STUNNING beach walks in the morning, thrilling polar bear encounters in the afternoon.
It might sound like the plot from the successful, and bizarre, American TV series ‘Lost’.
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But this was our holiday reality and it was right on our doorstep in Scotland’s Cairngorms.
The sprawling Macdonald Aviemore Resort has been a go-to destination for couples and families for years. Its appeal remains as strong as ever, as my family can testify after spending three glorious days up north.
We left the central belt at noon and were safely in Aviemore by 3pm after a picturesque drive up the A9.
Our spacious family room in the Highlands Hotel was ready after a seamless check-in process and the staff couldn’t have done more for us.
Me, wife Emma and our daughters Bonnie, three, and Jessie (19 months) crammed in as much as possible during the stay.
After stretching our legs at the brilliant on-site playground, we ate at Giovannis, the resort’s Italian restaurant, on the first night.
Bonnie and Jessie loved the spaghetti and my carbonara was magnificent.
Emma went for the pizza, which was the size of a bin lid.
Fed and watered, it was time for the nightly mini disco – with lots of games and dances for all the kids.
Early rises are the norm and we were at breakfast for 7am the next day, just as the sun broke through.
With the majestic Loch Morlich just a 20-minute drive away, we took the chance to take a visit before the crowds arrived.
Wow. We pretty much had the entire beach to ourselves and the girls had great fun chasing a Peppa Pig football around the golden sand in this gem of the Highlands.
GO:Aviemore
GO: AVIEMORE
Macdonald Aviemore Resort’s Highland Wildlife Park getaway includes dinner, bed and breakfast, as well as tickets to the Highland Wildlife Park. Prices start from £264, based on a family of four (two adults and two children under the age of 15) sharing a family room and includes unlimited access to the resort’s leisure facilities. See macdonaldhotels.co.uk or call 01479 815 189.
Back at the resort, we headed to the Aviemore Activity Centre. The brilliant pool has a wave machine and perfect slide for the kids – and adults.
The soft play was ideal for Bonnie and Jessie, while the large games room has so much for children of all ages.
Our packed itinerary meant we were off to the Highland Wildlife Park next to get up close with the animals.
Stuart was our entertaining guide and his knowledge was incredible. Bonnie helped feed Sven, one of the reindeer, and we were all in awe of the Amur tigers.
But the undoubted highlight was meeting Arktos, one of four polar bears in the park, He was just yards away from us as he scoffed his afternoon snack of carrots and apples.
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Jessie never stops singing ‘Row Row Your Boat’ and knows to shiver when she sees a polar bear – which she duly did for the rest of the day!
Dinner at the Highlands Hotel’s terrific Aspects restaurant that night hit the spot for all of us.
After more morning swimming and 100 shots of the slide, we spent the next day at Landmark Forest Adventure Park in nearby Carrbridge, where the kids had an absolute ball exploring and finding fun every time we turned a corner.
Bonnie loves dinosaurs and was in her element in the special Jurassic area of the vast park. With so much on offer, you could spend days there and the ‘Wee Monkey Trail’ was another winner as Jessie was hooked up next to her sister on the aerial course.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
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Starving after another busy day, we had dinner at the resort’s new Highland Fish Bar… fish and chips all round, of course, and arguably the best meal of our entire stay.
The kids waved goodbye to the polar bears as we reluctantly left for home, vowing to be back to see Arktos and pals soon.
