Loch Rannoch Highland Club

Overall an amazing stay just because of the surrounding beauty and the comfort of the 3 bedroom lodge up high on the hillside. The lodge was more than adequate with only a few shortcomings. There is a master bedroom with 2 twin beds pushed together, and a shower/bath combo; 2 bedrooms with 2 tight fitting twins beds each and a shower and sauna across the hall; 1 large murphy bed upstairs in the living room (not private or quiet because it's an open room with a kitchen and balcony) with a toilet (no shower/bath) outside living room doorway at top of stairs. The view from every room is breathtaking. There are no elevators. There is a glass-enclosed balcony with a heater, and you can open the glass doors to take amazing photos of the mountains over the lake. In the winter, the daylight hours are short. Our January days were from 8am-4pm. Snow was on the ground when we arrived, but it melted the first day since our weather was warmer than usual in January with mostly clear days, but a little drizzle. If you're a first-timer, you'll need to know that there's a red switch on the kitchen wall next to the oven and it powers the oven. You'll also need to lift the handle of the front door to lock it with the key from the inside or outside. If you're in lodge #34, there is a parking place up the hill around the bend which helps you avoid the many stairs to the lodge. The laundry room is useless because you must waste your time sitting in there and wait for the laundry to finish or they'll charge you for another load and restart it. There is also a telephone in the living room where you can make local calls by dialing a 9 first. There is a sauna in the downstairs hallway bathroom, but if you turn on the power in the hallway closet, it can get pretty expensive since they'll charge you for the energy. We did not use the sauna, and were very careful to turn off lights and heat when not in rooms, but for 6 nights, our energy bill came to $250 for 2 people! I'm guessing it can get expensive if 8 people stay there. Check the hours of the reception because if you cannot arrive before they close (5pm or 8pm in the winter), you will need to call them to check in and they will leave your lodge unlocked. You will want to rent a car since this resort is not near anything and the nearest town is a 20-30 min drive away. There is a gym, but I'm not sure if you must be an owner to use it. We did not find any place to eat or visit nearby except the hotel next door, although a lot of places may be closed for the winter. They have 2 restaurants, fine-dining and casual, and request reservations. There is a convenience store within a 20-min walk or 3-min drive. The village is small and quaint and beautiful with highland cows and there is a path to walk up the hillside in the woods. I saw plenty of sheep, horses, and cows on the drive there, but never saw any deer in the area.

Enjoyed a lovely week at Loch Rannoch Highland Club. Weather was perfect every day which allowed us to explore the area and walking on the hills. The local shop in village was well stocked however eating out was very enjoyable at the hotel and other local tea-rooms in the area. The Highland Club has a good range of activities on offer and the pool/spa was most pleasing too. A car is recommended to enjoy the area around but local walks and picnics can be enjoyed too. This was my second visit and hope to visit again in future.

The Lodges are dated and tired. When we arrived the lodge was very cold and smelled of damp so we immediately turned the heating on throughout the lodge. It eventually became quite warm and acceptable. There is no facility for the Lodge resident to monitor the power use and, since it is charged on top, I ventured to the reception less than 24 hours after we arrived to be told that we had used £50.38 worth of power! I went back to the lodge and turned all of the thermostats down to a level where we were able to feel relatively comfortable (by no means warm) to discover after a further two days we had used £90 odd! I believe that this is nothing more nor less than profiteering from a captive client. I will not be back!