New ‘dark sky’ experience in Scots tourist spot is height of luxury and chill

OBAN has long been known as Scotland’s Gateway to the Isles.

But a recent revamp that has reinvigorated one of the area’s top hotels means there’s much more reason now to stay and enjoy the town and not just pass through.

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Knipoch House Hotel just south of Oban, reopened earlier this year following a multi-million refurbishment, after it became part of the family-run Sonas Collection.

The property dates back to the 1600s and is stunning.

And at less than three hours from either Glasgow or Edinburgh it’s a fantastic base to use explore the Highlands and Islands — or just settle in for a relaxing break with fine dining, fantastic facilities and luxury accommodation.

My wife Margret and I took advantage of one of the many special packages regularly offered at Knipoch — the Dark Sky Experience — and were treated superbly from the moment we arrived at the beautiful 26-bedroom hotel on the shores of Loch Feochan.

Most of the rooms feature panoramic views out over the loch, and we soon settled into our comfy sea view base with its super-king sized bed and all the little touches that make for an idyllic stay.

The Dark Sky Experience is focused on relaxing, and as Margret chilled in the room before dinner I opted for the soothing private half-hour session in the outdoor hot tub — with the birds twittering around me as evening set in. Bliss.

Food is a big part of the new-look Knipoch, with high-end, modern Scottish dining in its onsite restaurants headed by chef Andrew Engledow, who has joined from Sonas’ Duisdale House Hotel on Skye.
His focus is on locally sourced ingredients from Argyll with seasonal flavours that reflect the natural beauty of the area along with a unique twist.

Margret was thrilled with the variety and quality of vegetarian options on offer — no soggy salad or microwaved veggie lasagne here — and opted for smoked tofu with mango and black bean dressing followed by a cauliflower steak with local cheese, celeriac puree and spiced nuts.

My wild mushroom rillette with seasonal pickled vegetables, then veal schnitzel with warm potato salad, egg and green beans, was equally tasty.

We made a decent crack at a shared Scottish cheese board (including the amazing stem ginger ice cream) as we were sadly too stuffed for a dessert each, though all of them looked delicious, before retiring to the cosy bar stocked with great local craft beers and gins.

Breakfast was just as good and set us up ideally to hit the water.
Being so near the major CalMac hub that Oban is, it was too good a chance not to take advantage of.

We opted for a day trip to Mull, and a sea tour from there to check out Fingal’s Cave on Staffa and a close-up encounter with the thousands of friendly puffins on Lunga. Magical!

The area is a paradise for golfers or fans of the outdoors with nature walks around the hotel itself, and as keen birdwatchers there was plenty for us to see in the nearby woods and over on the water.

GO: OBAN

STAYING THERE

The Knipoch House Hotel 2024-2025 Dark Sky package is from £299 for two nights, based on two sharing a standard room, or £149.50pp sharing (Sunday to Thursday).

Includes £40 food voucher and £5 drinks voucher per person, private 30-minute hot tub session, full breakfasts and late check-out.

See sonascollection.com/offers.

Nothing was too much trouble for the attentive staff at Knipoch.
Special mention for Stephanie and Louise for the way they looked after us, including returning a piece of camera equipment that ‘someone’ somehow managed to leave in the room when we checked out!

With the lure of the isles and family in Oban there’s plenty to attract us back to the area again and again — and we’ll be sure to kip at Knipoch any time we do!

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