Santa’s Grotto at Arduaine Garden was a winter wonderland on Saturday and Sunday after a lovely sprinkling of snow over the garden.
"...And what would you like for Christmas?"
Ben Potter and Hugh Ross found out they had been a little bit naughty this year but mostly very good, so Santa would be coming to deliver presents at their houses on Christmas Eve!
Ben and Hugh with their early Christmas gifts from Santa.
It’s all everyone’s talking about; ‘Will it be a white Christmas?’ and ‘How will everyone cope?’
Well here at Loch Melfort we plan to go ahead as normal, especially as we are always milder than most places with the warm Gulf Stream air. After the initial snowfall a couple of weeks ago, gritters in the Argyll area were up and running within hours, getting the roads clear with hardly any disturbance and we are sure they will be doing the same if not better if, in fact, we do get another heavy snowfall.
The media do seem to be making a bigger deal of the weather than the actual forecast, with the Met Office forecasting snow “in places” with “sheltered parts of Western Scotland and Wales becoming drier during the (Christmas) week. The unsettled and wintry weather is expected to continue across the UK towards the Christmas weekend, remaining cold for most with a risk of further snowfall in places”.
With a winter wedding booked here on Saturday (watch this space for some beautiful photos) we are hoping the Met Office and not the media are correct!
If we are greeted with another dose of snow next week, then where better to be than in a hotel with a fully stocked bar and enough food to make sure you are well looked after for your whole stay. The views are spectacular outside but equally the roaring log fires and decorated hotel is just as lovely to look at, and who wouldn’t like a little bit of snow on Christmas Day?
This year why not let someone else cook the Christmas turkey and plan your Hogmanay party? The Festive season is hectic enough without ensuring your celebrations run smoothly and everyone has a good time.
Loch Melfort Hotel has both your Christmas and New Year celebrations taken care of with our special packages with special prices to match!
Last Minute Christmas Deal
Unwind with a welcome drink and a slice of Christmas cake in front of the lounge fire on Christmas Eve and listen to Alice and Amelia sing carols and play the Clarsach at 5pm. A sumptuous candlelit dinner will be served in the Asknish Bay Restaurant from 7pm – 9pm. Our local church has a midnight service with minced pies and mulled wine on return.
On Christmas Day a light breakfast will be served first thing and the local church service is available at 11am if you fancy venturing out. A mouthwatering 6 course Christmas Lunch will be served from 1pm – 4pm, giving you enough time before hand to open your presents and perhaps go for a wintery walk around Arduaine Garden and along the shoreline. A cheese and mince pie buffet will be brought through to the lounge at 8pm for you to grab a plate and relax in front of the fire or take back to your room for Christmas Day telly!
Christmas at Loch Melfort Hotel
Boxing Day is a chance to relax and unwind and take advantage of all there is too see in the area, or perhaps you just want to relax by the fire and enjoy the finest views on the West Coast. As the third night is B&B, there is an option to then add a spectacular seafood buffet to your booking at £44 per head, including a fantastic array of locally caught langoustines, mussels, oysters, scallops and much more. Alternatively a relaxed meal in our Bistro is also available.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for £250pp and get Boxing Day B&B FREE!
To book, call us today on 01852 200 233.
This is a huge saving on our normal 3 night package of £375pp. Offer based on 2 sharing.
Special Twixmas Deals
Stay between Christmas and New Year (27th – 30th Dec) or 3rd – 10th January and enjoy our Twixmas break.
What better way to relax between the two occasions than a stay at Loch Melfort Hotel with the finest views on the West Coast and the Gulf Stream to keep you at least a little bit warmer!
We are running a two night break at either £95pp for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast on the first night with the second night DBB free, with an £18 allowance in our Bistro, or £69pp Bed and Breakfast on the first night and the second night free.
Booking is easy! Simply call us on 01852 200 233 today.
Hogmanay – Last Few Rooms Available
Roaring log fires and a well stocked bar – the perfect way to close the door on 2010 and begin 2011!
Arrive on 30 December to a fabulous gourmet candlelit dinner from 7pm – 9pm.
On New Year’s Eve, enjoy activities in the local area, including fine walks in Arduaine Garden next door, before dressing up (if you wish) for our magnificent seven course Hogmanay Banquet between 7pm and 9.30pm.
From 10pm there will be local Scottish entertainment, including a ceilidh in the Bistro and a piper will pipe in the New Year. Complimentary black bun and a ‘wee dram’ will be available to help celebrate the bells. Party to the wee hours or retire gracefully for a good night’s sleep.
Hogmanay at Loch Melfort Hotel
On New Year’s Day blow the cobwebs away with a gentle stroll or brisk walk before our magnificent brunch served between 10.30am and 12pm.
The Chartroom II Bistro is open for Lunch or save yourself for our legendary seafood buffet served between 7pm and 9pm. Our resident jazz guitarist will accompany dinner that night.
3 night package now £375 per person for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – that’s a last minute saving of £50.
To book, call us today on 01852 200 233.
There’s another chance to see Robson Green’s Wild Swimming Adventure on Monday 29 November at 11.25pm on ITV. This exciting program sees Robson exploring Britain’s wildest waters as he braves the cold and the currents building up to his swim to Holy Isle in Northumberland. Of special interest to us here at Loch Melfort is his swim across the ferocious Corryvreckan Whirlpool, not far from the hotel which he and his camera crew used as a base for exploring the area and the swim itself.
Robson Green in Loch Melfort's Binocular Lounge.
Times and ITV channels may vary by region so check ITV’s TV Guide so you don’t miss it.
McCaig’s Tower is a prominent figure for anyone who visits Oban, sitting high on the hill overlooking the bay. It is a popular attraction with visitors, not only for the breath taking panoramic views but also for the almost Roman feel to it.
In fact a guest from America last Saturday chose this as the location to ask his girlfriend the most important question he will ever ask, to be his wife. He chose this location not only for spectacular views but also due to the fact his, and soon to be her, surname is McCaig and he felt this gave them a special link to the site.
To make the event even more special, he had previously liaised with the Loch Melfort Hotel to arrange for a bagpiper to be waiting at the tower to play a specially chosen song. To see a video of this, visit the Loch Melfort Facebook page where there is a link to a video Mr McCaig sent to us, or watch it on our Youtube channel.
The happy couple then enjoyed a tour of the bay on a coastal connections trip before heading back to Loch Melfort Hotel to celebrate with a bottle of bubbly and a four course meal in our 2 AA Rosette dining room.
Perhaps they’ll return to Loch Melfort and hold the wedding here as well, or perhaps they’ll follow in the footsteps of Oban High School teachers Jim Maxwell and Margaret Milligan whose marriage was the first to be conducted in McCaig’s Tower and was reported in the Oban Times published 11 July 2003.
A smile frames any world class experience. That is why the staff at Loch Melfort Hotel can all be found smiling on Smiles of Britain site to show how important they take their customer service roles and how a smile can go a long way in making your stay that little bit special.
As David McHattie, chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Hospitality, explains:
“The role of the National Skills Academy for Hospitality is to seek out the very best training, development and education programmes in hospitality, to recognise and celebrate that excellence, and to lay down the gauntlet for the whole industry to follow their lead.
“As part of this process we want to shine a light on those in our sector who are leading the way in customer service. And, because excellent customer service invariably starts with a smile, we have launched the Smiles of Britain campaign.”
It’s a message which is reinforced by Adrian Furnham, Professor of Psychology at University College London:
“Smiling is not just a display of happiness, smiling also increases happiness. And when someone smiles at us, we tend to smile back, so a smile can be viewed as a ‘gift’ which has a positive physical and psychological impact on the receiver.”
Our staff here at Loch Melfort Hotel have great customer service and are always on hand to help or give a welcoming smile to all that pass through the hotel, in fact two of our staff have been picked as ‘Smile of the day’!
To see the smiling Loch Melfort staff visit our Facebook page.
Winnie and Jim wanted a private room with a view so we turned room 5 into a spectacular dining location for their wedding reception!
The happy couple Jim and Winnie.
The fantastic sea view and table set for the wedding feast.
With a seafood buffet laid out at the back of the room and the table in the window, Winnie, Jim and their guests had plenty of room for mingling and raising a glass in the middle!
The newly weds and guests settle down for fine food and drinks.
Loch Melfort's famous seafood buffet - plenty to go around!
To fully appreciate this delicious, vibrant dish, use hand-dived king scallops fresh from Scotland’s west coast.
Seared Islay Scallops with Chilli and Herb Couscous and Curry Oil
Serves four
Ingredients:
12 Hand Dived King Scallops, medium Sized
50g Pre-cooked Couscous
1 large Shallot, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
½ small red Chilli, finely sliced
4 cried apricots, finely chopped
Small handful of sultanas
75ml vegetable or fish stock
15g Butter
1 tablespoon chopped herbs (e.g. dill, coriander, parsley, chive)
Salt and Pepper
Sweet Potato Puree:
½ small sweet potato roughly chopped
1 shallot roughly chopped
Pinch of chilli
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Enough vegetable stock to cover
Curry Oil:
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ ground coriander
½ ground turmeric
Place all the curry oil ingredients in a pan over a very low heat (this can burn easily, so care is required) for ½ an hour. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 3-4 hours. Strain through muslin or tea towel and place in a plastic bottle if available.
Place all the sweet potato puree in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for an hour, making sure the liquid does not boil away. Top up with more water if required.
Strain off the liquid, but retain it. Place the sweet potato in a blender or food processor and blitz, adding some of the retained water. You want it to have the consistency of a thick soup. Strain through a fine sieve and adjust the seasoning if required.
Warm a pan over a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil, then the shallot, garlic and chilli. Sweat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the apricots and sultanas, then the vegetable or fish stock. When it boils, add the couscous, stir well then remove from the heat. Clingfilm the pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes. Fork the couscous to loosen it, then add the butter, mix well, then add the herbs and incorporate well. Check the flavour and add ground black pepper and salt if required.
Place a frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, add some vegetable oil or clarified butter and immediately add the scallops. Season with salt and pepper.
Allow the scallops to brown around the edges (do not move them around or shake pan). This should take approximately 1 minute. Carefully turn the scallops over, seasoning with salt and cook approximately 30 seconds more. Add a splash of lemon juice at the last minute, remove from the pan and drain on a tea towel or kitchen paper.
Place a ring of couscous on the plate, scallops on top, a swirl of potato puree on the side, and a drizzle of curry oil around the plate. Garnish with deep-fried sweet potato crisps dusted with cumin if preferred.
A brand new short break has been created by Loch Melfort Hotel where the weekend’s theme will be “Art Foraging“.
From the 12th to 15th November, artist Susan Wood will lead guests on a journey of exploration along the beach and surrounding gardens to collect interesting and unusual natural resources and use them in creative and exciting ways to produce unique pieces of art. She will talk through the kinds of items that can be used, how they can be fashioned into works of art as well as a range of practical techniques.
After retiring from a career lecturing in German Susan now works with a wide variety of natural materials and glass to create fantastic examples of unusual artwork.
The weekend is designed to appeal to artists of all ages whether experienced or wanting to try art for the first time. For more information on our new Art Foraging short break, just phone us on 01852 200233 or e-mail us and we’ll get back to you.
The Scottish Tourist Board have launched Red Squirrel Week (from 2 to 10 October) as part of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels campaign. Red squirrels are the only native squirrels in the UK but due to the increasing population of grey squirrels they are now an endangered species.
The endangered red squirrel in its natural habitat.
Anyone holidaying in Scotland this week is encouraged to take part in a range of special events and fun days out in the countryside designed for families and nature lovers. Rangers will give guided walks to seek out these rare animals looking for squirrel signs along the way and the chance to sit in a viewing hide to try and see the squirrels close up.
The campaign organisers are asking that any sightings of red squirrels are reported to the campaign in an effort to help save them. Sightings can be reported at the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels website.