Resort keeps all ages very happy

Rob McLaren enjoyed a family trip to Aviemore with parents, wife and three young children in tow

Let’s be honest – going on holiday with young children can often make you crave another holiday straight afterwards. But we live in the real world, where getaways with small people need to come jam-packed with fun activities, speedy banquets and lots of laughs – or else you face being told they’re “bored”.

So, in the absence of relaxing and unwinding beside a heated indoor pool, what’s the next best thing? Bringing the grandparents along to provide some much-needed assistance, of course.

Having two extra pairs of hands is like someone sprinkling a little bit of magic fairy dust on all the things that often make us glad and mad in equal measure.

The trees were transitioning to their beautiful autumnal colours as we made the drive from Dundee to Aviemore for our stay at Macdonald Aviemore Resort.

We were based in one of the resort’s woodland lodges for our threegeneration family trip, with my wife’s parents providing the much-needed grandparent magic.

The children were delighted their new “house” was surrounded by trees in the middle of the forest. And with a swimming pool, soft play area and packed programme for youngsters nearby, we knew we weren’t going to be short of activities during our stay.

Since starting our family, we’ve stayed in few lodges in Scotland before and this was the classiest by far. The three large bedrooms were all en suite and there was a communal area with a small kitchen, dining table and sofas surrounding a wood-burning stove.

With three hotels, 18 lodges, three restaurants, a shopping complex and conference centre, the resort is substantial – but all within walking distance.

We made our way to Giovanni’s Italian Ristorante – with pizza and pasta on offer we knew there would be plenty to keep all generations happy. And the symphony of “mmm” from the children affirmed this.

While the grandparents put the children to bed, my wife and I sneaked

thecouriermagazine off to the on-site Spey Valley Cinema, which also acts as the resort’s main auditorium for conferences.

It is probably the largest cinema I’ve ever been in, with 650 seats, a big screen, good sound and the latest releases.

The next day we took the short walk down the woodland path to the separate activity centre to check out the leisure pool.

What was intended as a quick swim quickly became the entire morning as we realised the pool was just one of many activities available.

We’ve stayed in few lodges in Scotland before and this was the classiest by far.

After leaving the swimming we discovered a large soft play area – conveniently right beside the cafe – and a large games room which has books, colouring in, an Xbox for older children and a sensory room for babies.

That afternoon we ventured just beyond Aviemore to visit Landmark Forest Adventure Park, only a short drive away in Carrbridge.

Boasting Scotland’s biggest and best dinosaur experience, we were ready to spend an imaginative afternoon with some life-sized prehistoric creatures.

The recently-opened Dinosaur Kingdom was good fun, with animatronic beasts of all kinds – and sound effects to ensure plenty of scares.

We also enjoyed our visit to the balmy butterfly house, complete with its own tortoise called Timmy, as well as the many beautiful and colourful species of butterflies.

Quick and easy food options always take priority when it comes to feeding our children so we were fortunate to choose a great fish and chip restaurant – Smiffy’s – on our way back to the lodge.