After a loch-skimming drive along the glen past hedgerows thick with purple thistles and fields of shaggy Highland cattle you'll arrive to a warm welcome and tea in front of the fire in the lounge. Or, if it's sunny, out on the terrace looking down over the sweep of lawn to the loch. Flying in by seaplane, landing in a shower of spray, a Land Rover will pick you up and whisk you through the fields to the hotel in time for a drink at the bar before lunch.

Monachyle Mhor is glamorous - yet still relaxed and comfortable. The old farmhouse may now be a chic bolthole, the stables luxury suites, but the farmyard is still next door, ducks wander across the cobbled courtyard and escaped sheep occasionally provide the floorshow from the conservatory during dinner. If you don't bring your own dog (two of the rooms can take pets) Midnight, Tom's black Labrador, is always happy to take guests for a walk.

There are hikes from the bottom of the drive, you can climb Ben More at the end of the glen, go fishing in the loch or play petanque in the garden. And after a day in the fresh mountain air, curl up with a good book on the old leather sofa - or indulge in a luxurious massage in the comfort of your room - before a gourmet five-course dinner.