Mr Foodie Best budget-friendly hotel at Scottish Golf Tourism Awards 2024
The Red House Hotel is an aptly named red brick property in the village of Coupar Angus – not to be confused with Cupar in Fife; it doesn’t even fall within the boundaries of present-day Angus but is in fact in Perth & Kinross!
Their speciality is budget accommodation for those seeking outdoor pursuits, be that walking, biking, skiing, fishing, or more specifically golfing, as the hotel is equidistant from the old course at St. Andrews, the three championship courses at Gleneagles, and also Carnoustie Golf Links. All three are about 40 minutes drive away, to the south east, south west and east respectively. They recently won the Best Budget-friendly Hotel award at the 2024 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards, and they have won similar accolades in the past. The hotel is also well-placed for visiting the sights in Perthshire, Angus and North East Scotland.
History of the Red House Hotel
The present-day hotel comprises a restaurant, bar, bedrooms and leisure facilities. The bulk of the hotel was built in the eighties and has the feel of a leisure centre, in fact, it was built to accommodate squash courts (the fastest-growing sport at the time) and it even had a nightclub at one point! Today, you can still play snooker or squash or make use of the gym of sauna facilities, just ask a member of staff. The oldest building, where the restaurant now resides, was the original Coupar Angus train station hotel but this was actually acquired last, after the more modern buildings next door had been built.
It’s hard to imagine railway sidings where the car park now exists, in fact, there’s very little to suggest that a railway once lay here at all, as the A94 now follows the route of the east-west line, but just north of the village piers remain in the water where a railway bridge once carried passengers to and from Blairgowrie. Get your railway history geek info from the RailScot entry on Coupar Angus. The nearest train station these days is in Invergowrie, 13 miles away but if you plan to use a train to get here, then you will likely alight at Perth or Dundee for the bus.
Arrival and first impressions of the Red House Hotel
We were promptly checked in at the restaurant, in the original building on the left of the property. Our room was in one of the adjoining buildings, through a separate entrance and on the first floor overlooking the car park, which has plenty of on-site parking.
The room was large and spacious with a pink, rather than red, colour scheme, which had both a double and single bed, a couch, massive TV, balcony door, wardrobe, kettle, Tetley tea, Nescafe instant coffee, Walker’s shortbread and digestive biscuits.
The windowless en-suite was a good size with a combined shower and bath, mirror with light and Scottish Fine Soaps Au Lait toiletries (some of our favourites).
Dinner in the conservatory
There was one starter, two mains and one dessert special on our visit.
Starters
Cullen Skink – a hefty portion of creamy, smoked haddock chowder with a good amount of fish and well-cooked potato chunks.
Grilled halloumi salad with olives, sunblushed tomatoes and balsamic – four slices of salty, squeaky cheese atop a Mediterranean-inspired salad.
Breaded scampi served with chips, peas and salad. A hearty, filling portion.
Pork and chorizo burger – a spiced, hefty, meaty burger covered in melted chilli cheddar with sides of harissa mayo and chunky chips.
Breakfast
At breakfast, the buffet area comprised of fruit juice, grapefruit segments, milk and cereals. Toast, marmalade, jam, tea and coffee were also provided.
Hot options, cooked to order, were: porridge; a fry up; grilled kippers with butter; scrambled egg (with smoked salmon); and poached smoked haddock.
The full Scottish was a hefty plate of fried egg, bacon, link sausage, black pudding, haggis, baked beans, mushrooms and tomato.
The scrambled egg was also a big portion of fluffy, non soggy, egg with a good amount of smoked salmon.
Overall verdict of the Red House Hotel
It was easy to find the hotel and check-in / check-out was a breeze.
The room was larger than we expected with a huge TV. Beds were comfy with no noise from outside so we slept well. The shower had good pressure and temperature control, and the toiletries were of good quality.
Food was comforting with filling portions for both dinner and breakfast, ordering was easy and wait times were low. Staff were very attentive throughout.
Downsides are the hotel, bar and leisure facilities, and restaurant are not connected internally so you need to go outside to move from one to another but that‘s because the property was developed in stages and went through various forms of use over the years. Our room was functional but a bit dated, and the best place to plug in the kettle was behind the massive TV, which was a little awkward. The restaurant was also a bit bright for us so bringing down the lighting levels would make it more atmospheric.
Accessibility
The check-in area, restaurant and bar are all at ground level. Our room was on the first floor and there is no lift but there may be accessible bedrooms on the ground level.
Booking and other details
Prices start at £85 per night for single occupancy or £120 for a couple, both including breakfast.
Book direct here: red-house-hotel.co.uk
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. A children’s menu is also available.
In the spare ground next to the hotel‘s car park you’ll also find The Coffee Cabin, a 24/7 self-service coffee unit with vending machines dispensing cake. We made sure to pop in before we set off home.
We also ate at their sister business, the Dalmore Inn, in Blairgowrie – read our review here soon.
Getting to the Red House Hotel
The hotel is on the A94, the main road from Perth to Forfar. It’s easily visible from this road and has a large car park at the front.
By public transport, the 57 and 59 buses to/from Dundee, Perth and Blairgowrie all stop on Union Street directly opposite the front of the hotel.
Disclaimer: we received a complimentary stay at the Red house Hotel.
