Auchrannie Spa Resort, Isle of Arran

Luxury, tranquillity and beauty are not necessarily adjectives I'd use to describe somewhere child-friendly however after spending the weekend at the Auchrannie Resort, they've done a grand job of changing my mind. My husband, 2 young children (ages 2 and 4) and I were invited to spend the weekend at the Auchrannie Resort in the beautiful town of Brodick, Isle of Arran in the west coast of Scotland. Having never been to Arran before and having heard rave reviews of the Island itself and the resort; we were very excited to go. We were picked up from the ferry port by the complimentary mini bus service the resort offers. Driving through the town I kept looking out for signs of the resort, expecting it to be set just off the main street. When we headed up a quiet little road with beautiful houses I was excited to see where we would end up. As we drove up to the Auchrannie Resort I was very impressed. The resort is set on a huge 96 acres surrounded by stunning views of Goat Fell giving you the impression of being in the middle of nowhere when in fact the town is only a 10 minute walk away. We stayed in the Auchrannie Spa resort which is the newest hotel on the resort. As I walked into the reception it felt really warm and welcoming and the décor throughout was very tasteful and quite trendy. There are 36 double rooms which are the perfect size for a family like ours however there is still plenty of room if you need another bed for a bigger family. Our only disappointment with the room was the lack of privacy from the children which meant when they went to sleep, we had to as well. There are no interconnecting rooms in the Spa resort however it would be good to have the option of a pull along curtain or divider so you can separate the children’s sleeping area from your own. Each room has a great size en-suite and you are provided with soft, fluffy towels and complimentary toiletries from Arran Aromatics. There is plenty of wardrobe space, ironing facilities, a plasma TV with built in Freeview, tea/coffee making facilities, fridge and hairdryer. You can hire a DVD player for your room however the resort has plenty for you to do and we were hardly in our room. The Spa resort has a 20 metre swimming pool as well as a small children's pool and the whole area has a kind of lagoon feel to it. There are water features for the children such as a waterfall which my son loved and a spiky water hedgehog style feature which they also enjoyed. The great thing about the main pool is the water level is the same throughout the pool which came up to just above waist level on me at 5"5. The children's pool is the same and was a great height for my 2 year old, again with water level at her waist. We could happily paddle our feet whilst the kids played in the pool with the various floats and balls the staff brought out to us. For us adults, we got to take turns going to the sauna and steam room which was just off the main pool area. There is a family changing area with 3 good sized changing rooms which included their own shower so we were able to get changed and showered without having to move about. There are also changing tables for young babies or toddlers. The full pool area and changing rooms are heated so our teeth weren’t chittering as we were leaving the pool. On top of the pool, sauna and steam room facilities, the Spa resort also has a good sized gym and there are treatment rooms should you wish to pamper yourself with a manicure or massage. Pre-booking of any treatments is essential. There is also a massive games hall which hosts various sporting activities such as table tennis, badminton and basketball to name but a few and throughout the summer holidays they provide game sessions for all of the family to enjoy. It’s a fantastic room for kids to run around in and let off some steam especially when the weather isn’t great. Dining in the Spa resort can be done in the Cruize brasserie and bar. It is open from 7.30am (8am on a Sunday) serving breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner as well as a huge range of coffees, wines, beers and cocktails. The Cruize is so child-friendly with a fantastic children’s dinner buffet and a children’s menu available that is quite reasonably priced and will have something to suit everyone. The buffet offered something different each night we went however the usual crowd pleasers weren’t missing, including pizza, chips, fish fingers and beans. There was also a nice selection of desserts (ordered directly from the menu) for the children including Muller Stars yogurts however my 2 were very keen to try some Arran ice cream and chocolate cake which they devoured even with the very generous portion sizes! Breakfast was set out as a buffet too with plenty to choose from including Kelloggs cereals, toast (and mini Nutella packs!), pastries, fresh fish, yogurt, fruit and a hot breakfast selection. My only concern with the buffet, especially the evening one was the temperature of the handles of the serving spoons. Of course, my 2 are too young to serve themselves however there were older children serving themselves and the spoon handles were quite hot as I did pull my hand away on a few occasions. There were no signs to say that the surface, dishes or utensils may be hot, which of course is common sense to us adults but maybe something that could be looked into for young diners or to have a member of staff serving them. The Cruize has a small soft play room in the restaurant area which is suitable for children under the age of 8 and a “Teen Zone” room with a pool table, video games and ride-ons. There is also an internet room and a TV area at the very back of the bar. We used the soft play area twice when we were having our dinner as the kids were fed up waiting for us to finish our mains. The soft play is in a room itself with 2 doors leading into it however it is unsupervised. There was nowhere in the play area itself that my youngest could hurt herself on but not being able to see her made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I also didn’t like that it wasn’t closed off from the bar area where the staff could be walking with hot drinks or food from tables just in case a child did run out from the room and possibly caused an accident. Otherwise the kids loved it and proved a welcome distraction and some peace for us to eat our dinner. The staff and service in the Cruize bar were fantastic. We didn’t have to wait long for our food and all the staff was very friendly and attentive without it feeling forced. They seemed genuinely interested to hear about our day and were happy to accommodate any requests with food or filling the kids’ drinking cups with water and providing colouring pencils and paper for them too. The Spa resort isn’t the only hotel on the Auchrannie resort and I was given a tour of the full resort from one of their Operations Managers, Iain, who told me the story behind the Auchrannie resort being built and how this family run business is really focused on providing an excellent resort with top facilities that not only their guests can use but also the community in Arran. Iain showed me around the House Hotel which is the original building on the Auchrannie resort. Built in 1869, the Johnston family bought the building back in 1988 in order to provide the town with a swimming pool. Their business has been growing ever since then. The House Hotel has a very traditional feel to it. This hotel also offers 36 double rooms with recently modernised bathrooms, most of which have a stand in shower and no bath however there are some bigger suites that have a large bath in them and interconnecting rooms are available throughout the hotel. The House Hotel has two restaurants; Eighteen69 and Brambles Seafood and Grill which both provide a children’s menu and children are welcome throughout the House Hotel. I definitely felt the room layouts would be much better for us as a family with young children especially with the interconnecting rooms however the House Hotel definitely has a more romantic feel to it and I could just imagine curling up on a big comfy couch with my husband on a weekend break ourselves. I probably wouldn’t take my children to the House Hotel as I think the Spa Resort has more for them to do. Iain also showed me around the stunning lodges that are ideal for a self-catering holiday. You can use them for short breaks or a longer get away however if you want to ensure you can have a holiday once a year at the same time every year then you can buy into their co-ownership. You can choose the week you want and you can then use the lodge on that week every year. Your week can also be exchanged to use at other resorts all over the world or you can lend it to a friend. There are newly built lodges which are just stunning inside and out however the older lodges are really lovely too and quite wooden-house like with very traditional décor that reminded me of being in my Gran’s house. Very nostalgic! The older lodges have recently benefited of a new, modern kitchen and bathroom. The lodges can sleep anywhere from 4 right through to 10 people depending on the size. The lodges are very child-friendly with stair-gate points fitted should you require them, travel cots, highchairs, washing machines and tumble dryers. The land on which the lodges are built is all enclosed with plenty of space for children to play outside without you having to worry about cars coming in and out to access the hotels. Having said that, they are only a stone’s throw away from the House Hotel and Spa Resort and as a lodger you have full access to all the facilities in the two hotels. Just behind the Spa Resort is the newly built and just opened Playbarn. This is a three tier indoor soft play area suitable from toddler to 10 with an external play and picnic area. The soft play is big enough that your children won’t get fed up within half an hour but also small enough that you don’t have to worry about where they might be inside the soft play. There is a smaller area for younger children with lots of farm animals and soft furnishings for them to climb as well as a small slide into a ball pit. My daughter loved the soft jigsaw animals that slot into the wall. The bigger area has lots of nooks and crannies for the children to explore and hide in as well as climbing areas and slides. The main slide has 2 slides side by side and a stop watch built into the wall so your children can press the start button and race each other down the slides. There is also a twisty slide and a rock climbing wall which my son loved. The soft play is all enclosed apart from the entrance areas and is very colourful and inviting. There are also arcade games and ride-ons, a jukebox, plasma TV, internet facilities and free WI-FI. If you are feeling peckish there is a small snack bar with microwave meals, sandwiches and snacks as well as a top of the range tea/coffee machine. They have a microwave and also bottle-warming facilities. The outdoor play area had plenty of climbing frames, a slide and rock climbing wall and this was where my son spent most of his time, even when the rain was spitting. The outdoor area is very secure (it can only be accessed via the main entrance) so we were able to leave him to play outside without having to worry about him running off. The Playbarn also hosts activities for the children such as face painting, activity time and we went along to the teddy bear picnic where my son got to make a mask. One of the staff is a qualified primary school teacher and she was very good with the children. The Playbarn opens from 10am to 6pm daily and it is open to guests on the resort as well as the general public. As a guest off peak prices are from £3 to £4.50 and standard £4 to £5.50 however there are packages available when you book your stay that can incorporate Playbarn sessions. Adults and babies in arms are free of charge. The Playbarn is the only soft play in Arran and when we were visiting it was being well used by guests and the locals. Having never been to Arran before I would definitely recommend visiting to anyone and the Auchrannie Resort comes highly recommended by me and my husband but also by my 4 year old who said “I want to stay here forever!” I couldn’t have said it any better!

I have visited and dined at auchrannie several times, and want everyone to know its great for kids. There are three different restaurants, cruize being really family friendly with soft play, snooker and games room, internet cafe, so it suits everyone. plus there is a really good kids menu that has healthy dinners and holiday treats so the little ones are pleased. We have also dined in brambles seafood + grill which is my personal favourite as I am a seafood lover, and the kids love the menu too, watch out though as this only opens from easter to october as the food is seasonal! It is such a relaxing place for the adults but there is tons for the kids to do, two leisure clubs, games hall, advnture activities on site, mountain biking, kayaking, the list is endless. They have just built some brand new slef catering lodges too so next time I'll be looking at those as our family is getting too big now for hotel rooms, we'd end up needing a whole floor!