16 June 2019

Family Weekend Fun at The Aberdeen Altens Hotel


The family and I do love exploring our fabulous country but one place we've never visited is Aberdeen. Lots of family and friends take trips there regularly but it's just never been on our list before, until this weekend that is. The Aberdeen Altens Hotel invited us up for a stay to experience their kind hospitality so I couldn't say no. Staycations are the best and Aberdeen looked like it had a lot to offer.


To make to most of our overnight stay we left the house first thing on Saturday morning. The plan was to take the coastal route and pop in past Arbroath Abbey with our Historic Scotland passes. The weather was on our side with the shining sun and warm breeze so it was looking like a good day to explore. The abbey was so quiet and massive which is perfect when you have two boisterous kids who need space to run around. There was a nice visitor's centre with lots of info to read plus an interesting graveyard. It might sound weird but I really like reading the grave stones and looking for the oldest stone if we can. It's sad when you see the ages of some of the deceased but it's quite interesting reading.


Arbroath Abbey also had a sort of geocaching treasure hunt which the kids could take part in. Normally they don't bother with the quiz type stuff but the lure of a treasure hunt was just too much. They loved it and were so proud of their winners stickers at the end. After this we nipped to the local McDonald's for lunch then headed on up the road to Aberdeen.


Since it was so nice and sunny when we got to Aberdeen we parked along beside the beach where we spotted a good play park for the kids. They couldn't wait to get out of the car for fresh air and play time and it meant us adults could stretch our legs as well. Across the road from the play park was the beach with amusements and rides which looked really fun. We all headed over to take a closer look and discovered Innoflate! It's basically a massive indoor inflatable theme park for the kids to run wild! Once they spotted it they desperately wanted to go in so the hubby sat in the cafe with the coats and shoes and I jumped on the inflatable with the kids. They loved it but my god it's hard work for us adults. I was sweating buckets, definitely better than a gym workout ha ha.


Before long our time was up and it was also dinner time. Everyone was starving so we drove the short 15 minutes from the beach to The Aberdeen Altens Hotel. It's a lovely big hotel with tons of free car parking. Reception is big with lots of seating space and the receptionist was warm and welcoming. She was quick to check us in and explained everything we needed to know as well as answering our questions. We quickly dropped the bags in the room and headed for dinner first as over hungry kids isn't great. The restaurant was right beside reception and we got a table without a problem. They did say they were busy from 6pm onwards but squeezed us in.


The menu was mouth watering and I was really impressed with the selection available on the kids menu. There was something even to suit the fussiest eaters like Harlow. We placed our orders and waited for the food to arrive. It didn't take long at all and the kids wired right in. Everything was super tasty, well cooked and beautifully presented. The waiters were lovely, helpful, polite and always checking to make sure everything was ok with our dinner. The kids got super tired after their main courses so the hubby took them back to the room and I asked for the puddings to go. Nothing was too much trouble and they brought the desserts out on a handy tray for me to walk back to the room. Our room was a tiny short walk from reception so it took me seconds to carry back.


When everyone was settled in the room with their desserts I had a little explore to see what the room offered. We had two lovely double beds, a couple of comfy chairs to sit on with a little table plus a side cabinet with Nespresso coffee machine and tea facilities. The hubby loves his Nespresso coffee so he was very impressed. The was a dresser with a big TV above for the kids cartoons (as lets face it us adults never get to watch anything we want!) and just as you enter the room there's a lovely dressing area with wardrobes which leads onto the bathroom. The wardrobes come complete with robes and slippers as well as iron and ironing board if you should need it. The bathroom had a lovely bath and such a powerful shower which was amazing. Nothing worse than a tap dripping shower!


The hotel left the kids some lovely goodies and they were so excited by them all. Harlow especially loved her magazine and toys for the swimming pool. Once puddings were eaten we grabbed our swimming costumes and headed for the leisure facilities. The Aberdeen Altens Hotel have a lovely pool complete with spa pool, sauna and steam room. There's also a gym if that takes your fancy and a beauty room for treatments. The towels are provided along with a padlock and key for the changing room lockers. Much handier than trying to find a one pound coin or twenty pence! Everything looked nice and clean in the changing rooms as well as the pool and of course the kids had a ball. I actually got to relax in the spa pool whilst the hubby watched the kids so it was a win win for me.


Back in our room we had a good chill out as we were all tired from such a busy day. The kids were exhausted and crashed pretty quickly, it helped that the curtains covering the windows are black out which made the room nice and dark. We all seemed to get a good nights sleep and woke up hungry for breakfast. The buffet breakfast is held in Cairngorm Bar & Restaurant right next to reception so very easy to find. There was everything you could ever need for a tasty start to your day. I had a full Scottish breakfast with haggis, black pudding, tattie scones, bacon and mushrooms. Absolutely delicious. Logan wanted his usual toast and croissants whereas Harlow went for fried eggs then chocolate pancakes. Everyone was happy with their choices.


Since everyone was still feeling a bit tired from the day before we decided it was time to check out and take a nice leisurely drive back home. The sun was shining again and the roads were super quiet so it seemed like the perfect time to head. We really enjoyed our trip to Aberdeen and the lovely Aberdeen Altens Hotel. Everyone was so welcoming and helpful we'd definitely stay again. The fact that family and friends revisit here also gives me confidence that is it a lovely place to stay.

I was gifted a DBB stay in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

1 comments on "Family Weekend Fun at The Aberdeen Altens Hotel"

Susan Mann on 18 June 2019 at 10:26 said...

We've not been here in a few years, but it is a brilliant place and looks like you guys had the best time xx

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