Bed & Breakfast Cardhu Country House (Aberlour, United Kingdom)

Rooms are individually themed and named after distilleries in the region. *Tours of these are always popular and the very friendly and helpful owners are more than happy to assist with arrangements.

Always unobtrusive, the owners have a knack of making you feel very special. It's all part of the package of this luxury break away from it all.

From porridge, with whisky; plus wonderful kippers at breakfast … to home-cooked lunch and dinner treats; the food here is a significant component of the visit.

Dinner comes at quite a high price. Take care because, in addition, it needs to be booked in advance and isn't available on Sundays. Another quirky feature is that here, in the middle of the Whisky Trail … they don't have a drinks licence. The rumour is that they hope to rectify the situation soon, so the drinks should be flowing … probably not ‘freely', though … before too long.

That, of course, is a prime reason for the visit.  If, though, you miss out on dinner, or forget to book it in advance, you are faced with a journey of several miles to the nearest town for a bite to eat. Cardhu Distillery, on the other hand, is less than a mile away!

The loft rooms are attractive, warm and comfortable. They are far from ideal though for elderly and infirm visitors. There is, bluntly, very little of any adjacent interest - apart from the village tennis court. Get in the car, though, and with advice from the owners, travel a few miles and … WOW!