With the promise of 30 acres of seclusion and dining in a Michelin star restaurant KIRSTY WILKIE spent a relaxing weekend in Drumfries and Galloway...

KNOCKINAAM Lodge “is the only luxury boutique hotel in Dumfries and Galloway”... they had me at luxury, I'm a sucker for anything luxurious.

Only 15 minutes drive from Stranraer, Knockinaam lodge is set, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere... the road leading to it is even unnamed! Good thing it was well sign- posted - we didn't fully trust the sat nav.

We took the car across with Stena Line - it's the best way to get to Knockinaam and you can bring the dog along too. Knockinaam has three rooms in which pets are allowed and plenty of cliff and beach walks to keep the pooch happy.

We took the early morning Caledonia crossing (7.30am to be precise) and woke up our tums with a lovely bacon and egg soda (me) and a sausage and egg bap (the other half) on board. The crossing took three hours - the crossing has been cut to 2 hours 15 minutes now that the new terminal at Loch Ryan is open and the brand spanking new Stena Superfast Ferries are on the route.

We followed the signs for Knockinaam Lodge, but after driving down the narrow country roads for about 15 minutes we were sure we'd taken a wrong turn... surely there was no way we were on the right road... we decided to turn at the first opportunity, however before we could find a place we saw another sign for Knockinaam Lodge, turns out we were on the right road after all! We were well rewarded after our bumpy country drive when Knockinaam came into view. A truly majestic stone lodge with grass lawns running down to a secluded beach... it was absolutely stunning.

There is ample parking space in the lodge's private carpark. We were warmly welcomed at reception where we dropped off our bags (we were a bit early for check-in) and signed the guest log before heading to nearby Portpatrick for a walk and a spot of lunch.

Portpatrick is a quiet picturesque little port, home to a few lovely curiosity shops, around four bar/restaurants, a local shop and a cafe (above one of the curiosity shops). We popped into one of the local sea-front bars, the Crown, for some pub grub lunch - chicken tikka cheese melt with salad and crisps.... it hit the spot brilliantly! I had a lovely oatie vanilla cream biscuit to finish (which I'd purchased from the bakery counter of the local shop), those biscuits were amazing. We made sure to get a whole box on Sunday morning to take home with us!

Back in the hotel we were shown to our room, and what a room it was! With a large luxurious super king-kize bed, lounge area and huge bathroom with free-standing roll-top bath, comfy robes and views right across the secluded bay... the Hannay was simply stunning. The hotel boasts only 10 luxury suites so every guest gets highly individualised attention to their unique needs - a real home away from home... especially that bath - amazing! This is definitely affordable luxury at its best.

After a quick refresh and change we wandered downstairs to the drawing room for a cup of tea and a game of scrabble. Knockinaam is well stocked with board games and DVD's so you'll never get board - it's the kind of place you can spend an entire weekend in without having to venture out of doors at all except for a leisurely stroll around the 30 acres of stunning landscaped grounds. Perfect for those romantic get-aways.

We settled ourselves on the comfy feather stuffed sofa (seriously, it was stuffed with feathers) ready for our scrabble battle. The other half was peckish so he opted for some cheese and ham sandwiches with his tea. I whipped him at scrabble... twice.

To read the rest of Kirsty Wilkie's feature on her stay at Knockinaam Lodge and see all the pictures, pick up a copy of Northern Ireland Travel News...

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