Experience traditional elegance and exceptional food and feel like a Lord or Lady at Scotland's Cringletie Hotel

Nestled in the Scottish countryside of a town called Peebles, just an hour outside of the bustling capital city of Edinburgh, you'll find a charming country house hotel called Cringletie.

It's a grand building which stops you in your tracks as you approach it. The stunning design, including towers and huge windows, really does make you say 'wow'. It has all the characteristics of Victorian magnificence, and as a guest I immediately felt like I'd stepped in to a world of glamour from a bygone era - something many people may recognise in the modern day from period dramas like 'Downtown Abbey'.

The building, which dates back to the 1600s, was once a private house owned by some of the most sophisticated, wealthiest and highly regarded members of society, but since 1970 it has been a hotel. It currently has 13 rooms and suites, each which offer its own beautiful characteristics from romantic turrets to feature fireplaces.

Within the building, there's also a restaurant called The Sutherland Restaurant, a bar, a communal lounge called The Maguire Lounge, a Garden Room and a conservatory. Outside, there's 28 picturesque acres of land to enjoy which boast a walled garden, a nature trail, pitch-and-put golf, croquet lawn and outdoor games.

I was lucky enough to be invited for a two night stay with my partner, Tom - and we fell in love with Cringletie, it's facilties and it's staff from the moment we arrived. We got there on a Friday evening and were shown to our room by one extremely warm and welcoming member of staff who we would come to recognise throughout our stay.

We came to realise that this is hotel which prides itself on offering the best possible guest experience, and that includes familarity with lots of lovely staff members who are always available to help you with anything you may need. In fact, for just a few moments, you can kid yourself that you are one of the aforementioned privileged members of society who would have called it home because they treat you so well.

'History, charm and elegance'

Our room itself was a wonderful; it offered a soft and cosy double bed, an ornamental fireplace, a dresser that made me think of something that Titanic's Rose would have been proud of, a seating area which looked out on to the impressive grounds, and an en-suite bathroom which had a shower over a bath.

After a quick change, we were shown to a table in The Sutherland Restaurant, which is named in honour of the family who last occupied the house as a private residence. Like the rest of the hotel, this is an absolutely breathtaking room which oozes elegance and history.

There's two ornate fireplaces and a beautiful painting on the ceiling which has been there since 1904 and was created to celebrate wedding of a daughter of the Sutherland family to a Sir. It's just one of many ocassions throughout the trip when I wondered about the people who had been in the building before me and felt very lucky to be there.

A dinner of seven or nine course dinner is served nightly from 6pm to 9pm in the restaurant. Menus are seasonal and you can expect a relaxed and enjoyable experience with a fine-dining feel, sensibly sized portions and beautifully presented dishes, all made with ingredients provided by local suppliers.

I had told the restaurant ahead of our visit that I am a vegetarian, and as such when we had settled in to our seats I was presented with a vegetarian menu for the evening, while Tom was given a menu suitable for meat eaters. I was very pleased to have a menu specifically for my dietary requirement as this simple act made me feel well cared for as a guest.

'Wow-factor food'

The food itself was incredible; some of the best we have ever had without doubt. Every mouthful of every dish was delicious and moreish, and something a little bit special. From the perfect presentation, to the fresh, impactful flavours that danced on the palette, it was obvious that every course had been made to the highest possible standard and had been a real labour of love for the chef.

Once again, Tom and I uttered the words 'wow' as we happily devoured each of the courses placed in front of us. Dishes which were served to us incuded roasted cauliflower soup, wild mushroom pate, truffle risotto, Isle of Gigha halibut, Tamworth pork loin and chocolate cremeux.

With every dish that arrived at our table, we each thought we had found our favourite because it was just so divine - and then the next plate that we were given would knock it off top spot. Every dish was faultless. The staff were very attentive and kind, taking the time to explain the ingredients for each course - some of which came from within the hotel's own walled garden - and ensuring that our water glasses and wine glasses were topped up.

They also checked in with us after each course to ensure that we were happy with the food we had been served and we were more than happy to heap praise on every one. At one point I told one of the servers: "I will sound like a broken record, but again that was just beautiful." He smiled kindly and told me that all positive feedback was gratefully received. We could hear comments from fellow diners too and knew that our thoughts about the food were echoed about the room.

On the first night of our stay we opted for seven courses but we loved the food so much that on the Saturday we made sure we ate light during the day so that we could make room for the optional cheese course that night. As expected, the food that we were served on the Saturday night, which included ancient grain salad, roasted cauliflour steak, fillet of Scottish sea trout, breast of St Bride's duck and blood orange sorbet, was incredible.

This was one of the best dining experiences we have ever had; the quality of the food, the service, the setting and the ambience were all impeccible. We were sat at the table for around two hours each night because, even though service was quick, we requested a little time between our savoury an sweet dishes to take the time to appreciate the moment that we were in (and let our food settle a little). A visit to The Sutherland Restaurant truly is very special and something to be savoured.

The quality of the breakfast we enjoyed on both the Saturday and Sunday morning was just as high. We each opted for the English breakfast, and I of course chose the vegetarian version. Just as with evening meals, I was pleased to see that just as much time and thought had been put in to making a veggie dish as a meat dish. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals, which set us up perfectly for a walk around the hotel's immaculate grounds on the Saturday morning.

'Enchanting garden'

The walk took us around an impressive green landscape, and were happy to leisurely amble around the paths, stopping frequently to take in the breathtaking beauty of the place we were in and appreciate some sun. A highlight for both of us was seeing a family of Scottish highland cows who live on the grounds. Obviously used to visitors admiring them, they seemed happy to stand and pose for photos.

We also walked around the walled garden. We stayed at the hotel towards the end of winter, and so the garden was waiting for spring to be able to bloom, but we still appreciated the area - including an archway which we could imagine would look stunning when covered in flowers in the spring or summer. It reminded me of the enchanted garden that Alice in Wonderland explored and, just like the hotel it was part of, the garden felt enchanting - even though it wasn't at its full potential at that time. I would love to see it when it is in full bloom, I'm sure it's spectacular.

'Calming and peaceful'

This a hotel where the basics of travel - which I class as offering a place to sleep and a place to eat - are done exceptionally well. It may not boast lots of extra facilities to occupy your time between meals and sleep, but what it does do is make you feel like a very welcome, and like a very special guest.

There's also plenty of details provided in various booklets in the room about the surrounding area so that you can visit other places if you wish, and make informed choices about where to go. This was something Tom and I found particulalrly helpful as Tom had never been to Scotland at all before and I had never visited that specific area so our knowledge was limited at best. But, we both said we are very keen to return to Cringletie because of the outstanding service we received.

There's no flashy gadgets in the rooms, the furniture and decor is all very traditional, and instrumental or soft soul music plays in the communal rooms. If you are looking for entertainment, there's a selection of board games, but other than that it's all about taking in the beauty of where you are. I liked taking a step back from the various trappings of modern life though, it felt like a detox.

The hotel has a very calming and peaceful aura. We had what we needed and that was quite enough, we didn't need anything extra. After all, weekends away are supposed to be relaxing and offer you a chance to unwind, slow down and disconnect from hectic everyday life, and this hotel certainly offers you that. If you fancy escaping reality, experiencing true luxury (and pretending to be a Lord or Lady, even if just for a day or two), then this is the place for you.