Review: Cameron House hotel review

Why book?

For a quintessential Scottish pile where the whole crew can bed down. Where a stay is equal parts refined and lively, and a cornucopia of pursuits – golf and afternoon tea to water slides and speed boating – are there for the taking.

Set the scene

A prized spot on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and within the Trossachs National Park, a convenient 30 minutes drive from Glasgow Airport. The grounds are sprawling, comprising a marina and a nine-hole golf course – known as The Wee Demon – a scattering of self catering lodges, and the sandy banks of Cameron Bay. Squint and you can make out Balloch Castle in the distance. It’s a glorious Highland setting, and one that can be explored by boat, seaplane, 4x4 off-road or a natural trail walk. The hotel itself, a 17th century Baronial mansion, is precisely the wild, romantic, quintessentially Scottish tangle of towers, turrets and castellations you would wish it to be, along with the addition of a smart modern wing which offers more loch-facing rooms.

The backstory

It starts with a fortified structure in the 14th century and follows a storied history. One that can be witnessed within the hotel’s long hallway, where the black lacquered walls are adorned with framed photos of previous guests – notably Winston Churchill and Barack Obama – as well as the Smollett family, who owned the property for a little over a hundred years. Paddy the Bear is also on display, who was the first cub at the property during the 1970s when the grounds were a bear park. In 1986 the house became a hotel, changing hands several times, most recently in 2015 when it was acquired by KSL Capital Partners, an American private-equity company. The main building, or Auld House, was damaged by a fire in December 2017. The renovation that followed was extensive, with its grand reopening in 2021.

The rooms

The beds in the Auld House are a lovely sight to behold, so high I almost needed a running jump to reach, and draped in all manner of tactile decadence – velvet Bonn headboards, plump pillows embroidered with thistle motifs and tartan blankets. The mood is further set with spiky brass chandeliers that bathe the room in a syrupy glow. Thanks to the addition of a new wing there are now 208 rooms in total, all shrouded in dark cosy colours and tartan prints courtesy of Glasgow design studio Timorous Beasties. Interiors in the new wing skew more Highland trad, while the modern design offers up the benefit of floor-to-ceiling windows and even balconies overlooking the loch.

Food and drink

Hearty and plentiful, with three main dining options as well as a delightful afternoon tea served in the lobby bar. Ordinarily hotel lobbies offer little more than a waiting area, but here, the space is well worth lingering longer. Even the most Instagram-averse won’t be able to resist a quick photo – the walls are particularly beautiful, clothed in Golden Oriole Wallpaper Panels. Take afternoon tea from one of the velvet armchairs by the window and watch swans glide along the loch while tucking into apricot scones served on fine bone china. The casual overwater Boat House is equally scenic, with rustic New England interiors and an unpretentious seafood-led menu – although be warned, the fresh oysters get snapped up fast. The Cameron Grill is the dining mainstay, offering up a DIY bloody mary station and made to order Scottish porridge at breakfast, and hearty fare – Aberdeenshire lamb rump at its finest – plus an extensive wine list at supper. For a late night tipple and a big of a knees up, head to the tartan-clad Great Scots’ Bar, home to over 300 whiskies.

The spa

The spa and golf clubhouse share a site a few minutes’ drive from the hotel, with a shuttle running regularly between the two. The Cameron Club is an established crowd-pleaser with wellness-seekers and golfers alike. There are 17 treatment rooms for the former and 18 holes for the latter, as well as a cosy tavern to reconvene back at over a pint or epic hot chocolate. The spa offers an extensive menu of Made for Life Organics and Espa treatments, along with a popular Hydro and Thermal Experience and outdoor rooftop jacuzzi. Within the hotel itself, the extensive Cameron Leisure Club, fully renovated, includes a new 18-metre pool, a family pool with waterslides, a bubble pool, steam room, sauna, stupendously well-equipped gym and spin studio. A team of in-house instructors lead an impressive 50 fitness classes a week.

The area

The perfect combination of natural good looks plus convenience – it’s only a 40 minute drive to reach Glasgow, and less than 15 to Balloch Castle and the The Trossachs National Park. Although you’d be forgiven for simply staying put at the property – there are myriad activities from water sports to loch cruises, bike hire, scenic flights by seaplane, four-wheel-drive expeditions, falconry, riding, archery, clay pigeon shooting, castle visits, distillery tours and endless rounds of golf.

The service

Scotland at its best – warm, unstuffy and wonderfully considerate. When my two-year-old was having a meltdown outside, one of the very dapper tartan-clad staff members appeared with a gifted teddy bear as the perfect distraction.

For families

Don’t let the glamorous good looks fool you, Cameron House is made for families. Family suites are well equipped with dreamy bathtubs, children’s lego and wholesome board games. All the usual baby paraphernalia can be requested. Kids menus are found in each and even restaurant – there’s even an epic kids afternoon tea offering in the lobby bar. If your smalls are raucous, the laid back vibes at the Boat House are ideal. Apart from the couple of steps at the front – the kind staff will happily give you a hand – the hotel is pram friendly throughout. There are 15 pairs of adjoining rooms and two family suites. Babysitting is available if required. The Leisure Centre has plenty to keep wee ones busy, with a great mix of gentle baby slides as well as a bigger kid option. Swim nappies and floaties are available to buy. For any rainy day entertainment there’s also a cinema. One of my personal highlights was following the delightful fairy trail at the Clubhouse with my toddler, where we discovered a whimsical woodland setup with fairy doors and toadstool houses and even a troll bridge.

Eco effort

The hotel recently appointed two new sustainability directors, with a keen focus on preserving the native trees and wildlife within the property’s 400 acre grounds. Recent initiatives have included the reintroduction of the indigenous Powan fish into Loch Lomond as well as heated roosts to help with year-round bird, bat and owl populations. The restaurants onsite use sustainable suppliers and local produce where possible, as well as ingredients grown on the property itself - elderflowers, brambles, wood sorrels and wild garlic. Within the rooms, bins are divided into paper, plastic and waste, while single use plastic is nowhere to be seen – cleverly the Molten Brown products in the bathrooms are refillable. Equally genius was the hotel’s decision to switch to an all-electric Audi E-Trons for guest transfers, reducing its transport-related carbon footprint by 40 percent at a stroke.

Accessibility

The hotel has eleven rooms which are wheelchair accessible, all of which have walk-in showers. All of the facilities, including the extensive leisure facilities and pool, are accessible by means of lifts, ramps and hoists.