I visited Crieff Hydro with my family to try the new dining experiences after major renovation

In one of the corridors leading to the reception of Crieff Hydro there is a row of portraits. It starts with Dr Thomas Henry Meikle, who built this imposing Scots-Jacobean style building, opening as the Crieff Hydropathic Establishment in 1868. The last picture is Stephen Leckie, Dr Meikle’s great-great-grandnephew and the current custodian of the family business. It’s a remarkable legacy in Scottish hospitality, which enters into a new era with the sixth generation of the Leckie family steering the significant upgrade to the hotels food and drink offering.

Stephen Leckie, CEO Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, sets the scene, saying: “This is our single biggest project in decades and opens another significant chapter in Crieff Hydro’s 157-year history. For us, investment large and small is always about creating something better for our guests and for our team here. This is no exception, but the scale of the transformation I believe will really put us on the map for food and drink in Scotland.

“It’s fitting that as we look to fulfil the needs of a new generation of Crieff Hydro customers, that this project has been driven by the next generation of my own family. We know that our guests are looking for unique experiences, not just any standard hotel restaurant and bar. As an independent business we have more freedom and flexibility to create something really unique.”

Stephen’s son Charlie says: “My brother Richard and I were very aware that refurbishing the restaurants and bars was a chance to bring them right up to date for our own generation.  Like many of our guests, we enjoy the variety of interesting places to eat and drink around Scotland or further afield. So, we wanted to bring some of the best of that to Crieff Hydro. We really believe that a wide choice of food and drink is such an important part of a guest’s experience and shouldn’t just be ‘ok’ – it needs to be right up there with what people expect of their favourite West End eateries whether that’s in Edinburgh, Glasgow and beyond.  So, we’ve tried to take the best of all that but deliver it in a way that is uniquely Crieff Hydro and fits in with all the history and tradition we’re both so proud of.”

I visited with my wife and our three children to find the hospitality offering elevated, dining spaces reimagined and plenty of things for the kids to see and do this summer. We started off at The Winter Garden, which retains its Victorian glasshouse character while getting a stylish makeover. It’s the eye-catching focus for the hotels public spaces and has fantastic views out onto the gardens and estate.

Sitting down to lunch, our eldest, who is eight, studies the kids menu, his two year old sister quickly copies him. Our youngest, who is eight months, is content getting a view of the other tables from his high-chair. The kids menu offers pasta and pizza, some healthy dips and dessert options, there is a separate Little Explorers menu for 8-12 year old with a wider selection, including some mini versions of dishes from the main menu.

My wife orders buttermilk fried chicken with harissa mayo, served between two large wedges of focaccia bread as a showstopper sandwich. I have a highland wagyu burger with chorizo and Monterey Jack cheese - the beef is a delight, this is a real treat. Small diners steal my chips - they assure me they were delicious. Other menu highlights include mix and match tacos, salad bowls, fished and chips or wild mushroom ravioli.

I have a peek at East, the hotel’s new signature Asian-inspired restaurant where you can order Javanese sticky chicken, Korean fried chicken, slow cooked Cambodian spiced lamb shoulder and a Hong Kong-style whole pan-fried seabass. There’s time to pile into a booth in The Ballroom Bar with its marble-topped centrepiece. We use this space to plan our next move but it’s main purpose is to relax with a cocktail or glass of champagne. There’s also a stylish, adults-only speakeasy bar, The Hermitage, hidden behind a bookcase. A negroni would be nice but there’s no time as we are going to trek in the rolling hills with an alpaca soon. Yes, you read that right.

Action Glen lives up to its name, the section of the estate dedicated to a range of family friendly activities that brings everyone into the outdoors and has adventures suitable for different age groups. We join alpacas Chewpaca, Harry Potter, Ghost, and Casper on a trek along the paths and trails. The animals are friendly and the kids are fascinated by them. It’s a great way to settle into our surroundings. Nearby, Glen’s Adventure Park with its giant bouncy pillows, mini ziplines, maze and picnic benches give more opportunity for active fun or relaxing in the fresh air. Back at the hotel there is Big Country, the soft play area and ball pit. Next door is a space for smaller kids and babies to do some colouring in or just roll around on the floor before dinner.

We find our way to The Brasserie which has been given a bit of a spruce up in the changes and has a new menu. It remains a friendly, welcoming restaurant with a menu featuring bistro classics. Pizza is ordered for the two eldest kids, a bottle of milk is produced for the baby and rib eye steaks arrive for my wife and I. There’s plenty of space for buggies in the dining room, staff are adept at moving around kids in perpetual motion, food arrives at a brisk pace yet we dine unhurried. There’s are beautiful views of the gardens. Everyone has what they want and it turns out to be a very successful and enjoyable dinner, I even manage a couple of glasses of rioja crianza wine. Afterwards, the two older kids dance to a medley of hits from a singer with a guitar in the entertainment room while their wee brother dozes in the pram.

Despite the excitement of the previous day, all three of the kids are up astonishingly early in the morning. In fact, there’s time for a visit to the swimming pool and the video games den before we go for breakfast at The Meikle. This large, stately room is where you will find an absolute powerhouse of a buffet to construct your ideal fry up. It has been much improved by the renovation and can now compete at that high level the Leckie’s talked about when they were refocusing their hospitality offering. I’ve a long and varied experience of a Scottish hotel breakfast buffet and this is now one of my favourites.

Back at Action Glen, there are small land rovers to drive, crazy golf to be played and a playpark to explore. We have time for one more hospitality experience before heading home, afternoon tea at The Loggia, a sunlit spot with sweeping views across Strathearn. We enjoy gazpacho soup with chorizo bon bon, Cullen skink quiche, mini venison cottage pie, and sweet treats like eclairs, macaroons and opera cake, served in a magnificent setting. You can see more pictures of the hotel here.

Crieff Hydro boasts over 200 rooms and 50 self-catering lodges, its a substantial resort within a sprawling estate that’s famous across Scotland and beyond. The hotel is now equipped with spaces that mark it out as a true dining destination, alongside everything it already offers to make a family holiday special.

Crieff Hydro Hotel, Strathearn House, Ferntower Rd, Crieff PH7 3LQ