Spend your last few days of singledom having a sleepover with your mates in your own private paradise
Dundas Castle
Ever since the TOWIE lot appeared on our screens and added ‘reem’, ‘well jel’ and ‘vajazzle’ to the nation’s vocabulary, we’ve been obsessed by their celebration of glamping. For those not familiar with the term, glamping is glamorous camping. You’ll be treated to accommodation and facilities much more luxurious than you’d expect with traditional camping, and you can kiss goodbye to any sense of roughing it. If this sounds more up your street, the canvas cottages at Dundas Castle in Edinburgh will blow you away. Each has hardwood floors, proper furniture, a wood-burning stove, cooking facilities, clothes rails and an en-suite bathroom. You won’t want to leave.
Mountain Bear Lodge
Many couples who have celebrated their hen or stag party at Mountain Bear Lodge have gone on to marry there – and who could blame them? It’s astonishing! Up to 16 of you can chill out in the lodge in Nethybridge, tucked away in the Highlands. It has its own private outdoor hot tub just waiting for you and your friends to enjoy. And with a sauna and jacuzzi in the spa suite, you’d be mad not to pack your swimwear. We like the lodge’s barbecue hut and full Sky package – you can put your mates to work grilling the burgers while you watch the latest films.
Big Husky Lodge
If chilling out by the fire with a glass of red is your jam, there’s a luxury lodge near Aviemore with your name on it. Big Husky Lodge in Kinveachy, Inverness-shire, is a mammoth alpine ski lodge with all mod cons to keep you and the gang entertained. The media-packed space is fitted with WiFi, smart TVs, a Sonos music system, Spotify and Netflix. And if that wasn’t enough, you and your mates can hop into the hot tub to discuss those all-important wedding plans. If a total de-stress is required, the lodge has its own spa suite with a sauna, jacuzzi and rainfall shower.
Edinburgh Group Escapes
A sleepover hen or stag party doesn’t have to entail ‘getting away from it all’. If you’re in the mood for a mad one in our glorious capital city, Edinburgh Group Escapes offers chic apartments, perfect for resting your head. The company has more than a dozen flats in the city, seven of which are especially suitable for parties. These party flats, most with space for four to 14 guests (though there’s one that has space for an amazing 34), are in a great location, giving you the chance to kick off celebrations before venturing out.
Crieff Hydro
Famous for its whisky and yearly Highland Games, as well as for giving us Ewan McGregor, Crieff is chock-full of exciting tales. The same goes for those venturing to the market town to celebrate their last blast of singledom. Crieff Hydro not only has a whole host of activities to keep your buddies on their toes, but its self-catering accommodation will add a touch of luxury and relaxation after a colourful game of woodland combat or a tour of the grounds on quad bikes. The hotel’s lodges, cottages and apartments are dotted around the 900-acre estate, meaning you can be right in the thick of the action, or tucked away in your own corner of the woodland.
Lotus Lodge
Midway between Glasgow and Carlisle and around an hour and a half from Edinburgh, Lotus Lodge is a large traditional village house which sits in the heart of Wanlockhead, the highest village in Scotland. The lodge has six bedrooms, a lounge with a wood-burning stove and a stylish kitchen, making it equipped and ready for your party celebrations. There’s plenty of parking too so you don’t have to worry about packing loads of you into one car for the trip. With space for 20 mates to sleep in comfort, plus WiFi throughout, everything you need for the barbecue and stunning scenery to boot, Lotus Lodge makes the ideal base for a weekend away.
Highland Hall
Sometimes only a mansion will do. That’s why we can’t get over the look of Highland Hall, located 20 miles from Inverness. The accommodation is arranged over three floors of this Georgian mansion, which is big enough to sleep 14 of your chums. The lounge-dining room is equipped with a grand dining table and two open fireplaces with plenty of logs to keep the fire going. If one of the party is a keen baker, put them to good use in the kitchen – there’s an AGA and an additional electric range cooker with gas hob. If you’d rather leave the cooking to the professionals, though, a chef is available on request armed with an array of delicious menus.
Eden Leisure Village
If the thought of venturing too far out of Glasgow gives you a headrush, we may have found the perfect hen or stag sleepover destination for you. Eden Leisure Village, just a 30-minute drive from the centre of town, offers hobbit huts, bell tents and camping pods to give you the outdoors experience without the muddy footprints or the foregoing of modern-day comforts. There are three hobbit huts on site (each sleeping up to four guests), five glamping pods (sleeping up to five), and two bell tents (sleeping up to four). There’s even a hot tub and sauna available for hire so you can relax and ease away those hangover aches and pains.
Tower House
Grand Designs is always full of jaw-dropping church conversions. Tower House in Avoch, near Inverness, could easily be a contender for a slot on the architectural revamp show. With space to sleep eight pals, this semi-detached Grade B listed church conversion is spacious, comfortable and stylish with a touch of luxury. Just one mile from the pub, you can have a drink with the locals then head back to the house for games and hilarity. If there are any nature lovers in the group, make sure you take a jaunt to Rosemarkie beach – it’s one of the best places in the country for spotting dolphins.
La Fortuna Lodges
Nothing screams hen party like a girls’ night in, and the team at La Fortuna Lodges have created the ultimate sleepover space near Stirling. The aptly named Party Lodge has open views of the countryside and boasts masses of space. The lodge has four bedrooms, sleeping up to ten, and the open-plan lounge and dining area features a 55-inch HDTV. The open-plan kitchen houses an American-style fridge freezer, cooker, washing machine and dishwasher so you can make the place your own for the duration of your stay. If that’s not enough, you’ll also have exclusive use of your own hot tub.