Romance & relaxation at Ardoe House

A couple of weekends ago me and Pete escaped into the countryside for a relaxing break together. We drove up to Aberdeen for a 2 night stay at the Mercure Aberdeen Ardoe House. Relying on a satnav and their postcode which covered quite a big area we got a little bit lost on the way, but the hotel staff were able to direct us with no trouble at all when I phoned in a panic (getting lost and being late are my number one worst things, ever!) Turns out it's really only 10 minutes from Aberdeen city centre, cleverly nestled amongst the beautiful countryside.

Once checked in we walked along to our room, and did the standard 'oooh' and 'aaah' inspecting every nook and cranny and reading every piece of hotel literature. Does anyone else do that when they go into a new hotel room? Having a wee nosy at the tea bags, toiletries in the bathroom, and shouting 'I'VE FOUND THE HAIRDRYER' after rummaging through all the drawers. Our room contained a nespresso machine which Pete was very pleased about. So we had a quick coffee, unpacked and headed down to their Soapies brasserie for a light bite before bed. I went for the haggis bon bons with whisky sauce, and Pete had the bangers and mash. A perfect supper after the 3 hour drive from Glasgow.

We got up bright and early on the Saturday morning, went down for breakfast then had a walk around the beautiful grounds. There was a wedding on that evening so the red carpet had been rolled out and a lot of smartly dressed guests arriving. Ardoe is definitely the perfect venue for a big traditional Scottish wedding! In the afternoon we went down to chill out in the spa and get some treatments. I had a hot stone massage and Pete went for the deep tissue massage. The therapists were very attentive and we both left the spa on cloud nine. I wanted to sink back in to our fluffy, comfy bed but we needed to start getting ready for dinner. The only thing I would say is their actual swimming pool and sauna area is looking a little tired. The hotel has recently had a refurb and the Spa could do with being done up to these same modern standards also.  The treatment rooms were atmospheric and cosy, and I can't fault them or the quality of the treatments themselves! They were fantastic. Pete's therapist did tell him that the spa is next on the list to be given a face lift, which I think is a good move for the hotel to bring it up to standards of the rest of the surroundings.

Pete popped down to the bar to watch some football which gave me time to get dolled up for dinner in peace! I very rarely have lots of time to get ready, so I took advantage of being able to keep him waiting while the footie was a suitable distraction haha.

Starting with the hidden details, because why the hell not? I got this beautiful Freya Bra and thong set from Bras Galore, and had been waiting for a special occasion to wear it. It fits my shape so well and made me feel quite sexy for once! I'm allowed to say that, yes? Yes, okay!

Don't worry, I didn't go down to dinner wearing just my underwear. On top I wore this two piece set from Luxemme, and some black heels from Primark. I fell in love with the scalloped edges of the top and skirt, and against the plain peach colour I feel like it made my tattoos really stand out! They've sold out of this set now (no wonder, it was only £35) but they still have loads of other styles on there for ridiculously good prices.

We had dinner in their main restaurant, Blairs. It was very atmospheric and in a stylish setting compared to most traditional hotel dining. We felt like we could have been in a fancy, bustling restaurant in the middle of Glasgow. Service was a little slow between courses, but they were really busy and the waiter apologised for this. I'm a sucker for good customer service, and less likely to get annoyed if the staff actually communicate with you - which they did to a stellar degree! So gold stars all round. We were quite happy sitting deep in conversation with wine flowing anyway. I really wanted to squeeze in dessert but I was absolutely stuffed after my black pudding and scallop starter, and fillet steak for the main. Full bellies and feeling a little tipsy, we headed back to the room to Netflix and chill. Haha, just kidding - cosy up in that beautiful big bed and watch a film.

On the Sunday morning we decided to pay £5 extra and have breakfast delivered to our room as a little treat. Man it was worth it! We both had eggs benedict, coffee, orange juice and a selection of pastries. All while wrapped up in our big dressing gowns propped up against a mountain of pillows. Breakfast in bed is what Sunday mornings are made for, right?

We were quite sad to wave goodbye to our castle come midday on Sunday, but we left feeling relaxed and refreshed. The sky was blue, sun was shining, so we put on some tunes and enjoyed a chilled drive back to Glasgow. The cats were very patiently waiting our arrival after Jacs kindly watched them over the weekend for us. If you're looking for somewhere to spend a special weekend away with a loved one, I would definitely recommend Ardoe House. Me and Pete have vowed to do as many little trips like this together as possible. It's easy to get into a routine when you live under the same roof, so spending quality time together is really important to us. You know what they say, a Sunday (and a Friday, and Saturday...) well spent brings a week of content!