Scottish Winters Never End

Hiya guys! How are you all today? You are nearly there! You can almost touch the weekend... I'm quite excited about this weekend as I'm seeing my dad (haven't been down since October and haven't seen my dad since the week before Christmas...). Im hoping to put together a little post about it for next Monday. But Im not sure yet, I need to decide on where I want to take it? Not sure if I should just do a little travel/photo diary, or maybe do a post specifically on the city Carlisle? I guess I can just play it by ear! I'm also praying to the weather gods that it's slightly warmer there, we haven't really been blessed with temperature in a while. I just find it crazy that we are still wrapping up in hats, scarves & gloves, yet there are many people in the world able to wear shorts & sandals?

Before I go to my Dads, I have a lot I need to get done! I've been working all week (like most) so I haven't had the time or lighting to take photos of certain outfits. If I run out of time or lighting, I take photos on another day so I don't waste the look and I have content there If I need it. Plus, I'll be wanting actual outfit photos of what I'm wearing travelling so I need to give myself enough time before the train. If I don't have time, I'm not working next Wednesday so it can be done then. Also, we have an appointment at the vets for 2:30 as the fur babies need their injections! Plus I still actually need to pack! Which I will probably do after work tomorrow just so that's one thing ticked off the list! Oh the joys of being an adult...

If it is cold, I'll have plenty to keep me warm! I bought another scarf today from Topshop. I also got 2 for Christmas... One from Chris' aunt & another from secret Santa at work. I don't know why but I'm really loving scarfs! I have 1 pair of gloves to my name, as well just two hats. Again, one of them being a Christmas present. I just love wrapping something big and snuggly around my neck, then heading into the harsh Scottish air. Im sure you will see my newest addition on friday! I also spent the rest of my topshop card online. I picked up this gorgeous dress and can't wait to style it! It will look great during the day with some Dr Martens or the evening with a pair of heels. Dresses that can be worn during the day and night, are my favourite types of dress.

Jacket- Unif
T-Shirt- Hard Rock
Skirt- H&M
Bag- Skinny Dip
Shoes- Next

Outfit Details
I LOVE these shoes & the skirt. I picked both of them up in a sale. In fact, I got the shoes as a part of my uniform last year, they are so comfortable! And they are the most beautiful blue with a suede finish. Obviously going for the skirt first, I then opted for anything blue. Clearly. Although, my bag is mostly blue so I probably with for the bag more for the practicality rather than the little bit of blue on it... I was going for a smart but casual look the day I was wearing this,  I still wanted to look put together, but comfortable. So I opted for a classic black motif tee and some cool brogues. Overall, I look this look. I think it screams me. A preppy look with grungy vibes.

What are you looking forward to this weekend? What are you doing? Even if its nothing, let me know!

Hotel Review- Lodge on Loch Lomond

Image not owned by me. Source here

About

Positioned in Scotland's beautiful countryside, next to Luss, which has been known to be the prettiest village in Scotland. The hotel was open in March 1992 and went on to have further renovations in 1996 & 2005. There're many golf clubs located close by as well as the airport only being about 20 minutes away. You can also go walking & do an outdoor sport, as the hotel has partnered with local activity groups. The hotel has also had two US Presidents stay.

Experience
As soon as we arrived, we went straight to the receptionist to get checked in as we wanted to organise ourselves. There was only one person on, but after waiting a few minutes we were seen too as two other young ladies came out. Whether it was due to a queue building, or finishing their break I do not know! As we had booked ours through a wowcher deal (sign up for some crackers! I'm not sponsored to say this), we needed to give them a reference code but as it was our anniversary gift from Chris' parents I didn't have to hand. So we were told this was fine, just let them know on check out. This saved a lot of embarrassing faffing about! As with most hotels, we had to swipe a card, so just be warned, it does show on your statement that money has been taken out. They were really great and friendly when I called up to enquire about this a few days after the stay. Check in was very quick so we were off to our room in no time.

When we got to the room I unpacked everything and got us organised, but I had an enquiry. So I just used the phone to call the receptionists, which was answered very quickly & politely. Although, unfortunately, later that evening we called at least 5 or 10 minutes before closing time and the phone rang out! So we felt as if we had been ignored. Which actually leads me onto why we needed to call them in the first place. Being the technology, fast wifi hungry gremlins that we are, brought our laptops. Just in case. Even though I never even attempted to go on my laptop, Chris (my husband) couldn't even get a connection. He wasn't even able to detect any internet, nevermind actually getting onto an internet page. So that was a bit of a letdown. If you are hoping for some good internet access, I wouldn't hold my breath for here! Looking back, I should have tried connecting just in case it was his laptop having issues. But I highly doubt it. A lot of these places have a shared internet access for everyone, so it's harder to connect due to the amount of traffic.

So it was just normal t.v for us that night! The bed was super comfy & warm! A proper, sink in and snuggle type of bed. These are my favourites in hotels, you just want that little bit of extra when you're away don't you? The next day, check out went just as smoothly as check in.

Rooms & Prices

All rooms include T.V, radio, Wi-Fi, Tea/Coffee making station, hairdryer, iron & ironing board, telephone, 24-hour room service and a wake-up call (on request).

Classic Grahams £80pp

A traditionally lodged style room, which is located in the original lodge building above Colquhoun's restaurant & bar. There is a shower as well as a bath, either twin or double beds. You also get a double seated sofa which is ideal for watching the tv. 

Executive Munros £90pp

A more modern style room, with just the right amount of Scottish touches (a fellow scot can handle), which is located in the newer leisure/swimming pool building. The room is similar to the Graham rooms in terms of size & facilities. Although, these rooms have an open planned bathroom!

Deluxe Corbetts £100pp
Same comfort as the Grahams room but slightly bigger in size. Located in the main lodged building with balconies that have breathtaking views of the loch. If you choose this room, you also get your own private sauna as well as a larger bath tub. Some come with a sofa bed, so let them know at the booking if you would like this.

Cuillin Suite £120pp
A suite that includes two bedrooms with double beds & decent sized living room. The larger of the two rooms has an en-suite with a toilet, shower and a bath. In these rooms, it's the living room that opens up to the balcony. Although it opens onto a car park, you still get to enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the loch.

Carter Suite £120pp
The Carter Suite, which was a favourite of President Jimmy Carter, is pretty much the same as the Cuillin Suite. Some of the differences are; the sauna is slightly bigger as well as the balcony.

Travis Suite £214pp
Just newly opened, it has more of a modern design than the "lodged style" the hotel has previously gone for. There is only one bedroom with this suite, but you do get a much larger living space than the other rooms provide. The bed, however, is a lovely king size four poster bed! The colour scheme for this room is also entirely different from the usual oranges previously used.

Facilities

16m Swimming Pool

Jacuzzi

Steam Room

Sauna/Laconium

Personal Thoughts

The surroundings & views are spectacular! I think for the views alone, a stay here would definitely be recommended, especially if you have never been to Scotland before. It is rated as a 4* hotel, but I personally think the decor maybe needs a little updating. It just seems a little tired which is a shame as there is so much going for the place! As I said, the views alone can sell this place, as well as the location. They have recently just launched their new suite, which from the photos, the decor looks incredible! So whether or not this is on the cards for the rest of the hotel, I've no idea. If they can get the rest of the rooms looking like the new suite, I think the hotel will have a lot more of a luxurious feel to it. Before we went I hadn't really seen any photos, so I was a bit worried about how much tartan and Scottish themes there would be. As a fellow, local Scot, I am proud of our tartan heritage but I don't want it everywhere. But, it was ok there was just enough tartan. We had an "Executive Munros" room which had a fantastic amount of space. But, the way it looks right now & the way the internet was, I'm not sure I would pay the full £90. In our wowcher deal, for £130 we had a 2-course meal for dinner (drinks weren't included), a room & breakfast for two. So with a little tweak here & there, a 4* luxurious hotel you will have!

Location

Luss, Argyll, Scotland

Rating

6/10

Lodge on the Loch Lomond Website

Colquhoun's Restaurant Review

Cleaning My Make up Brushes For The First Time!

Here's this weeks video! I forgot to post last weeks, So I'll post it in a few days! Or you can pop along to my youtube channel right now to watch it.

Belgium Extra Footage

Hiya guys, so earlier this week I showed you my highlights from Belgium, if you haven't seen it already just go here to catch up. So, I also uploaded all the footage I did not include onto my vlog channel. I decided to just put all 3 videos into one post for you guys, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did looking back on it.