couple of weeks, I’ve not been bothered doing much other than reading. I’ve never read so many books in such a short space of time. I’m really enjoying reading because it’s providing escapism, but I do need to go outside, breathe fresh air and do actual things too. So aye, I had to brush my hair and everything to go along to Maryculter House. I didn’t want to go, I wanted to stay in my grumpy cocoon because I felt bleh. But aye, I really am stubborn… Cause emm, Maryculter House is one of the best Scottish hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Also, over here wondering why I can’t make visiting old Jacobean inns and hotels a career? Like, full-time. Where that’s all I do. Follow the trail of the Jacobites in my van. I reckon I could be onto something.
Cosy Knight In at Maryculter House
It was called a ‘Cosy Knight In’ package because em, there’s actual knights of armour at Maryculter House and that’s where the Knights Templar sat like literally hundreds of years ago. The package included ALL of this…
Welcome boxes from Tartan Blanket Co with The Art of Coorie book, Space Masks (which heat up your eyeballs in a really nice way😁) and cosy woolly bed socks.
Baileys hot chocolates to your bed before you go to sleep.
Chocolate truffles in your hotel room when you arrive, naturally, and the thing that caught me most off guard…
The Esker Gin flight with canapés on arrival in The Great Hall obviously that if I had been prepared for, I may not have turned up dressed as Mary Poppins’ bag. You know the one she pulls lamps out of? Magical, but drab and dusty.
A marvellous dinner in The Poachers comprising of scallops, steak, pheasant, whisky and all the fine Scottish food. With the most fantastic waiter who was just full of good chat, banter and a love for Maryculter that echoed in his service.
We even had a riverside room by the River Dee. And they put cute little bunnies outside that hopped about at night. A lovely touch…
A cracking Scottish breakfast in the morning.
This bears repeating… I wasn’t going to go to Maryculter House. That would have been a fools’ errand. Take a bow Maryculter for getting everything right at a time where it is a challenge in itself to get most things right. Go to this historic hotel in Aberdeenshire, you won’t regret it.
