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Dream Escape & Rebecca Recommends FAM Trip Scotland, March 2025

24th March 2025

What a fabulous week. Blessed with the weather and a wonderful and enthusiastic group of advisors we travelled from Edinburgh to The Highlands, highlighting the exclusive, inspiring experiences and accommodations which are on offer to our clients.

The Group was led by Emer Mortell and Ann McFerran from Rebecca Recommends and accompanied by Dream Escape Client Relationship Managers and Blue Bade Guides, Rosie Peattie and Sally Strange.

Starting in Edinburgh the group stayed in the fabulous 100 Princes Street. Managing director Malcolm Hendry was on hand to welcome the group. Later he joined the group, resplendent in a kilt, and addressed the haggis with a piper in tow. This was followed by whisky tasting and a delicious meal enjoyed by all.

The next day started with clear blue skies for a Pre-opening Private Tour of Edinburgh Castle. It was a rare privilege to see this iconic landmark without the crowds and a fascinating insight into it’s history and turbulent past. This was followed by a historical walking tour of the upper part of The Royal Mile led by Dream Escape Blue Badge Guide Rosie, who educated the group on everything Edinburgh and how we entertain clients on the Royal Mile.

The following day it was an early start for the drive north which meant the chance to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. Breakfast at Ballingtaggart Farm provided time to stretch the legs enjoy the farm grounds, kitchen garden, visit the lovely hens and enjoy the views of the sweeping Perthshire countryside. The food was delicious, and the room was toasty warm with wood burning stove. Owner and Executive Chef Chris Rowley was a very charming host and answered lots of questions and the expereince was much enjoyed by all.

After some amazing photos stops, the group arrived at The Torridon to a very warm welcome with all the fires burning and a lovely peaceful feeling after a busy day. There were drinks in bar joined by Torridon Owner, Dan Rose-Bristow. A Lovely dinner followed in main dining room with GM Ross Aitcheson and Commercial Manager, Alan Patterson .

The next day the group enjoyed Torridon activities. Roxanne from Elite Falconry gave a fabulous display with white tailed eagle, owl and red kite. Afternoon tea was served in the library followed by Rock Rose Gin Masterclass. This was a fabulous experience with lovely personalised labels for bottles of eveyone’s home made concoctions.

An award winning local accordionist played during pre-dinner drinks and the evening meal which was a delicious Fine Dining Taster menu with pairings of champagne, red wine and whisky, created by the head chef.

The group loved everything about The Torridon. and departed under dramatic skies and stunning scenery.

Next on the agenda was a tour of Cawdor Castle which was opened privately for the Fam group. An excellent tour with Graham the Manager which was knowledgeable, fun and interesting. The group walked through the grounds to Cawdor Tavern for delicious meal cooked by the new chef.

A quick stop at the fascinating Clava Cairns for the Outlander fans and a stop at Culloden before arriving at our final destination, the stunnung, Aldourie Castle. After a tour of the castle, a settle in and relax, the group enjoyed pre dinner coctails in the great hall and family style dinner in The Stebbings.

The next day some of the group chose a leisurely start with yoga in the Hayloft, while other brave souls dipped their toes into Loch Ness with some wild swimming. The fire on the beach and fabulous surrounds managed to take the edge off the chill slightly!

Next there was a Wildland conservation talk and estate garden and tour followed by an exhilarating RIB tour of Loch ness and a light lunch at the boat house with Haydn the chef and Head Gardener John. Afterwards we enjoyed a wander through woods and walled garden with Head Gardener ending at The Orangerie.

Here the group demonstrated their crafting skills with a Garden floral class. This was a lovely relaxing experience where everyone learned the 5 ‘F’s of flower arranging and created their very own masterpieces!

The evening started with Champagne and canapes in the Drawing Room and dinner in the Castle Dining Room joined by Hospitality Manager, Lavinia Turner and Kerry Morrison, Guest Relations Manager. A lovely touch was the flower arrangements from the earlier masterclass which were all on display in the dining room

A lovely surprise and real treat at end of a perfect Scottish castle evening was a ‘Beating Retreat’ performed on the castle lawn with the pipers coming inside for photos afterwards. A fitting end to the perfect Scotland showcase.

After a leisurely breakfast in the Lairds room the group reluctantly said good bye to new found friends, Aldourie Castle and this stunning corner of Scotland.

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  • "Incredible service ! The BEST tour guides, tour options and always available to help smooth over any "snafus" that we ran across during our vacation. 5-star, A+ rating from us."

    Clients of Jessica Thompson, Fairway Travel, Virtuoso

  • "....their time in the U.K. was PERFECT – loved everything you guys did for them, and sang praises for everyone! Thank you!! "

    Connie Hanes, Herff Travel

  • "Everyone, from the Tour Guides to our excellent driver, were amazing. All aspects of the trip were beyond expectations. Even changing our day schedule for outside reasons (like the airline sending my bag to a city 120miles away) they were always happy to help and move the schedule around so we could keep enjoying our trip. Everyone made us feel at home and like family."

    Client of Leah Molinari, Molinari Travel, Gifted Travel Network

  • "Dream Escape was the trip of a lifetime. Excellent choice of hotels, tour guide was awesome, the planned tours were wonderful and very informative."

    Client of Trisha Rathke, VIP Travel Designs, Gifted Travel Network

  • "Dreamscape designed an itinerary that combined an exploration of Scottish history and culture and a visit to some of the filming locations for the hit TV show Outlander. The tour guides provided were personable and knowledgeable and responsive to our interests. Our driver who was with us for the entire trip was professional and pleasant and again, flexible and sensitive to our interests. The hotels were magnificent and the pacing of the trip, spending at least two nights in each hotel was perfect. The itinerary was everything we wanted!"

    Client of Susan Morley, Journeys around the World, Cadence

  • "Sally Strange was wonderful so knowledgable, friendly and fun. 100% would use her services again. We feel like we have a friend for life! We LOVED our tours, where we ate lunch, and spending the days with Sally......Thanks (once again!) for looking after our clients so well. We so appreciate you. "

    Lauren Ainsley, Black Tomato

  • "Rosie...thank you for giving us such a world-class experience in Scotland. Everyone had such a wonderful time and your presence was a large part of that. Your warmth and generosity in taking care of us on our little excursion is so beyond appreciated and I can’t wait to work with you again soon."

    Alex Martinetti

  • "Thank you so very much for the amazing trip to Scotland that you planned for us!! It was truly a once in a lifetime fabulous family trip!! Not only were the accommodations perfect, the activities were above expectations, given the people involved with so much knowledge and compassion for what they do....Many, many heartfelt thanks for making this trip so very special for our family. "

    Clients of Kristen Meckem, Kristen Meckem Travel, An Affiliate of Brownell

  • "I work regularly with Michael Davies, who I can not praise enough! Michael is a gem to work with and always delivers extraordinary client itineraries. "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "We cannot thank you enough for all you did for us during our stay in Scotland! We loved every minute of it....and we loved you teaching us the history of each town and visit. "

    The Pogue Family - Clients of Amy Spence, Strong Travel

  • "We are so grateful for professionalism, expertise, and purely fun personality to entertain and educate our clients in all things royal! I do believe it was a smashing success. 😊"

    Pat Bowden, Red Letter Travel, an independent affiliate of Brownell

  • "Michael does such an outstanding job with making sure every itinerary he works on with me is well thought out. He is attentive to detail and always allows for the clients interest to be reflected in their tours. He makes sure that the perfect tour operator and chauffeur is paired with each client. I wanted you to know what a pleasure it is working with Michael and knowing my clients will always be well cared for when traveling with Dream Escape! "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "Without a doubt, what made all of it so special and unforgettable was having the true pleasure of having Sally Strange as our guide. She was truly incredible..so full of life, energy, amazing historical knowledge anywhere we visited was extraordinary. Her sense of humor and fun personality made her extra special. Sally was a winner in every way."

    Clients of Betsy Talbot, Travel by Talbot (Brownell)

  • "Your team excelled on all levels! The execution of the itinerary was flawless!!! Well done. The clients LOVED Sally and this was just the second note from them about how exceptional she was. "

    Cathy Major, Cerulean World Travel

  • "I just wanted to send an e-mail to compliment the excellent service I have received with Susie Little. She has been absolutely wonderful to work with. She is quick to respond, easily answers all of our questions, and has had to be patient with my clients as we have made many changes and updates to the itinerary. I really appreciate all of her hard work and the beautiful itinerary she put together for my clients. They said they were in AWE and everything looked fabulous! Thank you for providing such excellent service and I look forward to working with you in the near future! Thank you so much!"

    Krista Boyles, Unique Romance Travel

  • "I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your incredible work on this project, we really could not have gotten it across the finish line without you and your team 😊"

    Marieta Carrrero, Boost Journeys

  • "I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone at Dream Escape who helped in making the Gialamas' visit to London special. I know Dream Escape has many people behind the scenes that work on making an itinerary such as this flow seamlessly and I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work! "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "Activities & Tours - All the events and guides were outstanding.- Guides - Simply the best. All of them. All outstanding! "

    Black Tomato Clients

  • "Thank you for everything you did to make the entire trip, special presentations and events so special. It has added a sparkle in my life!"

    Gretchen Ashworth Stewart, Client

  • "Dream Escape, to no one’s surprise, is the best in the business. I cannot begin to thank you for crafting a perfect vacation for these clients. They had nothing but fabulous things to say about each and every event."

    Nancy Ebel, Virtuoso Travel Advisor

  • "Couldn’t have asked for a better 1st trip to London!......The sites we saw were the best & Sally, you went above & beyond to make it memorable"

    Shannon Marie Long - Reed and Mackay

  • "Delightful to spend time and see the incredible city of London with you all. Dream Escape for a flawless job in seeing the best bespoke sites, Sally you are amazing. Thank you again as this was amazing"

    Josh Whitaker - Owner, Rudi Steele Travel

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    Rob Arrow, Al Tayyar Group

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    William A Heim, Client

  • "I had the most wonderful time with you and learned so much...What you offer is rare and much needed in the truly exclusive travel world. "

    Jean Newman-Glock, Signature Travel Network

  • "You were the heart and soul of the trip….I truly admired your sunny personality, sense of humor, organization and professionalism.  You also demonstrated  that a guide’s work is never done as you were constantly researching….. Did you ever rest??? "

    Sharon Delano, Frosch

  • "We want to thank you and the team from Dream Escape.  All six of us in our group had a wonderful time, and we all agreed we owed that in large measure to the work of Dream Escape. From the onset of working with you, you demonstrated a tremendous knowledge about all the activities we wished to pursue —from playing golf to dining at excellent restaurants to seeing historical sites and the Tattoo and Fringe Festival.  And, then you executed "

    Thomas Cohen, Client

  • "THANK YOU a zillion times over for choosing/assigning Rosie to be with this family.  She MADE the trip for them – there’s no other way to put it! "

    Jill Jergel, Frontiers International Travel

  • "Our holiday in Scotland now tops their lists of best trips…… To their growing list of amazing and memorable first-time experiences, our sons may add fishing for trout and salmon on the River Tay; steering a motor boat on Loch Ness; and taking private guided tours on Culloden Moor Of the eight full days we were in Scotland, Alex and Mattie thought each and every day was the best"

    Michael Guadarrama & Trammi Nguyen, clients of Peter Carideo. CRC Travel

  • "All six of us were deeply moved by the whole experience. Bravo Dream Escape "

    Max Levy, Direct client

  • "Thank you Karen and all of the staff and guides affiliated with Dream Escape…..the Flemings are having an awesome tour of Scotland. You all have made me look like a star! "

    Joni Gerace, The Travel Society, LLC

  • "Thanks for all your help and we can chalk this one up as a big success!   Our anniversary celebration was all we could have hoped for "

    Clients of Courtney Regan, Affiliate of Brownell Travel

  • "Rosie was MORE than outstanding – she went out of her way to help us in every regard...She was so knowledgeable – we all loved her"

    Jill A. Jergel, Frontiers International Travel

  • "I cannot thank you, Nicola and all the Dream Escape “clan” for the wonderful care & attention you have provided, and are providing for my clients"

    Cindy Evans, Travel Consultant

  • "I hope I have another opportunity to work with Dream Escape in the near future. The company is so professional, yet approachable and easy to work with. It has been a pleasure!"

    Carole McFarland, Universal Travel

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    Donald M. Davis, President, Luxury Travel, Inc.

  • "Thank you all so much it's great to have trusted friends on the ground to take care of our clients!"

    Peter Carideo, CRC Travel

  • "The trip was great.... Dream Escape is the name of the game"

    Ann Lipschitz, Worldview Travel

  • "Your level of service is just outstanding"

    Debra Fini, VWTI

  • "Dream Escape don’t just organise trips – they create adventures"

    Financial Times, How to Spend it

  • "It was, without doubt, one of the most spectacular weekends I have ever had"

    Country Life

  • "David Tobin’s an ace at getting inside private castles and estates and he’s well connected.... "

    Conde Nast Traveller Magazine

  • "The level of service they provide is outstanding. They truly care about every aspect of the trip to ensure you have a fantastic stay. Rosie is a hidden gem of a tour guide. Just fabulous."

    Yvonne Malka, Signature Travel Network, April 2018

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