Caledonian Hotel Fort William

Pensioner's Paradise

When I arrived at this hotel, I wasn't sure what to expect. We'd booked at the last minute and thought we'd be closer to the town (it's 3 miles from the town centre). In the car park, there were two Shearings coaches, I thought that they'd just dropped in for a coffee. Little did I realise that they were there to stay for the entire duration of our own stay.

Check-in was smooth, booked in by the hotel's manager, a happy middle-aged woman with a strong impenetrable Hebridean accent. We jumped in the aged lift and made our way up to the third floor to our room.

As beautiful as the view was, overlooking Loch Linnhe, the room was somewhat dated in terms of decor and the bathroom had mould around the bath. We did ask for another room, but the hotel was full.

Unique Quality: The spectacular views over the loch, especially first thing on a Winter's morning with the early mist settled on the loch. Absolute picture-postcard territory.

The french barman, Christophe, was an absolute star. Nothing was too much trouble for him and his accent warmed the cockles of my heart.