Escape with Gleddoch Hotel & Spa

You know that feeling when it's Wednesday, your to do list is giving you evils, your self care is at zero and your shoulders and back are in agony (let's face it, most of your body is sore because that's what unexplainably happens now that you're almost 30) Well, that's what is punching me right in the feels today folks, that and photos of my day trip a couple of months ago to Gleddoch Hotel with one of my best Gal Pals, Ashley.

I would never have met Ashley if it wasn't for this blog, and to this day that still BLOWS MY MIND. She is one of my closest and dearest friends, and one of the most hard working people I have ever met. Actually, she probably IS the most hard working person I've ever met. Those who work hard should also rest equally as hard. So when Gleddoch got in touch to invite me along to their 4 star hotel & spa for afternoon tea and some treatments, I knew just the gal to bring as my plus one (who probably deserved some R&R time much more than me!)

Gleddoch House Hotel is situated in Langbank, around a 20 minute drive from Glasgow City Centre, heading west out towards Loch Lomond and the coast. I'd driven that route many a time going to see friends who live down in Gourock, but little did I know there was a beautiful resort nestled just up the hill from the waterfront, hiding amongst the trees and overlooking this stunning view across the Clyde. Gleddoch sits in over 360 acres of this glorious countryside (with a view of their championship golf course from the restaurant balcony) A truly lovely way to escape from the city without having to venture too far.

Being sore (and stressed, and old...) both myself and Ashley decided to go for full body massages. Ashley had the Elemis treatment, and I went for the Ishga Invigorating Massage as I have used their products before and love them. They're a Scottish company (Cruelty free!) who use sustainably harvested organic seaweed as the base of their products. Gimmie all them natural anti-oxidants please! We spent some time relaxing and chatting in the pool and hot tub before our treatments (they also have an outdoor hot tub on the sunbathing terrace - ya beauty) and then went along to the super chilled relaxation room to meet our therapists. Our treatments were held in a double room and were absolutely fantastic. I've been to a handful of spas in my time and I can't stress enough how nice it is to have therapists who just have the right 'vibe' about them, making everything flow like clockwork and not awkward at all. Totally professional and really puts you at ease when you feel relaxed and comfortable in their hands. I was so relaxed that I fell asleep, but thankfully I didn't start snoring. Ashley loved her treatment too, and we both shuffled out of the treatment room and up for our afternoon tea floating on fluffy little clouds.

Now I have actually been to Gleddoch twice for afternoon tea! Once after just visiting to use the pool and steam rooms, and the second time after getting our treatments for this review. For some very strange reason I didn't find this second afternoon tea quite as good as the first. I get that the cakes and sandwiches changing on perhaps a seasonal basis is quite normal, and that's totally fine, but second time around I felt like the sandwiches hadn't been given as much tlc as they had when I first visited (sort of thrown on the plate in the photo above) Don't get me wrong, they were still delicious and so were the cakes, but I didn't feel consistency between these two visits which were only a month or so apart. The bar was set really high with the first afternoon tea, and let down a little by the second.

That's me really scraping for some constructive criticism though. All the staff were fantastic and attentive, the setting absolutely beautiful and the spa treatments were flawless. The pool area could probably do with a bit of modernisation at some point as some of the decor felt a bit tired and dated. That sort of upgrade could probably help Gleddoch rival their scottish spa competitors even more. One thing they do offer which many others don't, is a doggy friendly environment (apart from the Spa and Restaurant) - which is always high up on the priority list for me, and a big thumbs up when our furry pals are welcomed with open arms. I never got to see what the rooms are like in person but on the website my eyes were drawn to The Residence, which is a sort of 'hotel within the hotel' and consists of 10 bespoke designed rooms within the original Gleddoch House. Since I started wedding planning I can see why Gleddoch is mega popular with brides and grooms to be, it ticks so many boxes and has an idyllic location only a stones throw away from the city.

Have you ever visited Gleddoch Hotel? Where is your favourite place in Scotland (and beyond) for a spa getaway?