Dundee is a city whose inventions have shaped the world. Wireless telegraphy, X-rays, street lights, the adhesive postage stamp, submarine telephone cables, the ‘hole in the wall’ cash dispenser, keyhole surgery, radar, Dundee cake and, of course, marmalade all got their start in Dundee! Now known as City of Discovery its universities rank in the top 10 globally for biosciences. And if you ever read a comic, then the chances are it came from this creative hub. Dundee has real appeal both in town and on its beautiful hinterlands of Fife, Angus and Perthshire.

In town, the Centre for Contemporary Arts or 'DCA' is one of the most exciting public galleries in Scotland – drawing in visitors from both Edinburgh and Glasgow to its prestigious openings. Dundee Rep Theatre has a reputation for top-class productions. Dundee Riverside Airport is small but offers a growing number of direct links and the city – connected by famous bridges over the Tay – is easy to get to. These advantages combine to make the place a high-quality centre for work or play.

East of the city centre, the seaside village of Broughty Ferry offers a relaxing antidote to the bustle of town. The Woodlands Hotel here is just a short drive to the city centre, minutes from the famous esplanade along the Tay estuary where dolphins can be sighted. The hotel’s Leisure Centre and the free wi-fi are definite plusses. Music lovers will be happy to know that the Woodlands hosts an evening of folk music once a month. In its heyday, musicians such as famed comedian Billy Connelly were known to frequent the Woodlands for its music sessions. The foot tapping folk music still draws in crowds of music lovers from the area.

The hotel nestles between Monifieth and Broughty Ferry and is signposted up Abercromby Street, opposite the Esso station, to be precise. The short drive through wooded grounds opens up to reveal an attractive former country house with a modern extension. There's easy, free parking. The site is leafy and peaceful with manicured landscaping in the hotel grounds which border the Beer Garden in front. The area surrounding the hotel is suburban (although Broughty Ferry’s a rather posh place and has its own strong identity) but the site’s towering trees make it all feel secluded and rather serene.

The Woodlands Hotel, independently owned and run under the Best Western banner largely for marketing purposes, is the sister business of the Invercarse Hotel in Dundee. It has two distinctly different parts. The gracious former Georgian manor houses the Restaurant, Library (a private dining room), Gun Room and 18 individual bedrooms. This is connected to a modern extension which has 20 bedrooms, a comprehensive Leisure Centre and a large Ballroom. A popular meeting spot for the local community, the reception Foyer does ‘double duty’ in offering a friendly welcome to residents and is also an information focal post for local clubs, societies and associations who regularly hold events at the hotel.

Décor throughout is warm with an emphasis on yellow, peach and cream. The modern wing is accented with pine trim, while the old house makes the most of cornicing, ceiling roses, and dark panelling original to the property. Bedrooms have a relatively standard hotel style, and while some feel more up to date than others, the hotel is gradually freshening up the décor throughout. The strengths of the hotel – lovely location apart, and that’s a certain advantage – are in its very friendly and experienced staff, its free, fast wi-fi internet access and the excellent leisure and events facilities.

The accommodation is in two distinctly different areas – the original house, and the extension. The latter, a two-storey modern area, offers 20 bedrooms. The ground floor rooms are ideal for persons with mobility difficulties. Rooms in the modern wing are spacious, consistent in size, warm and comfortable. The décor is a little old fashioned. The rooms in the house are smaller than those in the modern wing, but feel spacious due to the gracious Georgian proportions and high ceilings. Each room is individually decorated to make the most of space and light. All rooms have good flatscreen TVs, hairdryers, tea / coffee trays with hot chocolate and shortbread. Rooms in the modern wing have a baggage holder. Iron and ironing boards are available upon request.

Free wi-fi is available in all bedrooms and we found the system fast and simple to use. All have a dressing table / desk with chair. Bathrooms have either baths with overshowers or a shower cubicle and all have wall-mounted Lux shampoo / soap dispensers for use – more ‘green’ than these little plastic bottles. All bathrooms we examined were well lit, with good big mirrors. Shower pressure in the modern wing is excellent. Shower pressure in the old house had been known to be less consistent – especially on the upper floors – but recently installed power showers should remedy this.

All rooms are the same 'grade'. In the old house, there's one Family Room (126) which is 2 rooms combined, making for a more spacious accommodation with a kingsize bed plus a single one, a larger bathroom and two flatscreen TVs. There’s also a room with four-poster bed (127) which can be offered as the Honeymoon Suite to wedding parties, or even to romantic escapees in-the-know. The modern wing offers one Accessible Room (100), which has twin beds with ample room for maneuvering a wheel chair, as well as a fully equipped disabled loo. There are also two interconnecting rooms on the ground floor (102-104 and 103-105) offering security and flexibility for larger families and parties. All rooms are non-smoking.

Tips: rooms on the 2nd floor (rooms 127 to 131) of the old house are perhaps best, with room 130 standing out as particularly light, airy and attractively proportioned. The 3rd floor of the old house makes the most of combed ceilings with rooms 132 to 135 being cosy and homely. Rooms 136 and 137 are the larger rooms on this floor and have shower stalls rather than showers over baths. We stayed in room 105 in the modern wing, which was spacious with peach and cream décor and, like all rooms in the modern wing, had a wall-mounted trouser press.

Chef Ewan MacRae’s menu succinctly says: ‘We don’t do fast food. What we can promise is that we will serve you with quality food as quickly as possible’. And it’s this quality food served as quickly as possible that keeps a regular stream of local diners coming back again for lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, Sunday lunch… and also on Sundays, that great Scottish tradition, ‘high tea’. The staff are notably friendly and helpful and their banqueting training in silver service translates to a high level of service in the dining room. The hotel offers several areas for dining – with an ample choice of private dining areas for family celebrations, business lunches, and everything in-between. The main restaurant – the Gun Room – is so named for a past purpose rather than its current one and there are no guns in sight, thankfully. That might lead to indigestion.

Sunday lunch is a good-value, set price affair – main courses such as Roast Pork Loin, Apple Sauce and Roast Baby Vegetables, or Fillet of Salmon, Basil Mash and Watercress Sauce are £8.50 each, or opt for a 2-course meal at £11. Sunday’s ‘high tea’ is a good value supper choice. Dinner also offers a list of individually-priced items such as steaks, chicken, or Haddock in Soda Water Batter and winter-warmer comfort food like Macaroni Cheese or Beef Casserole with Flaky Pastry.

When we stayed this year, and dined, we started with a very tasty Arbroath Smokie and Leek Gratin with Toast; and, across the table, Tower of Chicken Liver and Rosemary Pâté, whipped into a mousse. Mains courses we enjoyed included Chicken stuffed with Sun Dried Tomato Mousse with Roasted Vegetables; and Venison Loin, Clapshot Mash and Celeriac Fondant with Redcurrant Gravy. Both were very pleasantly presented. Fresh Strawberries made for a simple and healthy dessert, and a Cheese Plate was sampled, too… and it could have fed an army. Everything was served with a smile in a relaxed setting where quiet conversations flow freely. There is a distinctly home-made feel to the food and we liked that; it’s clear that local patrons from this select district feel the same.

Breakfast is set up in the restaurant, with a buffet offering a selection of fruit, juices, yoghurts, pastries, muffins, cereals, muesli, cold meats and cheeses. Skimmed and full fat milk, butter and Flora portions as well as jam and marmalade all available. A separate area offers a self-serve selection of hot, traditional items such as bacon, scrambled eggs, black pudding, tomato, beans and sausages. Tea and coffee is brought to the table. Overall, it is an enjoyable breakfast show with a good selection of hearty and healthy options and the ever-present pleasant, helpful service.

The Woodlands has a highly attractive Leisure Centre on the premises that is open to guests and private membership from the surrounding community. The facilities benefit from all accoutrements you’d expect in a good quality health club – a large swimming pool, spa bath, cedar sauna, steam room, stationary bicycles, treadmills, cross-trainers, rowing machines, free weights and nautilus equipment, as well as space and accessories for floor exercises. This popular club is home to Natural Essence – a complimentary health therapist offering therapeutic, remedial and sports massage as well as essential oil aromatherapy. Back in the great outdoors, Additionally, the hotel is well placed for visits to St. Andrews, the East Neuk of Fife (pretty fishing villages) or Perthshire. Golfers have countless courses from which to choose. Dundee itself offers much for the visitor.

The Woodlands Hotel near Dundee is a popular spot for wedding receptions and functions. The handsome Ballroom can be divided into two rooms, with the smaller section making an area for a wedding ceremony (typically held in front of a stunning wall of stained glass) for up to 80 guests. When open fully, the Ballroom can accommodate up to 150 people for a reception, banquet or dinner dance. It has its own fully-stocked bar and ladies and gents toilets, allowing functions the additional plus of having private, exclusive facilities separate from the other hotel residents and bar / restaurant guests. Also available are the Wyldes Meeting Room on the first floor of the old house, and the Library, a tastefully decorated private dining room that, as the name suggests, was once the house library. These rooms are attractive places to hold small-scale conferences for up to 30 guests, as well as board meetings. Both rooms are popular for private dining for up to 25 people – with milestone birthday parties being especially popular.

Sara McMillan says…
“This hotel is brimming with the friendly spirit of the local community. After just a few moments, it’s hard not to feel as if you’ve been welcomed into life in leafy, suburban Broughty Ferry. The leisure facilities are great and its popularity with the local community means you may have to share with more people than expected. Housekeeping is of the highest standard, and so while the soft furnishings can sometimes feel in need of updating, everything is well-maintained and impecabbly clean. Dining is creative and uses fresh local produce to create a meals of consistant quality. I prefer the gracious Georgian proportions and timeless character of the old house to the modern wing. However, if bedroom space is a priority, the modern wing is the way to go. All round solid 3-star hotel with friendly staff who seem to really enjoy what they do. And from what I’ve seen, I can see why."

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REVIEW STATUS & MERIT AWARDS This establishment has now been fully reviewed by the Guide and any HotelReviewScotland.com™ Merit Awards will show above, beneath the address details. We also list the latest ratings and gradings for this business from other guides and organisations. One or more of our experienced reviewer team has stayed at this establishment, spent time with the management, and the Guide is receiving reader and industry input from one or all of: online Reader’s Reviews; Comment Postcards; and Voting in The Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards. All entries are carefully monitored. The lead star grading has been awarded by the Scottish Tourist Board / VisitScotland. As the hotel is a Full Member of HotelReview™ Scotland the Look & Book Box™ links are LIVE.

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