Isle of Eriska

You may dream of owning your own private island one day and, while you're working on achieving that goal, a stay at the Isle of Eriska Hotel will whet your appetite still further. Once you've crossed from the mainland over the iron bridge you are on the 300-acre island estate, with the Victorian baronial-style house (doing a fine impression of a castle) at its heart. If that isn't impressive enough, the hotel is luxuriously and elegantly appointed, with a spa to ease away what stress remains and a newly refurbished restaurant headed up by the talented Robert MacPherson. The new-look dining areas - now open to non-residents, too - make the best of the proportions of the rooms and their period details, with wood-panelling and ornate plasterwork alongside modishly lit shelves, richly coloured fabrics and tables traditionally set with crisp linen cloths. It looks Scottish but with no hint of a cliché. The kitchen's daily-changing dinner menu is based around top-notch Scottish produce - some from the hotel's garden - and offers refined, intelligently constructed dishes which are based on classical techniques and seek to maximise flavour. Pithivier of ham hough with a quince purée, pickled shiitake and mustard velouté is an impressive first course; next up, perhaps local Dover sole filled with a scallop and dill mousseline and served with a surf clam essence and Swiss chard. The creativity and attention to detail continues with desserts such as orange chiboust with a black olive cake and citrus sorbet. The wine list does justice to the excellent food.

Exit A85 at Connel, onto A828, follow for 4m, then follow hotel signs from N of Benderloch
Nearest station: Connel Ferry

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