East Lothian offers plenty of variety for the native tourist.
Just a 40 minute drive from Edinburgh, among 550 acres of Grade I listed buildings and landscape, stands Archerfield House and the world renowned Archerfield Links Golf Club.
The resort also boasts a top-class spa and restaurant that many non-residents from the Edinburgh area and East Lothian make a bee-line for.
It’s right up there with Gleneagles and Turnberry as one of Scotland’s gems. If you’re after a very special place to spend a significant birthday or anniversary, look no further.
Like most classy things in life, it’s not cheap…but it IS value for money.
The lodge I stayed in is £550 per night, but that sleeps six and it’s a beautiful three-bedroom property with a massive open-plan kitchen/dining/living room.
Two rooms are en-suite, there’s a separate bathroom for bedroom three, and a downstairs loo. In short, it’s huge, comfortable and each bedroom comes complete with its own flat-screen TV.
There’s even a larder with complimentary refreshments.
Golf is available to residents at Archerfield at the preferential rate of £85 per person for 18 holes, and given the quality of the magnificent links course, that’s not half bad.
Fletcher’s Cottage Spa is a gorgeous Heidi-style wooden sanctuary for both men and women, where therapeutic spa treatments are on offer.
Everyone I chatted to in the “relaxation area” afterwards said it was top-notch and worth every penny.
They offer some really unusual treatments such as private bath huts, complete with a cosy log-burner and a choice of seaweed with sea salt, to detoxify the body, or a lovely aromatherapy oil bath to clear the mind.
I with my legendary bad back and all was given a good going-over by the lovely Hayley, who knows how to find the knots in your back you never knew you even had.
The Spa overlooks a beautiful walled garden and is dominated by a wood-burning stove in the relaxation area.
The Spa also boasts a Salt Healing Room, Rasul Mud Cure, Aroma Sauna, Marine Steam and has a shop selling all the goodies they use within the Spa.
The grounds of Archerfield House feature a pine forest and the beach is a short walk away. It really is a very de-stressing place.
It’s beautiful, despite the cold east wind blasting away as it was two weeks ago when I visited).
If you’re staying in a lodge the obvious place to eat (if you don’t fancy self-catering) is at The Clubhouse.
Here you’ll find breakfast, lunch and dinner menus at remarkably reasonable prices. The quality is good and the portions are MASSIVE!
The steak at under £20 is excellent, but equally you can have a huge Club Sandwich with salad and chips for £9.95, or a darned good curry for £14.50.
You don’t have to stay in a lodge at Archerfield. There are many other options.
You can take over the fabulous 17th-Century mansion house, with 15 en-suite bedrooms and palatial accommodation throughout.
Then there’s Pavilion Suites, and on the waterfront you find Marine Villa a six bedroom property sleeping up to 10. The Boathouse has three bedrooms and the Cottage has two bedrooms.
Each unique property appeals for different reasons and they can be rented individually or as a group.
Wherever you stay you have the use of their concierge service which arranges transport to and from the Clubhouse for dinner.
If you stay in the lodges, Marine Villa or Boathouse, one of their chefs can even prepare a meal in your property for you.
For those who love the great outdoors East Lothian never disappoints. There are miles of beautiful coastline.
The John Muir Way is a long-distance footpath that takes in the coast of East Lothian from Musselburgh to Dunbar.
North Berwick is only 10 minutes away by car and it’s home to the Scottish Seabird Centre where you can get up close to the wildlife via interactive live video links watching the seabirds and other marine species from neighbouring islands.
If you’re there with kids check out East Links Family Park.
Located just outside Dunbar, East Links is a farm themed activity park where you can go on a train safari through the animal paddocks, take a walk round the farm or get up close in the small animal barn.
The four level fortress is an adventure in itself and there are go-karts, trampolines, ball blast arena, a hay barn with climbing walls, soft play area, pedal tractors and a JCB Young Drivers Zone.
The youngsters will be screaming when you want to go!
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