This large 221-bedroom hotel, an hour south of Glasgow, is best known for its championship links courses and it does attract plenty of golfing types. However, there are many other reasons to visit, not least because it boasts one of the best spas in the UK and a stunning location on the shores of Scotland's west coast. Combined with opulent comfort and the first-class service of the staff, which is remarkable, especially given the size of the hotel, it has everything you need to relax and indulge yourselves.
After checking in to your comfortable room, celebrate the start of your honeymoon by treating yourselves to Champagne tea with sandwiches, scones and pastries in The Ailsa Lounge. From one of the comfortable sofas you can soak up the views across the Irish Sea to Ailsa Craig, a large dome-shaped rock that is also known as Paddy's Milestone. The view is breathtaking and it won't be long before you and your new hubby are enticed to scramble down the sand dunes to the beach where you can stroll hand in hand across the deserted golden sands.
If all that exhilarating fresh air leaves you wanting more, the Outdoor Activity Centre offers archery, fishing, horse-riding and off-road driving in the grounds of the 800-acre estate. There is something rather romantic about donning heavy waxed jackets to fend off the Scottish drizzle and striding out across the grounds together with a bow tucked under one arm and arrows clasped in your hand.
A visit to the spa is a must. Housed in a separate building to the main hotel, it offers hydrotherapy rooms, a fitness studio, a 20-metre pool and 12 treatment rooms. Your visit here is designed to be a truly sensory experience, from the soft glow of candlelight along the corridors to the background music that plays while you lose yourself at the hands of your therapist. Afterwards, you're lead into one of the relaxation rooms where you're encouraged to snuggle down under a mound of soft blankets and oversize pillows on a teak steamer until you can rouse yourself from your dreamlike state and emerge with mind and body restored.
Each evening before dinner you'll hear the haunting strains of a bagpipe carrying on the breeze as a lone piper stands on the steps of the hotel to herald the end of the day. There's a range of restaurants to choose from but by far the most special is The Turnberry Restaurant. Tables in this grand room all face towards the large bay window and you will be treated to a dramatic sunset that bathes the entire room in a fiery glow - guaranteed to enhance the feeling of well-being that a stay here will evoke.
Getting there: Two nights in a Classic room at the Westin Turnberry Resort cost from £295, including breakfast. Honeymooners receive a bottle of Champagne and flowers and an upgrade, subject to availability. For reservations, call 01655 333991, www.westin.com/turnberry
