Gleneagles Hotel

This multi award winning resort hotel is up there with any in Europe. Set in 850 acres of sweeping Perthshire countryside and hills it offers a real getaway without sacrificing the silver service. Check into one of the 232 bedrooms or 26 suites and you are entering a world where doors are opened for you, timings are worked around you and everyone says yes with a smile. In a good way. This is Scotland after all, home of informal good service. The grand café bar is ideal for afternoon tea, while a sprawling state-of-the-art leisure complex awaits with a choice of swimming pools, including an outdoor hot tub-style pool and an adults-only area. The recently revamped spa tempts too with its excellent ESPA treatments. plus relaxation and exclusive pool areas. You won't be stuck for things to do with a plush shopping arcade and the likes of falconry and tennis in the grounds. Then there are the trio of championship golf courses, including the PGA Centenary, host to the 2014 Ryder Cup. Wee ones are taken seriously here too, with a massive supervised play area (a relief for mums and dads who can slip off to the spa), great kids choices in the myriad restaurants and cute activities like family falconry and off road driving in mini Land Rovers. Gleneagles may feel pleasantly remote, but hop on a train in London and you will be checking in only five hours later.