The Oban Caledonian Hotel
We have a winner!
Congratulations to Stephanie Tabrah from West Sussex who is the winner of our Oban Caledonian Hotel Competition.
Enjoy a stay with The Freedom of the Glen Hotels -
Two nights DBB in one of our Captain's Rooms in The Oban Caledonian Hotel
To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize all you have to do is answer the following question: In which year was the ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne established in Oban?
Submit your answer by completing the form below.
The winner will be drawn on 11 April 2003.
To successfully complete and submit this form all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed.
The Oban Caledonian Hotel
Set on the water's edge, The Oban Caledonian Hotel commands breathtaking views over the sheltered bay of Oban to the hills and islands of Scotland's magnificent West Coast.
Built in the Victorian period, the hotel has recently undergone a major and careful refurbishment under family ownership and offers stylish, contemporary comfort and service. The hotel now has 59 bedrooms, many with fine views over Oban Bay to the mountains of Mull and Ardgour. There are two restaurants - the Harbour side Restaurant - a Victorian dining room, carefully restored with chandeliers and ornate plaster and the Cafe Caledonian with wonderful views of the bay, a menu for all day dining and a cosmopolitan wine list. The Hotel also has 4 meeting rooms.
Renowned as "the gateway to Argyll and The Isles", Oban is an ideal base for the visitor. No less than 10 islands are within easy reach for a day trip, including larger islands like Mull with beaches and a host of attractions and Iona through to smaller Islands with private boat trip available.
Other major attractions are the 12 gardens that make up the Glorious Gardens of Argyll- many of which such as Arduaine and Crarae are world famous for their collections. Just south of the Oban is historic Kilmartin Glen well known for the standing stones, antiquities, an award winning museum and Dunadd the capital of ancient Dalriada with its famous footprint in the rock. There are many beaches and bays with boat trips to watch seals and whales and a white-knuckle ride through Corryvreckan one of the world's largest whirlpools.
In spring, the Waverley, the world's last sea-going paddle steamer takes up residence in Oban and takes visitors on wonderful daytrips. There are also many great drives and viewpoints on quiet back roads to historic castles or well-known sites such as Glencoe.
There is an abundance of activities for children - The Sea Life Centre & Rare Breeds Park are obvious choices but Cruachan Power Station known as "the hollow mountain" is a popular choice as is the Inverawe Country Park.
For climbers there are a number of Munros or lesser peaks and for walkers, valleys, coastal peninsulas and well marked forest walks.
Oban's excellent Art Gallery is the main showcase for the increasingly popular Jolomo and the museum at the Bonawe Ironworks is highly recommended.
Eating and shopping in the area is first rate with many independent shops making use of local skills and products. There are also facilities for fishing and golf. And of course, guests can simply stroll along the harbour front and watch the fishing boats and men at work.
The Hotel has a complimentary on site Ranger service to assist guests to participate in the local leisure activities.
The history of the Hotel is fascinating. Completed around 1882 with the arrival of the west highland railway in Oban. The Oban Caledonian Hotel was owned by the Campbell family as The Station Hotel and stayed in their ownership until the 1950's. During the Second World War the Hotel was requisitioned by the Royal Navy as their base in the town as Oban was a major base for transatlantic Convoys (a large RAF base was established at Connel in association with this and Oban was also the base for the famous Flying Boats). At the same time as the Hotel was built the Royal Highland Yacht Club was established and the Hotel continues to be the base for this regatta. During the 60's the building was renamed as The Caledonian Hotel and at this time was one of the first Hotels in the Highlands to boast "a motorised lift and central heating".
The late 1800's saw a great number of Hotels being built in Oban including a 137 bedroom "Hydropathic Sanatorium" which was never completed after the opening of the railway and the endorsement of the town as a gateway by Queen Victoria and many artists and travellers from Boswell to Mendelssohn, Wordsworth & Turner. 1879 also saw the establishment of MacBraynes for which Oban has continued as a major Island hub until today.
The Hotel even boasts a well-documented ghost - grey lady is the spirit of a woman who fell to her death from one of the upper floor windows.
The Oban Caledonian is conveniently situated approximately three hours by car, coach or train from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Inverness, around 2 hours from Stirling and Perth and an hour from Fort William. By rail, the journey is via the world-famous West Highland Line. ScotRail runs twice-daily trains from Glasgow Queen Street Station to Oban.
Special Offer
£99 GBP per person for three nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast between 20th March - 11th April, 2003. This offer is based on two people sharing an economy room and is subject to availability?
The Oban Caledonian Hotel
Tel: 01855 821582
Fax: 01855 821463
Email: reservations@freedomglen.co.uk
Website: http://www.go2oban.com
Altho we live in Oban we do like to visit our local hotels on an occasional weekend and chat with visitors - we know [ from our own holiday experiences ]that visitors esp 1st time visitors enjoy meeting " the locals "
ASC
--Alexander S Clark ( alexclark at heanish dot freeserve dot co dot uk ) from Scotland on 2.4.2003; 21:56:37 Uhr
Looks a lovely hotel-I hope to win!It would be only my second visit to Scotland in 50 years.
--Bernard Welsh ( baloo100 at ntlworld dot com ) from England on 7.3.2003; 17:08:21 Uhr
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