Any excuse for a trip to Scotland! I was given an option for a meeting in London or one up in Glasgow this week and felt we’d ticked off the M6 south by travelling down to Interiors UK in Birmingham, so Team Moregeous headed north for a couple of days. It’s been a hectic start to the year so we decided to stay over and asked Twitter for a recommendation. Thanks to Glasgow based reclamation experts @PaisleySalvage for the suggestion that we try Blythswood Square, a 5 star spa hotel housed in a classic terrace on a wide green square in the city centre. The building was originally separate terraced properties which the Royal Scotttish Automobile Association bought in 1910, remodelling them into elegant club headquarters which were the glamorous Scottish start for the 1955 Monte Carlo rally.
Booking so late and on Burn’s Night meant there wasn’t much left so we were expecting a tiddler, but our Classic room was really spacious with a huge bed, an fab original fireplace, sofa, two large windows overlooking the square and plenty of storage. Very pleasantly surprised. There were lots of good interior touches. I liked the use of tweed throughout, with luxury fabrics in shades of lavender and purple and the furniture was stylish and plentiful without crowding the room. Huge tv which still didn’t dominate and sofa far enough away to watch with ease. Great sized desk (but no sockets near it), fabulously comfortable bed, luxury cotton and lots of pillows. Cool sunken ceiling roses. Big thumbs up.
One minor thing – I felt there were one or two too many low-swinging, oversized pendant shades in the room. It was impossible to reach onto the side tables without banging your head and there’d be no bed bouncing without crashing into the one just a metre or so from the covers! I’d have probably opted for bigger artwork over the fireplace too, with such huge lighting and a massive fireplace, the small framed piece looked a bit lost.
Classic bedroom - images by Moregeous
Bedroom tweed fabric details - images by Moregeous
Best part of the room – the bath! I LOVED the sliding doors which meant you could open up the bathroom to the bedroom, a real cheeky peek-a-boo bit of naughtiness! The bath was huge (or I am tiny) with lots of marbled surface surrounding it for your chocolates, cocktail & Grazia. Stylish tap and shower head attachment. BIG fan of the Blythswood Bathroom, all felt very decadent and 1920′s and I so wanted a flapper dress to slip into after my ablutions rather than my Hollister sweat pants, maybe next time 
Practically, there was also a separate shower area and WC which had it’s own door for those of you who like your privacy.
Marble bathroom - images by Moregeous
Early evening saw a chill set in and we opted for some hotel cocooning – cocktails in the Salon and then a Burn’s Night dinner downstairs. There were ladies having afternoon tea and cakes, a wedding planner going through options with an excited couple and then us; Mr M trying the local St Mungo tipple and me working my way through the cocktail list. I can highly recommend the Daisy, the Faithless, the Clover Club and the Salon *hiccup*
Interior-wise it’s a stunning space, flooded with light from the large windows and chandeliers overhead. The cornicing and decorative plasterwork in this room is just stunning, with small details like the tweed skirted overhangs on the bar chairs adding a contemporary twist. Shame on me I didn’t get a great shot of the bar area so I’ve pinched one from the hotel web-site.
Not a massive fan of coloured LED lights, so I wasn’t keen on the inset floor lighting and also felt the lacy voiles were too flouncy for such an impressively grand space, but these are only very minor personal interior preferences.
The Salon - images by Moregeous
Salon Bar - hotel image
Salon cornice and plasterwork - image by Moregeous
Blythswood Square Hotel - Lighting - images by Moregeous
Entrance lobby
Our food was delicious. Starter of smoked haddock Cullen Skink with quails egg to start, smooth, rich and filling and then a chicken supreme with haggis, neeps and tatties – how could we not plump for that option on such a traditional evening? The restaurant gets very good reviews, from what I’ve read, and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening.
Cocktails and Burns Night dining - images by Moregeous
The Faithless: Hendrick's Gin, red grapes, sage leaves, lemon & syrup - YUM!! - image by Moregeous
After a superb night’s sleep, breakfast the next morning was a full Scottish plate full of restorative power after all those cocktails, with more haggis! I especially liked the idea of having a hair of the dog Bloody Mary tray available for those who need a bit of a pick-me-up. Like me.
Restaurant and breakfast room - images by Moregeous
Complimentary Bloody Marys - image by Moregeous
Next time we DEFINITELY must make use of the spa facilities, there just wasn’t enough time on this visit as we wanted to have a mini-detour road trip back to Manchester and see some of Ayrshire. I thoroughly enjoyed the Blythswood, a lovely place to stay and cocoon yourself for a luxury weekend but equally great base from which to check out the vibrant city of Glasgow.
FYI : We’d paid for a January package deal, £180 for room, dinner for two, full breakfast for two and use of the spa, thermal baths, sauna etc.
