The Suite at Slochd

An architect-designed suite for two, north of Oban

The Suite at Slochd is one room, and the room is the point. It is a studio: super-king bed, sofa, kitchen and dining table all in one open-plan space, arranged so the sea and the mountains are visible from almost anywhere in it. Floor-to-ceiling doors run along one side and open straight onto the patio.

Outside there is a private hot tub facing the hills and a fire pit, which is what most people book it for. Guests also get free use of a five-star spa about three miles away for the whole stay, so there is a proper spa within a few minutes of a hot tub you do not have to share.

It is better equipped than a countryside studio usually is. Ducted heating and air conditioning, a 75-inch OLED Sky TV with Netflix and Disney Plus, Dolby surround sound, remote-controlled curtains, and a kitchen with an oven, hob, dishwasher, air fryer and a Nespresso machine. It works in February as well as it does in July, which is not true of every hot tub property on the west coast.

Good to know

Features

Location

Inside

The bed sits facing the mountains and the sofa is a real sofa rather than a token one, which is the difference between a studio that works for four nights and one that works for one. Wood finishes, earthy tones, and enough glazing that the weather outside becomes the entertainment on the days it is doing something.

The patio

The hot tub looks out over the hills rather than at a fence, which is the usual failing of hot tub lets. The fire pit is the other half of it: on a clear night this is dark enough that sitting out is worth doing for its own sake. The spa three miles away is included for the length of the stay, so a wet day has somewhere to go.

Where it puts you

Barcaldine sits on Loch Creran, between Oban and Appin. Oban is fifteen minutes for seafood, the ferry terminal and the distillery in the middle of town. Castle Stalker, on its tidal islet, is about eight miles north. The passenger ferry to Kerrera goes from Gallanach, and the walk round the south of that island to Gylen Castle is the best half day within reach.

Further out, Glencoe is about forty minutes and Fort William around an hour, which makes this a workable first or last stop on a west coast run rather than only a weekend hideaway.