Many places to stay claim that they are family friendly, but not many really are. Moness Resort were off to a good start when they let my toddler daughter sit chatting on the reception desk on arrival and talked to her like an actual real person for a change. This 35-acre retreat in Highland Perthshire just got better and better on a break that easily kept the two families of four I’d brought along to roadtest it happy.
Birks of Aberfeldy
Part of the Moness charm is, of course, to do with the location. This oasis lies just above the trim Highland Perthshire town of Aberfeldy, which has all the shops you could need and plenty to see and do to.
It is also right next to the famous Birks of Aberfeldy, a gorgeous forested gorge immortalised in verse by Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, back in 1787. Today it makes for a great short walk up through the birch, oak and ash trees following the Moness Gorge and its cascading series of waterfalls. There are wooden walkways and steps to help you on your way as well as bench with a statue of the bard himself.
Self Catering Cottage
Back at Moness itself we had a three bedroom cottage. Unusually the bedrooms were on the lower level, but this worked fine as we spent most of our time on the open plan upper level, which was home to an extra sofa bed in its living space, a decent kitchen and a dining room. From here we could see the hills, not that we spent much time inside.
Activities for Everyone
There is a wealth of things to keep families going at Moness. In the main block there is a good size swimming pool that is geared towards families with balls to play with and floats. A sauna and steam room are also on hand for mums and dads and the couples that also come here.
Upstairs lies a games area that boasts table tennis, a small soft play area, a pool table and a separate full size snooker table. In addition the sports hall also sees an ever changing line up of activities from badminton through to short tennis.
The family fun continues outside with expansive grounds that are surrounded by the type of trees that win Perthshire the reputation of ‘Big Tree Country’. Then there is the duck pond, though the ducks on our visit seemed to spend most of their time strutting around the resort like they owned the place.
For kids the highlight outdoors is the playground, with some chunky wooden play equipment. When the sun shines in summer the putting green becomes the place to be.
Boutique Hotel
For couples travelling without children and singles the oldest part of the resort, the grand whitewashed old hunting lodge that dates as far back as 1758, beckons. It is reputed to be the oldest surviving dwelling in Aberfeldy and today houses 26 bedrooms that boast crisp Egyptian cotton sheets, internet access and luxury spa toiletries.
For that special occasion the Romantic Suite beckons, but on this visit we were more than content to leave with a happy and satisfied party of four adults, three children and a baby. Now that is what we call family friendly.
Moness Resort, Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2DY. Tel. 0845 3302838. www.moness.com
InsiderScotland Rating [effortless-gm address=”[Moness Resort, Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2DY”]
For Families 8/10
For a Romantic Break 6/10
For Food 6/10
For Business People 5/10
InsiderScotland.com Rating 7/10
