David Knight steps back into the Victorian era and discovers that Atholl Palace Hotel could give Downton Abbey a run for its money today
It’s quite normal to check out local attractions such as museums, but we did not have to venture far from the Atholl Palace Hotel to find one. They have their own museum in the basement.
I am not sure how many, if any, hotels can boast their own museum in the building, but it says a lot about the style and fascinating history of the Atholl.
Its labyrinthine basement corridors ooze atmosphere and history, with a maze of rooms, twists and turns, and its history is laid out in story form on the walls. There is a Downton Abbey feel to it, but the Atholl’s real-life story puts the fiction of Downton in the shade.
Atholl Palace sits in magnificent splendour, overlooking picturesque Pitlochry in Perthshire, and commanding wonderful views: there is no finer view than from its Verandah conservatory-style restaurant at breakfast, a mist-shrouded valley, with the sun’s rays piercing through.
We never tired of admiring the towering edifice from every angle while strolling around its sumptuous grounds. It looks like a palace fit for a king. Therefore, I was surprised that it had never been a real royal palace, even although I believe the late Queen Mother was a visitor.
We marvelled at how it came to be built in the first place and the vision and courage which was required to see the project through on such a grand scale.
My wife and I were enjoying a two-night break at the Atholl Palace, a perfect base to explore the delightful tourist gem of Pitlochry and its many surrounding attractions. There is a grandeur about the entrance and public rooms, which tempts you to linger, with your favourite drink, and enjoy the open fires.
Wide public corridors criss-cross downstairs, like thoroughfares. Indeed, they were built that way to encourage guests to promenade back and forth to their hearts’ content.
Atholl Palace’s heart beats to the pace of its centre-piece: the Verandah restaurant, around which the hotel’s daily life revolves. It offers excellent traditional cooked breakfasts from a hot buffet and table-served lunches and dinners. And we must not forget cream teas, too. The Stag’s Head bar, in one corner of the hotel, also does a roaring trade in hearty bar meals.
Back in the Verandah, reasonably-priced two and three-course meals included delicious fish soup, lamb and steak, but watch out for extra supplements on some dishes. What was really notable about our visits to the Verandah restaurant was the staff: they seemed to come from every corner of the globe.
Their mother tongues might have varied dramatically, but what they all shared was a professional, ultra-friendly approach and a well-drilled appearance. Full marks to them for making it so enjoyable for us: they stood out among all the staff.
We had no trouble in relaxing into our room, or, rather, our suite with its own name on the door, the Baledmund. The name comes from a prominent old land-owning family in the area. The room boasted a comfortable sitting room, with wall-mounted television and views towards Pitlochry, its own hall and a separate bedroom. It was very satisfactory, indeed.
The hotel also offered a good room-service menu, although that led to what later became known, at least to us, as “burger gate”.
It all began when we ordered burger and chips in the Stag’s Head Bar on the Saturday night. We had seen it on the room-service menu and it looked excellent. There was only one snag: it wasn’t on the Stag’s Head bar-menu. A member of staff embarrassingly had to explain this to us as other guests looked on.
I retreated from this skirmish to regroup my thoughts, but the battle was not over. So, I returned with a new tactic: could we go back to our rooms, order burger and chips there, but rush back and eat it in the bar downstairs?
This was met with a look of consternation, initially, but the member of staff could see an opportunity for a diplomatic solution. The matter was to be elevated to the level of head chef for a final decision.
I expected to hear raised voices from the busy kitchen, but none of it: word came back down the line that the head chef had sanctioned burger and chips in the Stag’s Head bar. Commonsense had prevailed and so I ordered a bottle of fizzy stuff to celebrate our small victory.
They are a very accommodating lot at the Atholl, so please ask if any confusion such as this arises. They will try to help. For example, the kitchen will cook almost anything for you, within reason, if you give 24 hours’ notice.
On Saturday morning, we headed straight for the basement for our history tour.
The Atholl endured a shaky start as a hydro spa in 1878, beset by various financial problems before becoming established firmly as a top hotel.
It then went through an amazing spell as home to schools which had to relocate from England during both world wars. In between, there was the roaring twenties, with toffs from all over the UK flocking in with chauffeur-driven limousines. Think of the personal dramas behind all of that. It would have been great material for a Scottish Downton Abbey.
The advent of the coach tour came later, with the Atholl Palace a major stopping point. I recoiled from the Victorian maids’ quarters, which looked more like a prison cell, but we were told this was comfortable for the time.
I saw a sign from the Victorian hydro-spa days extolling its treatments for “rheumatism, gout and nervous exhaustion” – that fitted me perfectly.
There is plenty of exploring around Pitlochry available, but you will have to drag yourself away from the Atholl Palace Hotel first.
- Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry. Phone 01796 472 400.
- Valentine’s packages:
- Friday overnight stay from £150 per couple, DBB. Arrive from 2pm and be welcomed with a warming whisky liqueur. Enjoy a sumptuous three-course candlelit dinner in the Verandah Restaurant. Full Scottish breakfast, with a view, is included on Saturday.
- Saturday overnight stay, from £200 per couple, DBB. Arrive from 2pm and enjoy a glass of bubbly with delicious chocolate dipped strawberries. From 4pm enjoy afternoon G&T in the comfortable lounges. From 7.30pm make your way to the Atholl Suite for a romantic three-course candlelit dinner prepared by Chef Masson and his Brigade. A bottle of wine per couple is included. Dance the night away to the amazing Stax of Motown Band. Full Scottish breakfast, with a view, is included until 10am on Sunday.
- On Sunday, stay an extra night from only £80 per room including breakfast.
- All packages include complimentary use of leisure facilities including swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna.
- Optional extras include a bottle of bubbly waiting on arrival, prices start from just £23.95 or a range of his and her spa treatments from the hotel’s Lavender Spa.