Probably the most peaceful sleep I have had in a hotel in a long time. The Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf & Spa is definitely worth a visit if you are after peace and relaxation. Despite the fact that we went during half term and that the hotel was full to capacity we still managed to have a wonderful visit. We arrived late afternoon, the drive from Glasgow had taken longer than expected, but it was such a pleasant scenic drive that we hardly noticed. Not an easy feat when you are travelling with two children under ten. Especially when someone accidentally left the bag with all their gaming toys at home. For once we had to rely on old fashioned car journey games. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to come up with an animal that begins with the letter “q” especially by the time you get to round four, there's only so many times that you can say” queen bee”, and keep sticking the word queen if front of every imaginable animal. It was a car journey to be remembered! Made us realise that without Google and Nintendo life really did require a lot of thought.

We arrived at Cardrona ready to take a long walk around the beautiful scenic countryside, and it was truly stunning, and a great way to work up our appetites. But not before a quick visit to the pool. During half terms in order to avoid the crowds we find it's best to always visit a little before dinner time, whilst most guests are winding down and getting ready for dinner. This way we had the pool more or less to ourselves. Thirty minutes later and we were ravenous. We made our way to the award winning AA rosette restaurant. They have a great menu and cater well for children. We had a lovely meal and tired out from all the fresh air and exercise we more or less hit the sack as soon as we got back to our room. And it was without doubt the most peaceful hotel I have ever stayed in. It really did feel as if we were in the heart of the countryside.

We were up bright and early the next morning and indulged in a full Scottish breakfast. The staff at the restaurant remembered us from the previous evening and took great care of us, and the children, which made the experience a very pleasant one. Children and hubby all quite happy with their breakfasts I made a quick escape to the salon for a sneaky wee massage.

Unfortunately I only managed to get a half hour slot. The spa is always extremely busy so it's advisable to book before you visit. They use Decleor products and the treatment, a back, neck and shoulder massage was very pleasant. Only negative was at it was just too little time. The therapist was just beginning to make headway with my multiple knots when it was time up!

Would we visit Cardrona again? Yes for sure, it's a lovely, peaceful, relaxed hotel and the staff are very pleasant.

What did the children think of it? Karam who is eight years old, liked the swimming pool. But best of all enjoyed the quiet of the lounge where she chilled whilst reading her book. She also liked the smoothie that the restaurant staff made especially for her.

And Jeevan who is six years old, loved the fact that our room was on ground level, which meant that the patio doors opened up into the back gardens, which left him free to roam around outside, whilst we could kept an eye on him from our room.

Top tip: Great hotel for a family break.

Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf & Spa, Peebles, EH45 8NE

www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-cardrona-hotel-golf-spa/

Tel 0844 879 9024

BYLINE: Raj Gill