Lands of Turnberry is a self-catering enclave of extremely spacious and well appointed apartments and lodges within the luxury Turnberry Resort. Although separate from the main hotel we had full access to the spa facilities and, if we had wished ‘privileged access’ to the world famous golf courses. The Ailsa Craig views are stunning, the beaches are great, there’s an attached farm for the kids, a supervised kids room in the hotel, an evening baby sitting service while you enjoy the top class restaurant or spa. We loved Lands of Turnberry but the extras can add up…
Accommodation
Spacious, very well appointed 3 bedroom self catering apartments. (Several have more bedrooms for large families, ask for details). The apartments are very well appointed with widescreen TV, DVDs etc
On Site Dining
Obviously, Lands of Turnberry is self-catering so it’s most cost effective to bring your own food and drink but you do also have full access to the main hotel’s six restaurants. These range from the fine dining restaurant, 1906 to traditional bar and lounges as well as their famous and award-winning Champagne Afternoon Tea, which is a very special treat indeed and highly recommended. Well-behaved children are welcome in all the restaurants, even, 1906 (the date Turnberry was built). The meal for two we had in 1906 was outstanding… and the sea views of Ailsa Craig from your table are incredible.
Things to do
Turnberry is a five star hotel so there are no noisy kids bombing down the long corridors. But as the self-catering apartments are located at the bottom of the hill, this isn’t really an issue as you get the best of both worlds. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Turnberry also offers a babysitting service, which in our case also happened to be one of the girls from the Wee Explorer Club so the kids had already met her which was nice.
Leisure Facilities on offer include: Golf, Spa & Pool, Beaches, Little Kids Indoor Activities, Family Farm, Outdoor Pursuits.
- Golf: Located on the dramatic and historic Ayrshire coast, Turnberry was the venue for one of the greatest golf tournaments of all time when Tom Watson pipped Jack Nicklaus to the Open title in 1977. So golf is the big attraction here. build you the perfect clubs for your body and physique. Even as non-golfers we thoroughly enjoyed our family golf lesson in the driving range. There were mini-clubs for our three year old and eight year old (who has repeatedly asked for golf lessons since). The charming South African professional was attentive, enthusiastic and patient but filming mum and dad each swinging a golf club and then comparing the footage side by side with Tiger Woods was cruel in the extreme. Anyhoo, back to the hotel and its facilities for non-golf fans.
- Kids Indoor Activities. Turnberry resort has made a great effort in recent years to attract families and welcome kids such as investing in the adjoining farm and activity centre and there is a children’s Wee Explorer Club (a secure activity room) for younger children in the main hotel which the kids can enjoy with you or under supervision.
- Spa & Pool. Children are welcome in the pool at any time but there is a designated Splash Time (4-5pm) which is when they throw the floats into the pool, otherwise it’s quite clearly a Spa pool and other guests are there for some peace and calming ‘me time’! (The pool is an ideal depth for all ages of kids, which is not always the case with spa pools).
Braveheart the Turkey
- Family Farm. Guests can walk over to the farm at any time (just along from the lodges) to see and feed the animals but a guided tour is probably worthwhile first. They have an interesting collection of animals such as Alpacas, miniature goats and donkeys, ponies, white peacocks, guinea fowl, highland cows, ‘pom pom’ ducks and their legendary indestructible turkey called Braveheart (who hilariously took issue with our three year old’s bright red jump suit).
- Outdoor Pursuits. In and around the farm are a range of outdoor activities which the family can enjoy together such as air rifle shooting, clay pigeon shooting, quad biking, treasure trails, pony, horse and cart rides, falconry, fishing archery and more. There are age restrictions on some of these but age eight seemed to be the cut off for the more adventurous pursuits. Turnberry also offer a ‘Buddy for a Day’ child minding service (for half or full days) so the children can try each of these outdoor activities under supervision, including snacks and lunch, while the parents or grandparents enjoy a peaceful golf or spa day.
- Beaches. Obviously as Turnberry is on the coast , you can walk down to the beach via a public footpath winding through the golf course which is lovely and you can book various water sports sessions in the summer such as power boating and sailing.
Off site, nearby there is Culzean Castle and obviously you’re in Robert Burns country.
http://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/ayrshire-arran/see-do/
http://www.visitscotland.com/about/wildlife/attractions/ayrshire-arran/