Crieff Hydro
Crieff Hydro is a Victorian family resort at the heart of its own 900-acre estate in Perthshire, central Scotland, run by the same family business since 1868. Alongside its hotel rooms and 56 self-catering lodges it packs in an indoor pool, soft play, a cinema, horse riding and an outdoor adventure park, and it's built around childcare: the registered BIG Country club that lets parents hand the children over and take a couple of hours to themselves.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who Crieff Hydro suits, how the childcare and money work and the facts to skim first.
Crieff Hydro sells itself as Scotland's leading family resort, and the reason so many UK families come back is the childcare. BIG Country is registered, secured drop-off care for ages two to twelve, run by qualified staff, and if you book a hotel room direct it's included, which is unusual for a British resort and means real time off for parents. Around that sit an indoor pool, soft play, a cinema, an outdoor adventure park, horse riding and more than thirty activities across the estate. Two things temper it. From 9 March 2026 self-catering, Murraypark and third-party bookings pay per child for that childcare, so the "free childcare" you'll read in older reviews no longer applies to everyone. Much of the adventure offer is also pitched at seven and up, so a family of under-sevens leans on the pool, soft play and pony rides instead. Get the booking type right and it sits near the top of the Scottish family shortlist.
Best for
You want registered childcare included with a direct hotel booking, an indoor pool, soft play and an outdoor adventure park on one Scottish estate, and real time off while the children are looked after.
Maybe not for
You want a beach and reliable warmth, you'd chosen self-catering for the once-included childcare that's now charged, or your children are all under seven and you'd be paying for the bigger activities they can't do yet.
Best ages
Two and up gets the most, since BIG Country starts at two and much of the adventure park and high ropes is aimed at seven-plus. Babies and toddlers have Little Country, soft play, the pool and pony rides.
What stands out
Registered childcare included on a direct hotel booking, unusual for a UK resort, plus more than thirty on-site activities.
What to check
Whether your booking type includes childcare or is charged for it, and how far your lodge sits from the hotel up the hill.
Where is it?
On its own estate on the edge of Crieff in Perthshire, central Scotland, about 17 miles (27 km) west of Perth. It's landlocked, so there's no beach.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
The estate, the traditional hotel character and how you get around a big, hilly site with a pushchair.
Crieff Hydro is a large Victorian hotel at the top of its own 900-acre estate, on the southern edge of Crieff in Perthshire, where the lowlands meet the Highland hills. It has been trading since 1868, and it keeps the feel of a classic Scottish country-house hotel: comfortable and traditional rather than sleek and modern. The main building sits high on the estate with views over the Strathearn Valley, and the self-catering lodges and cabins spread down the slopes below it. Reviewers often call it Scotland's answer to Center Parcs, though the hotel side feels older and more traditional than a purpose-built lodge village. The lodges vary: the newer Woodland and Culcrieff lodges read as more modern, while the entry-level Cosy Cabins show their age.
The estate is self-contained, so you don't need a car once you're there. What you do need is a sense of the distances, because the activities are spread out. The indoor pool, soft play, cinema and the BIG Country childcare are in or beside the main hotel, while Action Glen and the outdoor adventure park sit at the foot of the estate. At weekends a land train called the Hydro Express runs between the hotel and Action Glen, free for hotel guests. The lodges range from a five-minute walk to the hotel at the nearest, to around 30 minutes on foot from Culcrieff Village at the far end, so it's worth asking for a lodge area to suit you when you book.
The whole site is hilly, which is the thing to weigh with a baby or a nap schedule. Even the Cosy Cabins, close to the hotel, sit at the bottom of a steep pull back up, and that adds up over a week with a pushchair. If you want to be near the pool and childcare without the climb, the Leigh Apartments and the hotel rooms themselves are the flattest bases. There's a sister hotel too, the Murraypark, a smaller property a short distance away run by the same group, and its guests get full use of Crieff Hydro's leisure facilities.
Where you stay
The hotel bedrooms and family rooms, then the 56 self-catering lodges and which suit a family with little ones.
You choose between two very different stays. The hotel rooms are bed and breakfast, with breakfast in The Meikle and access to the pool, gym and free WiFi included, and this is the side that comes with free BIG Country childcare when you book direct. The self-catering lodges give you a kitchen, more space and the run of the estate, which is the easier way to feed a baby or a fussy toddler, though childcare is now charged for lodge guests. The hotel bedrooms run from compact doubles up to family rooms and apartments that sleep four, several with separate or partitioned sleeping areas so children aren't in the same space as you. Crieff Hydro doesn't publish room sizes, so the table gives the bed layout and who each room sleeps rather than a floor area.
| Hotel room | Sleeps | Beds and family notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cosy Double | Up to 2 | A double bed in the compact entry room. Not a family room. |
| Guest Double | Up to 2 | A king-sized double or twin beds. |
| Feature Double | Up to 2 | More floor space, upgraded bedding, views and a shower over the bath. |
| Leigh Signature Double | Up to 2 | In the boutique Leigh Building, king or twin, bath and shower, estate and valley views, dedicated parking and a gin welcome tray. Just eight rooms. |
| Studio Apartment | Up to 2 | Two floors with a separate living room, outdoor seating, a microwave, sink and fridge, dedicated parking, and dog-friendly. |
| Room for 3 | Up to 3 | A double or twin plus a single bed, with a bath and shower. |
| Feature Family | Up to 3 | A king or twin plus a single bed, upgraded bedding, and a bath with an overhead shower. |
| Room with Bunks | Up to 4 | A king or twin plus bunk beds in an adjoining alcove, so the children sleep in a separate area. The top bunk is for under-12s. |
| Family Apartment | Up to 4 | A king or twin plus a single or bunk beds in separated sleeping areas. The top bunk is for under-12s. |
For a family with young children, the rooms that separate the sleeping are the ones to look at: the Room for 3 and Feature Family for a single extra bed, and the Room with Bunks or Family Apartment for four, where the children get their own alcove or separated area. Parents on forums describe the family rooms as roomy enough to take two cots when needed, useful for twins or two very young children sharing. Cots are free on request in every room, but you bring your own cot bedding and it isn't guaranteed, so ask early. Check-in at the hotel is from 3pm and check-out by 11am, and you can arrive from 10am and use the facilities while you wait.
Fifty-six lodges across the estateThe self-catering lodges
The self-catering side runs to 56 lodges and cabins across several named areas, from cosy cabins for a small family up to large lodges sleeping as many as 16 for extended families or several families together. They vary in how new they feel and how far they sit from the hotel, which are the two things worth pinning down before you book, especially with a pushchair on a hilly site.
| Lodge area | What it is | Family notes |
|---|---|---|
| Culcrieff Village | Rural detached lodges, the furthest from the hotel, about a 30-minute walk. | The most secluded, with valley views, and among the better-reviewed lodges for fit and finish. |
| Woodland Lodges | Closer to the hotel, with a more modern finish. | One of the surer choices if lodge condition matters to you. |
| Cosy Cabins | The entry-level Ben, Glen and Loch cabins, the smallest, a short walk to the hotel. | The cheapest, but reviewers note older fit and finish in some, and the walk back up the hill is steep. |
| Leigh Apartments | Two-floor apartments next to the hotel, with outdoor seating. | Dog-friendly, and the closest self-catering to the pool, childcare and restaurants. |
| Larger lodges | Named lodges such as Abercairney, Nethercraig and Farmhouse East and West, sleeping 4 to 16. | For extended families or several families together; interconnecting lodges can be booked. |
| Abercairney Cottage | A fully accessible lodge with open-plan living and an outdoor deck. | An accessible ensuite and a hoist in the bedroom and bathroom. |
Many lodges can set the double up as a king or twin; request it when you book or email the sales team about a week before you arrive. Self-catering check-in is from 4pm to 5pm, check-out is 10am, and there's a quick online check-in to do before you travel; a later check-out can be arranged if you ask for it when you book. Dogs are welcome in the lodges and the studio apartments, up to two per unit, for a per-dog charge per stay; the studio apartments cost less for a single night. Dogs aren't allowed in the main hotel or the adventure park, though the Basecamp café is dog-friendly, and guide and hearing dogs are welcome throughout, including in the hotel. One thing to plan for as a self-caterer: there's no proper shop on site, so you either bring a food shop, drive down to the Co-Op or Aldi in Crieff, or arrange an online grocery delivery to the lodge, which needs someone there to take it in.
Every restaurant and bar
The family restaurant and the grown-up ones, the cafés dotted around the estate, and how booking and breakfast work.
The Meikle is the main family restaurant, and where breakfast is served each morning, roughly 7:30am to 10am, as a buffet with a cooked Scottish spread, pastries, fruit and made-to-order items. From early July to early September it runs a summer buffet dinner too, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm, with carvery meats, fish, sides and puddings and a kids' menu. Those dinner hours are a summer-buffet thing; outside that window the site publishes no set dinner times and warns they change by season, so check the app or reception before you plan an evening. It's the most practical room for young children, with the early sitting and the buffet's free choice.
East is the newest venue, a contemporary Asian-inspired restaurant built around bold sharing plates, open daily from 6pm to 9:30pm. It's pitched at unhurried grown-up evenings and celebrations rather than a family-first tea, and there's no kids' menu flagged for it, so it suits a night when the children are settled or older.
The Winter Garden is an all-day café and bar in a light, high-windowed Victorian room, serving coffee, pastries and light lunches like flatbreads, soups and sandwiches from late morning, and cocktails in the evening. The Hub is a sports café with screens and live sport, doing coffee, cake, soups and sandwiches daily from about 9am to 3pm (seasonal), and it sits right next to BIG Country, which makes it the natural place to wait while the children are in the club or to regroup afterwards. Basecamp is the casual café down at Action Glen, with sausage rolls, sandwiches and kids' packed lunches, open through the day and dog-friendly.
For a drink, the Ballroom Bar is the main social bar at the heart of the hotel, open daily from 9am and running from morning coffee and cake through to evening cocktails, mocktails, G&T and champagne. The Hermitage is a hidden speakeasy-style cocktail and whisky bar, adult-focused and open Friday and Saturday evenings. Afternoon tea is served Thursday to Sunday in the Loggia, a light room with valley views, with savouries, patisserie and loose-leaf teas.
Booking, breakfast and the shop
Book dinner through the website or the Crieff Hydro app, which is also where current times live, since they move by season; you still need to reserve to use anything included in a stay package, so booking isn't just for paid extras. Breakfast is included in every hotel rate. On a bed-and-breakfast package children aged 2 to 11 cost £25 each and 12 to 16 year olds cost £30 each (last checked June 2026), while in self-catering there's no extra charge to bring the children. There's no on-site convenience shop, so self-caterers stock up in Crieff or order a delivery. Reviews of the food are mixed: strong in the busy months, but some off-peak stays report ordinary hotel cooking with fewer restaurants open and no afternoon tea running, so expect less choice out of season.
Pools and the spa
The family pool, the adults-only Victorian Baths and the childcare and clubs that are the real reason families come.
The indoor pool is free for hotel and self-catering guests, and it holds a main pool, a baby and kids' pool and a Jacuzzi that children can't use. Reviewers describe the baby pool as very warm, close to bath temperature, which suits the littlest swimmers, though the resort doesn't publish a depth. There are family changing rooms with changing tables, one noted to have a playpen for a crawler, and refundable coin lockers. At weekends a "splash time" session inflates a water slide for older children. Listed pool hours run 9:30am to 5:30pm, so check them on arrival, as no separate pool timetable is published.
The Victorian Baths are the spa, and adults-only from 18, so this isn't a second family pool. A paid, pre-booked two-hour session gives you a heated pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, with robes, slippers and drinks included, and you can use the pool, sauna and steam room without booking a treatment. Massages and facials are booked separately in a salon upstairs. There's also a gym, free for hotel and self-catering guests, with fitness and yoga classes run as part of the daily programme.
Childcare and kids' clubs
BIG Country is the headline, and it's registered drop-off childcare for ages two to twelve only. It's a secured, staffed facility with a locked door and buzzer entry, run by qualified staff registered with the Care Inspectorate, Scotland's childcare regulator, to its staff ratios, with a ball pit, arts and crafts, games consoles and free play inside. It runs three two-hour sessions a day, at 9:30 to 11:30, 12:30 to 2:30 and 3 to 5, with no cover in the gaps between, and it's popular enough that you pre-book.
How much it costs depends entirely on how you book, and this has changed. A direct hotel booking includes one free two-hour session per full day of your stay, plus a session on either your arrival day or your departure day, not both. Self-catering bookings made from 9 March 2026, Murraypark guests and anyone booked through a third party such as Booking.com pay £20 per child per session instead (last checked June 2026); self-catering bookings made before that date keep the old included terms. That's the single most important thing to get straight, because plenty of older reviews still say childcare is free for everyone, and for lodge and third-party guests it no longer is. BIG Country isn't available to day visitors either way; it's only for guests staying on the estate. The three sessions end at 5pm, so there's no evening or dinner-time slot. If a child-free dinner is part of the plan, confirm the current times with the resort, as an older evening session no longer appears.
Beyond BIG Country there's Little Country for under-threes, a quiet indoor play space with a baby area of mats, bouncers and tummy-time and a toddler area of ride-on cars, blocks, a play kitchen and instruments, open 9:30am to 5:30pm daily with no booking, and free for hotel, self-catering and Murraypark guests. A parent stays throughout, so it's somewhere to play together rather than a drop-off, and there's no food or alcohol allowed inside, though a drink in a covered cup is fine. There's a three-storey soft play with ropes, ladders, climbing frames and a ball pool, open 9:30am to 5:30pm daily, free for hotel, self-catering and Murraypark guests, with an adult staying while children play and no booking needed. Glen's Den is a games zone popular with teenagers but open to all, also free and open through the day. The 36-seat cinema has digital projection and surround sound and shows three times a day, family films in the afternoon and other titles after 8pm, free for hotel and self-catering guests with no booking, just turn up; it can also be hired privately for a group.
Under-twos and toddlersBabies and toddlers
The under-three provision is smaller than the two-to-twelve offer, but better than most UK hotels. The important thing to be clear on is that there's no drop-off crèche for a baby: BIG Country starts at two, so for anyone younger the space is Little Country, where a parent stays the whole time. An older review mentions a baby crèche, but nothing like that appears on the current site, so don't count on leaving a baby. What the youngest do get is Little Country, the soft play, the warm baby pool and pony rides for children of four and under, a short couple of circuits of the arena that's one of the few activities aimed squarely at the littlest. Baby changing is at The Hub, next to Little Country.
On kit, cots are free on request in both hotel rooms and lodges, but you bring your own cot bedding and a cot isn't guaranteed in every case, so ask when you book. High chairs, sterilisers and other baby equipment aren't confirmed on the official site, so check what's available rather than assuming, or pack your own. The resort runs a two-night Toddler Breaks package aimed at the very youngest, with tiny tots staying and playing free; the detailed terms weren't published when we looked, so see crieffhydro.com/offers for what's current.
Things to do
The adventure park and its passes, the riding centre, and what actually suits an under-seven.
The outdoor heart of the estate is Action Glen, an enclosed adventure park at the foot of the grounds, open daily from 10am to 5pm and reached on foot or on the weekend land train. Most of it works on day passes rather than per-session bookings. Glen's Adventure Park, the paid all-day Adventure Pass, is the one for younger children: jumping pillows in under-five and over-five versions, three side-by-side mini ziplines for racing, Glen's Fort, a seven-metre climbing replica of the hotel with slides and a tube slide, electric Volvo diggers and a maze, with alpacas, goats and donkeys alongside. Under-threes go free and supervising adults don't pay.
The pricier all-day Activity Pass adds the bigger-kid activities: the Aloft Treetop Adventure, over a kilometre of high ropes and zip lines up in the canopy, along with air rifles, axe throwing, archery, woodland combat, the Glen's Mini Off-roaders for ages 3 to 12, crazy golf and adventure-park entry. Aloft has real limits, a minimum age of seven and a minimum height of 145cm, and under-13s need an adult on a valid pass. Quad biking is a separate paid add-on at £55 a person (last checked June 2026), a 60-minute session on a quarry course, for 16 and over only with a maximum rider weight of 150kg. The estate also has EZ Raiders all-terrain vehicles for touring, walking and biking trails, and fishing by the river; a 9-hole golf course is mentioned in passing but isn't clearly bookable, so ask on arrival if it matters to you.
The riding centre spreads across the ages more gently. Pony rides take children of four and under, and lead-rein sessions run for ages four to ten with a minimum height of 1.10m, in 30-minute sessions from £50 (last checked June 2026). Group lessons start from age eight, and hacks are for ages ten and up with a minimum height of 1.40m, run at three levels from beginner to advanced, available seven days a week from £50 a person (last checked June 2026). For a calmer animal encounter there's alpaca trekking, a shared estate walk with four alpacas booked for up to four people at a time for £50 (last checked June 2026), and a Highland cow experience to meet the calves up close. A daily entertainment programme, free for hotel and self-catering guests, covers arts and crafts, quizzes, games and family evenings, and there's a sheet at reception each day. There's none of the garish early-evening children's entertainment, the mascots and 6pm discos, you'd get at a Haven or a Flamingo Land, and the evening programme skews adult. For a family of under-sevens, the pool, soft play, adventure-park playground and pony rides give more than the paid activity passes do.
The area and days out
Most families find a stay fully occupied on site, though Perthshire has several good family days out within easy reach. Crieff town is a 10 to 15 minute walk downhill, with a steeper walk back, a small market town with independent shops, cafés, a pharmacy and a Co-Op. Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, about 10 minutes away, has sheep, Highland cattle, meerkats and birds of prey, and is hands-on and unhurried, which reviewers with young children rate. Drummond Castle Gardens, five minutes by car, is a formal 17th-century garden with a striking parterre and paths a pushchair can manage.
A little further, Scone Palace near Perth, 20 to 25 minutes away, has grounds and a maze for children old enough to walk, and Perth itself, 17 miles (27 km) off, is the nearest city for a rainy-day gallery or shops. Loch Earn is about 20 minutes for a Highland loch with picnic spots, Comrie Croft nearby has family cycling trails, and Pitlochry, 45 to 50 minutes on, adds a theatre, a dam and a fish ladder where young children can watch salmon leap. Glenturret, Scotland's oldest working distillery, is close by but really one for the grown-ups. There's no beach in reach: Crieff is landlocked, more than 70 miles (110 km) from the coast, which is the clear difference from a seaside resort. For more of the region see our Scotland guide.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what frustrates them, how it stacks up against the alternatives, the drive in and the weather by month.
Across the reviews we read, the warmest praise is for the childcare and the staff, while the steady complaints are about lodge condition, the recent childcare change and the food off-peak.
What families love
- The free BIG Country childcare on a direct hotel booking, the main reason families choose it, with Mumsnet's spa-hotels guide naming it best for kids' clubs.
- Staff who go beyond the job, from early club admission for a spa slot to buying Calpol at night for a poorly child.
- The value of the included pool, soft play, Little Country, cinema and daily programme, against pay-per-activity rivals.
- The Strathearn Valley setting and estate walks straight from the door.
- How well it works for siblings at different ages, from toddler pony rides to high ropes.
Common gripes
- Lodge condition varies a lot, with the cheapest Cosy Cabins showing their age while Woodland and Culcrieff review better.
- The childcare charge for self-catering, Murraypark and third-party bookings from 9 March 2026, at odds with older "free childcare" copy.
- The adventure activities skew to seven-plus, leaving less of the headline offer for under-sevens.
- Food can be inconsistent off-peak, with fewer restaurants open.
- No dedicated early-evening entertainment for young children.
- A hilly site, hard work with a pushchair.
- Scottish rain in every month, with even April, the driest month, averaging 49mm, so outdoor plans regularly need a rethink.
As a rough steer, and these figures move about, guest ratings as of mid-2026 sit around 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor across roughly 7,500 reviews, and about 7.8 out of 10 on Booking.com across nearly 700; the self-catering side is listed separately and scores lower on a handful of reviews. The overall signal is solid rather than exceptional, which fits a resort families rate highly for its childcare and setting but flag for mixed lodge condition and off-peak food.
Against the alternativesHow it compares
The comparison families draw most is with Center Parcs. Center Parcs has more consistent purpose-built lodges, a bigger subtropical pool and more structured activity for young children, while Crieff Hydro has BIG Country childcare, free when you book a hotel room direct, that Center Parcs doesn't offer, a hotel option alongside the lodges and a natural landscape rather than a managed forest. If registered childcare on a two-to-twelve-year-old, free with a direct hotel booking, is the priority, Crieff Hydro; if you want the larger pool complex and more structure for young children, a Center Parcs village. Against Haven Craig Tara in Ayrshire, Haven has the bigger entertainment programme and a large indoor water complex, while Crieff Hydro offers registered childcare, free with a direct hotel booking, a hotel option and a quieter countryside setting. Against Auchrannie on Arran, a 4-star island resort with two pools and a Playbarn, Crieff Hydro has more on-site activities and more accommodation variety, though it lacks the island setting and needs a drive rather than a ferry.
The drive inGetting there and when to go
There's no transfer service and no station shuttle, so nearly everyone drives. It's about 17 miles (27 km) and 25 minutes from Perth, around 45 miles (70 km) and 55 minutes from Glasgow, and about 60 miles (95 km) and an hour and ten from Edinburgh; the nearest airports are Edinburgh and Glasgow. By rail the nearest stations are Perth or Stirling, with a taxi on from either. Once you've arrived the estate is self-contained and you can leave the car parked, though you'll want it back for the Perthshire day trips. On timing, July and August give the best warmth and daylight, April and May are milder, drier and cheaper, and October half-term is popular but wet. The resort is open year-round, and the indoor pool, soft play, cinema and Little Country make any month workable with little ones.
Month by monthThe weather
Crieff sits inland at the Highland edge, cooler than southern England all year, with real rainfall in every month, so the indoor programme matters as much as the outdoor one. The figures below are long-term monthly averages for Crieff.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.5° | -0.5° | 106 mm | 15 |
| February | 7° | -0.5° | 93 mm | 14 |
| March | 9.5° | 1° | 65 mm | 12 |
| April | 12° | 2.5° | 49 mm | 10 |
| May | 15° | 5° | 64 mm | 11 |
| June | 17.5° | 8.5° | 63 mm | 12 |
| July | 19.5° | 10° | 78 mm | 13 |
| August | 19° | 10° | 85 mm | 12 |
| September | 16° | 8° | 72 mm | 12 |
| October | 12° | 4.5° | 113 mm | 16 |
| November | 8.5° | 2° | 100 mm | 15 |
| December | 5.5° | -1° | 113 mm | 16 |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Does our booking include free childcare or not?
It depends how you book. Only a direct hotel room booking gets BIG Country free, and even then it's one two-hour session per full day, plus either your arrival day or your departure day, not both. Self-catering bookings made from 9 March 2026, Murraypark guests and anyone who booked through a third party such as Booking.com pay per child per session. If free childcare is the reason you're choosing Crieff Hydro, book a hotel room direct and check the terms before you pay.
Is there a crèche we can leave a baby in?
No. BIG Country is registered drop-off childcare for ages two to twelve only, with nothing below two. For a baby or under-three the space is Little Country, and a parent stays the whole time, so it's somewhere to play together rather than a break. If you need proper time off with a baby, the resort's babysitting isn't a listed service, so email ahead and ask what's possible.
Can we use BIG Country while we have dinner?
No, the last session finishes at 5pm, so there's no drop-off slot over dinner, and the 6:30pm session some older reviews mention is gone. That points to an early family tea, and in summer the Meikle's buffet dinner opens at 4:30pm to suit it. If a regular child-free evening is a deciding factor, session times move by season, so check them with the resort before you book.
Do we need a car?
You need one to get there, since there's no transfer service and no station shuttle; the nearest railway station is Perth, 17 miles (27 km) away. Once you arrive the estate is self-contained and you can leave the car parked, though you'll want it again for the day trips around Perthshire. Crieff town is a 10 to 15 minute walk downhill, with a steeper pull back up.
What do we need to bring for a baby?
Cots are free on request in both hotel rooms and lodges, but you bring your own cot bedding, and a cot isn't guaranteed, so ask when you book. High chairs, sterilisers and other baby kit aren't confirmed on the official site, so check what the resort can provide rather than assuming. In a self-catering lodge the kitchen makes feeding a baby or fussy toddler straightforward.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, in the self-catering lodges and the studio apartments, up to two per unit, for a per-dog charge. Dogs aren't allowed in the main hotel or the adventure park, though the Basecamp café at Action Glen is dog-friendly, and they can't be left alone in the lodge. Guide and hearing dogs are always welcome, including in the hotel.
Will there be much for our toddler to do?
Plenty indoors and some outdoors, less of the headline adventure. Little Country, the soft play, the pool and the cinema are all built for little ones and free with your stay, and pony rides take children of four and under. The high ropes, archery and quad biking are aimed at seven and up, so a family of under-sevens gets more from the pool, soft play and adventure park playground than from the paid activity passes.
Should we book dinner in advance?
It's worth it in the school holidays, when the restaurants fill. You reserve through the website or the Crieff Hydro app, and the app is also where to check current times, which move by season. The Meikle runs a summer buffet dinner from early July to early September; outside those dates, check what's open before you plan an evening.
Crieff Hydro photos
Open the Crieff Hydro photo gallery →Useful links
- Crieff Hydro: the resort's own site for rooms, lodges, the activities and childcare.
- Crieff Hydro offers: current packages, including the two-night Toddler Breaks.
- Scotland with little ones: our guide to the wider region and when to go.
Last updated 13 July 2026. Prices, activities, childcare terms and what's open change, so check with the resort before you book.
