Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry

A hotel in Pitlochry for food and relaxation

The picturesque highland town of Pitlochry is always a great stop on the A9. Besides having a main street with tartan treasure shops, it has the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, a brewery, a river with a famed fish ladder and Pitlochry golf course. No matter what time of year you arrive, there is always something to do. Further afield there is the Cairngorms National Park and around the area, there are hilly trails and the Rob Roy Way.

But what if you don’t want to do anything? What if you just want to relax for a few days? Pitlochry is full of places to stay and we decided to try The Pine Trees because it offered everything for a relaxing break without the need to go very far.

The hotel is a couple of hundred meters uphill and off the main road. If you arrive by train you might want to get a taxi as it is over a 10-minute walk from Pitlochry Railway Station. We were welcomed by a friendly receptionist who soon had us checked in and booked for dinner.

Our first impressions were good. A classic Scottish country house hotel. Our walk upstairs to our room took us through a traditionally furnished lounge area dotted with interesting knick-knacks. There is no lift, and while help with our bags was provided, you might want to consider whether you can manage stairs.

Our room had plenty of space, an enormous bed and a nice bathroom. The ornate plasterwork is impressive and the door finger plates are something to behold. Traditional furnishings and old-world charm with the added benefits of modern facilities such as en suite bathroom with toiletries and complimentary tea and coffee-making facilities.

The building is a listed country house with a bit of history. History I find is often best appreciated with a book In one hand and a glass in the other. Fortunately, The Pine Trees has a well-stocked study area with the lounge benefitting from an open log fire.

Looking for another Pitlochry accommodation suggestion? Check out our review of The Old Mill Inn, Pitlochry.

The hotel has seven acres of garden, so plenty of garden area to explore. But we had explored enough for today and the outside seating area was just too tempting to refuse. Aperol anyone?

This also gave us an opportunity to talk to some of the other hotel guests. Many were return visitors who spoke highly of their experiences, and of how the hotel had developed over the past few years. The food came in for particular mention with a few regretting the demise of fish and chips and steak pie staples. Overall though, it was highly rated.

One tip was to avoid the rooms overlooking the garden seating area where the chatter and background music can be disturbing later in the evening.

There are some separate outbuildings with accommodation for groups, but overall this is not a family place. There is a collection of board games, but thankfully nothing approaching sports facilities. The name of the game here is adult rest and relaxation. A lie down, and it was time for dinner.

The ground floor of the hotel includes a garden restaurant. While perusing the menu, a lady with a bread basket appeared. Mrs Foodie would have been happy with the bread and butter.

If you are a room guest dinner can be included in your room cost. Otherwise, it is £39.50 for two courses or £45.00 for three courses. On the menu is a classic variety of Scottish cuisine.

The food is good. Not Michelin star, but aiming at fine dining, and certainly not disappointing. A bit more delicacy and attention to details such as making sure food is not getting dried out in the hot plate would not go amiss.

The hot breakfast was also good. All the usual favourites were there. Well cooked and nicely presented. Post covid there is no buffet, but rather your server gets you what you want.