24 hours at... Gleneagles' Glenmor luxury lodges

Jo Morris discovers the perfect antidote to a Scottish winter at Glenmor...

Picture the scene: Scotland, early February. Wet and dark by 4pm, us with the pallor only the fully-wrapped can achieve after six months of the above.

But the antidote is closer than you think: Gleneagles; shimmering in the Perth countryside like an oasis in the desert (if the desert was a damp cold winter in Northern Europe).

We head upstairs to the open plan kitchen/diner/lounge and work out if we can lock ourselves in for at least a week

We’ve been here before but never with a child. Mini breaks with our four-year-old are fantastic but sleeping arrangements can be a compromise in a hotel room.

That’s why we’ve elected to stay in Glenmor, the hotel’s luxury lodges, as they offer all the benefits of the hotel but with more space and separate rooms.

We arrive at our house, which from the outside resembles something on a smart housing estate but once through the door resembles a five star hotel. Everything is perfect.

We head upstairs to the open plan kitchen/diner/lounge and try to work out if we can lock ourselves in for at least a week.

The plan for our day is to visit the health club, before returning for a luxury bath together with candles and chilled-out music.

I’m dreaming of the latter, but when we arrive at the health club I realise to my relief that we can all have a nice time – not just our son Luca who wants to dive, jump and swim – but also his mummies, thanks to the outdoor jacuzzi and above average temperature in the main pool, plus sauna and steam room in the adults-only section.

We spend two hours in a blissed out state, which is remarkable considering we’re sharing a pool with other peoples’ children.

Back ‘home’, sharing the biggest ever bath together becomes a #goals for our future.

Dinner at The Birnam brasserie is almost perfect – except we have to bring our by now, over-tired and grouchy four-year-old.

We swing by the newly done-up Den for kids, with cinema room, games and computers, before a swiftly dispatched bedtime, giving us the unexpected pleasure of a rare evening together (which we elect to spend without switching on the TV).

In the morning we fully indulge in one of the best ever breakfasts at The Strathearn before more swimming and relaxing – the sun even appears and we get to bask in the jacuzzi.

A mere 24 hours at Gleneagles manages to make real life seem a very long way away.