Gleneagles FAM Trip November 7th -9th 2021
It was emotional!
In November, Miss London Concierge and five of our key clients were invited to a magical FAM trip at five star luxury resort Gleneagles. To say we had the trip of a lifetime would be an understatement. The glorious playground that is Gleneagles is simply magical and the hospitality we received from our fabulous host was second to none.
At Miss London Concierge, we pride ourselves on visiting and experiencing the venues we recommend to our clients (well, someone has to do it!) so we can experience these firsthand.
Arrival and Private Check-in
After being flown to Edinburgh airport on Sunday afternoon, and being met by our private chauffer, we started the hour long journey to Glen Eagles, taking in the lovely scenery. When we arrived, our fabulous host Sally was there to meet us where we were then escorted to our own private check in room for Miss London Concierge and guests in the Parlour, complete with a champagne in a lovely dining room. Very happy guests indeed! We were also handed our personalised itineraries for the 3 day trip.
We then made our way to our rooms and wow, just wow! The room was of course stunning, complete with a fireplace, luxurious bathroom and balcony. The little touches of a welcome note and complimentary fudge placed in mini hunter wellington boots was so lovely! We of course all immediately text each other on our wattaspp group to delight in how stunning our rooms were. A quick shower and change of clothes for dinner and we made our way downstairs to begin our first evening at the hotel.
Pre dinner Cocktail Experience in The American Bar
We made our way down to the intimate and glamorous American Bar to meet our host Sally for a pre-dinner cocktail experience.
Possibly the most stand out moment of the trip for me (and there were many) came next.
A traditional Scottish bag piper welcomed our guests and escorted us through the hotel and down to our ‘Taste of Scotland Dinner’ it the Cellars. It was just amazing, and we felt so privileged to experience this. It was quite emotional and a fabulous way to welcome us.
We knew then that this FAM trip was going to be unlike no other and something very special.
Talk about living history. The estate’s deliveries used to come straight into The Cellars by train – you can still see the original railway bays in this intimate, atmospheric room.
The Cellars are ideal for wine and whisky tastings, intimate dinners, chatty cocktail receptions and canapé receptions, seating 12 comfortably for dining and 20 for receptions and tastings.
Whether you want to have a formal sit-down meal or are after a more casual affair, the venue can create a customised menu to suit any occasion – but because 17,000 bottles of wine call The Cellars home, they definitely think wine should be at the heart of your event!
Our Private Dining Menu
…was simply divine!
We started with Gleneagles & Co Smoked Salmon, followed by Haggis, where our bag piper re-entered before entertaining us with the traditional address to a Haggis by Robert Burns. What a wonderful experience. We loved it!
Next on the menu was roast fillet of Tweet Valley Beef, Cranachan and finally Gleneagles 65% Valrhona Chocolate. Delicious!
After a few more glasses of fabulous wine and a dram of whisky, we headed back to our rooms to get a good nights sleep before our activity filled day on the Monday.
Day 2
After a very restful nights sleep, we popped on our wooly hats and scarves and made our way to The Streathearn Resturant for breakfast.
The bright 1920’;s style restaurant was beautiful and the sun shining through and flooding the room with light was gorgeous.
Tour of the Hotel
Next, we moved on to the tour of the hotel which as expected is as impressive as we thought it would be. We viewed a selection of meeting rooms, the ballroom, dining rooms and bedrooms and it was great to see how these spaces can be used for a wide selection of events.
Our creative event juices were flowing, especially when we were told that they can bring in ferrets for indoor racing as an activity during a conference. Yes you heard us right, anything really is possible at Gleneagles 😊
Mews Experience
This was something really special.
We made our way down to the Gundogs and Falconry area where we were greeted by the most beautiful cocker spaniel puppy Cassie who would soon be joining the wonderful dogs that were part of the Gleneagles pack. These noble creatures were so impressive and their handlers showed us just why they are the best at what they do. These dogs have some really unique skills and you too can take part in seeing them in action as part of your Gleneagles corporate experience.
There are so many options available.
After being blown away by the skills of these amazing dogs, we walked around the grounds where the wonderful Steve (an absoloute legend) told us all about the Gleneagles Falconry School and these magnificent birds, before letting us handle and fly a Harris Hawk for ourselves which was simply amazing.
Off-Road driving
Next on our itinerary was Off Road Driving! Wow, Wow, Wow! After a lovely lunch in the Century Bar, we made our way to the font of the hotel, where our 4 x 4 off road vehicles were waiting to take us to the rugged Scottish Highlands.
The scenery was simply beautiful and with Roaring Rivers and Steep Gradients, we were in our element. What a brilliant adrenaline rush that was and it also helped that we were in the best of hands with our guide. We could have stayed in those highlands for hours.
Shooting Experience at the Gleneagles shooting and fishing school
We were then dropped off at the Fishing School and made our way into a beautiful log cabin, set up and waiting for us to return after a an hour of archery and clay pigeon shooting. Just the right amount of time was spent on each and everyone did so well.
We felt pretty pleased with ourselves and it’s a great activity for all genders.
Back to the cabin and we were treated to mull cider and freshly baked cookies, all while sat around the fire place. Honestly, we felt so humbled by these experiences and each place we visited was just as good as the last and brought just as a big a smile to our faces!
Stable Tour at The Gleneagles Equestrian Centre
Before dinner we took a walk to the Equestrian centre to spend 30 minutes or so with the beautiful horses. Riding lessons are available, but we were very much enjoying chatting to the horses in the stables and marvelling in their beauty and size! And the odd clever trick as well!
Enchanted forest pre-dinner drinks
Of all of the amazing things we got to experience on our 2nd day at Gleneagles, this has to be the standout moment for me. The Enchanted Forest was just magical.
This purpose built forest accessed through the main hotel and leading outside was like something from a Disney movie. We stepped into the tunnel and were met with Christmas trees and greenery, along with gorgeous little mini log cabins and hand made tree stumps as seats.
When we walked around the corner, with mostly smoke added for effect, we were met by Steve and the most magnificent (and huge) Golden Eagle perching casually on his wrist. The sight of this was actually really emotionally as its not every day you get to see something like that, in your own private space, arranged just for you and your guests. Simply wonderful.
After some gorgeous nibbles and theatrically cocktails, we reluctantly made our way back through the forest and back into the hotel to take our seats for dinner in the Strathearn restaurant where once again, we were treated the most beautiful food and wine, complete with a pianist. The company was pretty good too 😊
The schedule and timings were impeccable, such a well oiled machine and years of experience, and it really adds to the experience as a whole.
Day 3
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- Expansive golf course
Lunch was put on for us in The Dormy Clubhouse which overlooked the stunning Golf Course. it was such a beautiful day and really was quite stunning. But of course being Glen Eagles this isn’t just any Clubhouse. The Dormy Clubhouse serves the very best in comfort food from Grill Classic, pizza and fresh tandoor dishes! We were only sad we couldn’t finish it all!
Following lunch, we made our way across to the onsite pub opposite were we enjoyed out last pint of beer and a reflected on the trip. Our hosts gave a great presentation and short video that really showcased the hotel and their corporate offerings, before presenting us with a little keepsake to take home which was a lovely Gleneagles Bobble Hat.
This is where we got quite emotional. As a group of event professionals who have been lucky enough to experience some truly exceptional hospitality, venue visits and hotel stays, but this experience was the by far the best of them all. We have never been so wowed by any hotel or venue like we were here and cannot say how much they deserve the reputation, awards and luxury status they have. We may have shed a little tear or two when we hugged our host good bye and got in our cars to head to the airport, knowing that we would probably never experience anything quite like this again.
Thank you so so much to each and every person at Gleneagles that made this FAM trip so exceptional. There were so many people that made this experience what it was and you can genuinely see how much they truly love what they do. And the biggest thank you of all goes to Sally Glen, our AMAZING host.
Not only did you plan the best trip we could have asked for, you were also the kindest, funniest and most fun person and we absolutely loved getting to know you.
We cannot wait to recommend this hotel to our clients for an array of corporate events! It is truly something everyone should experience.
Event spaces
OCHIL HOUSE:
Perfect to book as an exclusive space for bespoke events, guests can enjoy Ochil House in its entirety with its six unique spaces that blend country-house tradition and luxury with a warm, relaxed vibe. The individual rooms can be booked privately too.
THE BALLROOM:
for larger celebrations, launches and conferences, The Ballroom can comfortably host up to 260 guests for meetings and conferences, 200 for dining and up to 360 for cocktails.
HENRY HALL: With capacity for 300 people theatre-style and up to 450 for cocktails, there’s a state of the art AV set-up including drop-down screens and projectors.
THE ARENA: The Arena. Opened in May 2015, the facility has capacity for 2,250 guests across 2,500 square metres. A blank canvas for larger events like product launches, exhibitions, concerts and conferences, it has been carefully designed for quick set-ups and ambitious builds.
See below for the full information on all of their fabulous rooms and capacities.
Testimonials
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