Elite Traveler Spring 2022

Left Cameron House sits on the banks of Loch Lomond Below left The Cameron Suite is a two-story penthouse

Clockwise from right The spa’s 66-ft indoor pool; the library; the hotel’s yacht, Celtic Warrior

hand-dived scallops and the succulent dry-aged rib eye on the bone.

RELAX The spa is a short drive away at the Cameron Club (guests have access to a shuttle service). Carve out a good few hours to spend here — there’s a heated rooftop in fi nity pool with views over Ben Lomond, a generous hydrotherapy pool, a 66-ft indoor pool with hot tub, ice fountain, multisensory ‘experience’ showers, sauna, infrared sauna, tepidarium and caldarium. If you’re visiting with your signi fi cant other, book a couples treatment — enter your private steam chamber for a rasul treatment, where you apply an exfoliating mud treatment to your body and relax in the steam. The spa menu has a wide variety of treatments from deep full-body massages to scalp and facial treatments, re fl exology and pre/post-natal massages. EXPLORE Naturally, water-based activities are a must. There is a 234-berth marina as well as a chic-and-cozy boathouse (order the tru ffl e mac and cheese with lobster tail). Board the hotel’s own yacht, Celtic Warrior , for a champagne cruise around the loch, where you’ll get a closer look at the islands, including one that is home to a nudist colony — a seriously brave endeavor in the chilly Scottish climate! For a faster pace, head out on a speedboat or Jet Ski or, for something more gentle, try paddleboarding and freshwater fi shing. As the hotel is surrounded by some 400 acres of sublime Scottish countryside, pack your hiking boots or wellies (or, if you’ve forgotten them, a pair of Hunter wellies can be loaned for the duration of your stay) and explore at your own pace, or jump in a 4x4 and tackle some challenging terrain into the hills — your reward is the sublime views across the loch and the islands. Cameron Suite from $4,250 per night. Contact Kayleigh Hawthorn, reservations supervisor, reservations@cameronhouse.co.uk, +44 138 931 0777, cameronhouse.co.uk

about your dinner plans. Luckily, guests of the suite receive complimentary pre-dinner canapes to snap you out of that trance. The decor is welcoming and stylish, and considered touches provide a sense of place: thistle throw pillows, tweed blankets, welcome bottles of whisky and Scottish shortbread, of course. If you are seeking more seclusion, book one of the lodges. These charming Chalet-style accommodations are set away from the main hotel with views over The Carrick Golf Course. Choose from one-bedroom bungalows to spacious four-bedroom lodges. DINE Tamburrini & Wishart o ff ers fi ne dining in a chic 1920s-style restaurant with shimmering chandeliers, velvet sofas and deep-red tartan carpeting. The fi ve-course tasting menu changes every two weeks, but you can expect inventive dishes that are ‘inspired by Scotland’s natural larder.’ A delightful journey of textures and fl avors, personal highlights from the tasting menu include the rich yet delicately frothy parmesan soup. The Grill is more laid-back but still smart, with views of the loch. Order the Orkney

turned-hotel. The Category B listed building is a gorgeously Gothic castle with peaked gables and soaring turrets. It was owned by the Smollett family for three centuries, during which time a number of prominent guests visited — Samuel Johnson, Empress Eugenie of France and Winston Churchill. Following a devastating and fatal fi re in 2017, a long and careful restoration project was undertaken before it reopened its doors in the fall of 2021. STAY There are 140 guest rooms to choose from, but be sure to book one of the 14 suites in the historic Auld House. Each suite is named after one of Loch Lomond’s islands — except for the namesake Cameron Suite. This penthouse, split over two fl oors, is the hotel’s largest; the bedroom (with an utterly enormous bed and marble-clad bathroom with freestanding tub) is on the lower fl oor. A grand staircase leads upstairs to the spacious living and dining area — an excellent spot to entertain guests. But the suite’s biggest draw is the two terraces: Each has such tremendous, soul-stirring views of the loch that you might fi nd yourself trans fi xed and forget all

Photo Patrick Eckersley