Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island

Eriska lives up to the Scottish country house requirement for 'a good table' throughout the day, from the delicious breakfasts to the acclaimed candlelit dinners. The Big House was built in 1884 at the height of Scottish baronial style. Blazing log fires in the burr-oak-panelled Hall make for a very Scottish holiday, as does a glass of malt whisky in the library.

Sporting facilities include a 6-hole golf course, 17-metre swimming pool, steam room, sauna, gymnasium, all-weather tennis court, croquet, golf putting and clay pigeon shooting - as well as a new spa wing with a relaxation room and a new range of pampering therapies. The island is virtually a nature reserve, with designated nature trails and seals, otters, badgers and roe deer all around. Eriska has its own road bridge to link with the mainland and is only 30 minutes from the seaport of Oban, whence steamers ply to Iona and Staffa. Mainland attractions include Glencoe and Inverary Castle, seat of the Clan Campbell.