Family friendly and lots of fun

Brian Stormont and his family enjoyed a weekend of eating, shopping and escaping in Aberdeen

Along with my wife Karen and daughter Cari, we were fortunate to enjoy a weekend away at the Altens Hotel in Aberdeen for a twoday break from Friday to Sunday.

We have visited the city many times over the years, but we hadn’t had the pleasure of staying at the Altens which we’d heard had recently opened an escape room experience, something all three of us were looking forward to trying out.

Arriving at the hotel, which is easy to locate, we were met by a helpful receptionist who quickly sorted our booking and then we headed along to freshen up before dinner.

We had been given a premium family room for the weekend which was indeed premium, featuring two comfortable double beds, a widescreen television, a desk, Nespresso coffee machine and two reclining chairs, which was just what we needed after the drive.

There was also an ice bucket filled with some drinks for us to enjoy upon our arrival, including beer, a craft gin and some lovely tonic and snacks, including crisps and biscuits – a welcome touch.

A room adjacent to the bathroom had ample wardrobe space and a dressing table which was quickly occupied by the girls’ various beautifying treatments, hair dryer and straighteners. I would add a hair dryer is supplied so you don’t need to take your own.

The bathroom was tiled throughout in white, with a granite effect washing area. It was light and super clean, while I was also impressed by the shower which was powerful and really woke me up after the long drive north.

Our two-night stay included bed and breakfast and dinner on the first night, so having had a sneak preview of the menu which is on their website, we were thoroughly looking forward to dining. After a quick drink in the relaxing bar, we headed off to the restaurant.

We were a little early, but the waitress said that wasn’t a problem and showed us to our table. The eatery was busy, but she had no trouble coping with

thecouriermagazine the large number of diners and was knowledgeable and extremely pleasant.

If you are on a two-night break including dinner on the first night, there is special menu from which to choose, but that was in no way restrictive.

Four starters, eight main meals and four desserts were on offer and, to be honest, we felt spoiled for choice as it all sounded so appetising.

For an entrée, Karen and I plumped for the Scottish field mushrooms filled with cream cheese, covered in breadcrumbs and served with garlic mayo. These were delicious and so moreish. I could have had eaten them all night!

This was a fantastic couple of days at a lovely hotel in which I would heartily recommend

Cari went for the salt and pepper wings. Unfortunately, they had run out, such was their popularity, but the waitress said the chef was happy to make salt and pepper goujons as an alternative.

As you can imagine, Cari was delighted by this – and I could tell she was also thrilled by the tasty starter, by the fact that she didn’t leave any!

For the main, Cari and I had slow cooked shin of beef which was served with creamed potatoes, carrots, green beans and forest mushroom jus. It was quite simply stunning, the beef just melted in your mouth and the accompaniments were the ideal partners to this excellent dish.

Karen opted for the beer battered fresh fish haddock which was served with mushy peas and tartare sauce. It was another winner and looked fantastic the way it was served in a fryer basket with the peas and sauce on the side.

I am not a big fan of desserts, but happily chose the fresh fruit salad which came with raspberry sorbet. This was a lovely way to cleanse the palette after a