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Fine Dining in One of Scotland’s Hidden TreasuresThe Airds Hotel, Port Appin, Argyll, ScotlandBy Paul Pence
We wound past Castle Stalker, standing singular and square on its own little island in Loch Linnhe, rounded a corner, and at last we found our hotel -- a modest whitewashed, rectangular building with a glassed sunroom entry. It dates from the 1700’s, when it was used as the southern terminus for the loch’s ferry passengers.
Inside was cozy. Cushy couches and soft armchairs surrounded the fireplaces and gathered in conversation groupings in two lounges. The furnishings and decorations spoke of elegance and comfort at the same time; like the hunting lodge of a Scots Laird perhaps. It said “welcome home”, where home came from a Louisa May Alcott novel. Upstairs we had a corner suite with an oversized bathroom and small sitting room – books on the shelves, a variety of CD’s for the player, flat screen TV, and a tremendously comfortable bed. Our room, one of only 12 in the entire hotel, looked out over the hotel’s garden and the loch beyond. We mentioned to the hotel manager that we’d like a little tea after our trip, and before I had retrieved our bags from the car, a tray had appeared with a complete tea service. The service was beyond anything in our prior experience. During dinner, our forks and spoons were whisked away and replaced according to each dish and our water glasses were refilled as fast we could drink. When we got back to our room after dinner, the housekeeper had picked up and folded our dirty clothes. If we hadn’t slept late and skipped what I’ve been told was the breakfast of a lifetime, they would have made the bed and cleaned while we were downstairs. But we did experience dinner – oh dinner!!! What a meal. When we told Linda’s Scottish cousins that we were going to be visiting the Airds, they said “Oh, foodies!” “Foodies?” we asked. “Foodies. Gourmets. Epicures,” they explained. “The Airds is famous for their food.” The Airds head chef, Paul Burns, was named the 2004 Scottish Hotel Chef of The Year. The hotel has three AA rosettes to boast of. And we found out why. Five courses of wonder. Maybe more, depending on how you count.
After a while, we were led to the dining room. Waitresses dressed in floor-length tartan skirts glided between the tables bringing bread and butter and ice cubes and chilled water and wine and an amazing variety of silverware. “Starters” would be course number two if you count the canapés – seared scallops for Linda, while I had a mousse of chicken liver and truffles. Next came soup for me and salad for Linda. Earlier in the day, the kitchen staff had taken our dinner order, which they delivered without error or misstep, including her special request for a simple salad instead of soup. The entrees, now course number three or four – I had sea bream and Linda had halibut with a current stuffing. Then dessert for me was a caramelized apple tart with the apple sliced in paper-thin wedges and fanned across the tart, under peach ice cream, all with a crispy frond of golden sugar candy extending from the ice cream like the feather on a jaunty cap. Linda enjoyed a mango soufflé garnished with pineapple and a leaf of mint, all in a tart-like crust.
Summer evenings in Scotland last until midnight, and even then the sun never completely abandons the sky, providing a touch of light from over the horizon. We wanted to explore and enjoy the evening, but we had to sleep – it had been a long trip and too little rest.
And we would have eaten even more wonderful food and come home with expanded waistlines to remind us of our stay in a tiny hotel on the western edge of Scotland. The Airds Hotel is in Port Appin, Argyll Scotland PA38 4DF. Their telephone is +44 (0)1631 730236. Rooms rent for £230 to £360 depending on the room type and season and include dinner and breakfast. Even though they don’t require it, plan on dressing for dinner, if only for completing the experience of a fine gourmet meal. You can find their website at http://www.airds-hotel.com Photo Credits: Paul Pence Bio: Freelance travel writer Paul Pence travels with his new wife, Linda, to romantic locations throughout the world. Linda is the romance editor for Rhode Island Roads Magazine (http://riroads.com). |
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The
drive to Port Appin took most of the day from Inverness. Along the way, my
new bride Linda and I waded in Loch Ness looking for Nessie the famous
monster, toured the Ben Nevis whisky distillery, and saw countryside views
enough to fill a lifetime of post cards. The last hour of the trip took us
on tight roads and then tighter roads, so narrow that every hundred yards or
so the single lane road had wide spots specifically for letting oncoming
cars pass. 
Inside
the entry we found wicker chairs and a row of green “Wellie” rain boots set
out for the guests. The Wellies were an interesting touch – and perhaps the
first sign that our hosts, Shaun and Jenny McKivragan, were dedicated to the
ultimate in customer service.
At
8:30, we chatted with our fellow guests in the lounge where we were offered
a pre-dinner drink. Canapés and Linda’s gin and tonic arrived. Tiny tomato
halves, mushroom caps, interesting combinations of cheeses and caviar, each
one a tiny sculpture looking too beautiful to eat. But eat we did.
Then,
off to the lounge for tea and still more food. The “Petit fours” that
accompanied tea in this case were tiny sweets and chocolates and pastries
just as decorative as everything else served that evening.
Had
the stay been longer, we would have explored the Port Appin village, maybe
sat out in the garden on the wooden lounge chairs and sketched the distant
lighthouse, or perhaps hired a boat to take us to the isolated and
mysterious Castle Stalker.