The Royal Hotel

Royal Hotel Stirling is an iconic 19th century landmark in Bridge-of-Allan which was originally built for Queen Victoria. Many of the hotel’s period features are still intact but are now complemented by up-to-date comforts.

Guests can dine in style in the showcase restaurant, Fifty Five Bar & Grill, which has huge picture windows overlooking the high street. The lounge bar area specialises in gin with a range of over fifty types to sample. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Fifty Five becomes a sophisticated hangout with chilled out beats from renowned resident DJs.

Victorian features, contemporary flourishes

Royal Hotel Stirling has two types of room – classic and contemporary. The classic rooms have charming, traditional furnishings that celebrate the hotel’s heritage as Queen Victoria’s hideaway, while the contemporary ones offer smooth finishes, sleek contours and cutting edge design. Both room types manage to cleverly blur the lines between Victorian and modern, extravagance and simplicity. Facilities include a super comfortable bed, crisp white linens, desks, flat screen HD TVs, free wifi and hot drink making facilities. Add indulgent bathrooms with rainfall showers and luxury toiletries to the mix, and you have everything you need to tuck yourself away in total comfort.

Stylish seasonal dining

The Fifty Five Bar & Grill offers a chic setting for dining, plus a terrace area for warmer weather. The menu is focused on serving inventive takes on classic favourites, all created from locally sourced ingredients. The handcrafted dishes change seasonally and are creatively presented on the plate.

Menu items can change, but you can expect to find starters such as the Scottish smoked salmon with crab fritters and avocado, the ham hock bonbons with piccalilli dressing and spiced apple jam, and the tomato and goats cheese bruschetta.

Mains could feature the pan-roasted venison steak, the king prawn linguine and for vegetarians, the butternut squash ravioli.

For desserts, expect to be tempted by treats such as the lemon and prosecco cheesecake, the dark chocolate rocky road torte, and the spiced sticky toffee pudding.

Out and about

Royal Hotel is located in Bridge of Allan, a town just north of Stirling, on the Allan Water river. Nearby attractions include the city of Stirling itself, the 15th century Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument, and Blair Drummond Safari park for a bit of wildlife-based excitement. Golfers can try their hand at the Stirling Golf Course, considered to be one of the most scenic in the country. The University of Stirling is also renowned for having a campus of great natural beauty, so is definitely worth a stroll around.