been there---you'll love it
Well, I just emailed you via TUG private message to get your regular email address so I can send you pics of Grande Ocean, and will whenever you send that....******BUT, we went to Cameron House in July of 2001 and it WAS off-the-charts awesome! Each "unit" is actually a two-story cottage, which is quite plush. The very best thing is that they have a deck outside the large den which is covered in a teakwood, and we spent hours out there....that is, when we weren't touring Scotland! also had those huge overhead shower heads which pour hot water---WOW! And also towel warmers! You'll feel like a queen! Try to get a cottage close to the hotel (we naturally got one CLOSEST to the hotel) and it was a 2 minute walk over....for meals and especially tea and scones every morning!!! Beautiful hotel. And what a view out the large picture window overlooking the lake....seeing the castle on the other side. When we first drove up, we were greeted by a man playing the bagpipes in full traditional garb! Goosebumps for sure! We almost cried, and the kids loved it...they were 14 and 11 at the time. Make SURE you rent a car, and drive all over. (We put over 1,000 miles on our rental car, just from the week at Cameron House!) We actually spent TWO weeks, one in Edinburgh after our week at Cameron House. (No car needed in Edinburgh.) While at Cameron House, we drove all around Loch Lomond....it's gorgeous, and east to Stirling (only one hour drive---GREAT town with a fantastic castle---don't miss Stirling Castle) , St. Andrews (another can't-miss town ....only a 2+hr drive), also up the west coast thru Oban to Isle of Skye (then drove all around the whole circumference of the Isle, seeing the famous views from the Quiraing...don't miss that either...breathtaking!) , and other towns throughout Scotland! While in Edinburgh we stayed at the Balmoral Hotel, the best hotel in Scotland, right near the "central park", and had a top-level room (one of the coveted dome-topped rooms which have the high domed ceilings and extra space, and round windows which you can crawl into to sit and read a book! The round window sills are three feet wide before you get to the glass, so it was like a cubby hole, and the whole window glass was about three feet round itself----just a quirky extra bonus that we'll never forget. Marble-filled bathroom! If you see the hotel, you'll see those domes at each corner at the top---it was amazing! Each window was looking out toward some great view, from a park or to Edinburgh Castle atop a distant small mountain----which was all lit up at night with various colors! Tom Jones was playing at the Castle outdoors one night, and we could open the windows and hear him singing! Edinburgh is beautiful and fascinating! Take the tour bus and see it all ----it's fun and you'll learn a ton! Then get outside and walk the city, so then you'll know what you're looking at from the bus tour...it makes a huge difference. They do have a Hard Rock Cafe if you NEED a cheeseburger and Coke. Scotland was amazing....and the Highland mountain views were so beautiful we almost wrecked every quarter-mile when I was taking photos while driving! We even stopped and took a picture of those cattle with long horns and a fuzzy/hairy head or bangs...whatever. And Oban had the best little restaurant with great food, and across the street there was a wool shop to die for. Great types of clothing of all sorts. Family plaids included, of course. The whole area was beautiful, with shops all over, and right on a little harbor with small vessels...it was a postcard town! Enjoy it all! Marty (jme) (P.S. Now, talking about pictures, my Scotland ones are maybe the best of all !)
