The great thing about spending time with us over the festive period is the myriad of events going on within minutes of the hotel. Whether it be Glasgow or Edinburgh or of course the other surrounding areas, there is so much to do over the festive period.

Let’s focus on our own city with a summary of what Glasgow has to offer. Glasgow city centre is only 15 minutes away by car or train. There are a vast amount of things to do but we will try and summarise the main things.

Shopping – of course! Outside of London Glasgow has won awards for being the best place to shop outside the UK capital. The big contribution to this is the sheer length of Glasgow’s Style Mile. The Style Mile runs all the way down from Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and on to Argyll Street. It’s a shoppers delight! Full of shops from fashion, books, speciality, kilt makers, electronics…the list would go on! And there’s even a few shopping centre’s too. Be sure to head to Buchanan Galleries, Princes Square and St. Enoch Centre as well as House of Fraser and Debenhams Department stores – retail therapy at its best.

Winter Weather of Glasgow

Events – Watch out for Glasgow on Ice! Glasgow’s biggest and best outdoor ice rink except this year…it has a roof! So technically you could say it is still outdoors, sorry digressing a little here. There is a number of lessons available even for the true novice skater and let’s be honest, nobody wants to fall on their bum in front of everyone! Glasgow will also be welcoming a truly Global Market. The market will feature traders from afar afield as Ecuador in South America to Kenya in Africa, Russia and traders from around Europe including Germany, France, Belgium, Spain and Italy. There’s a whole range of products on sale typical of their country or region from Cheeses, Olives, Italian Nougat and Belgian Chocolates to Russian Dolls, Jewellery, Designer clothing from Paris, Pashminas, Shawls, Leather goods, hats and scarves and range of Crafts and Gifts. Not to be missed!

Dining – If you love your food and dining out you will be right at home in Glasgow.  When you aren’t having lunch or dinner with us, you will have to treat yourself to one of Glasgow’s excellent restaurants. You really are spoilt for choice. Glasgow is now home to Brazilian, Greek, Argentinian, French, American, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Indian restaurants…among more! Just 20 years ago Glasgow’s restaurant scene was just getting started! In this plethora of choice you will still find a few good old traditional Scottish restaurants standing out like beacons…well maybe not but you can’t leave without trying Haggis, or some dishes made from the finest produce Scotland has to offer!

Here we are, we’ll now focus on Hogmanay! Woo hoo! We have our own fantastic night planned to see in 2012. Running 7pm to 1pm with excellent live music and a 4 course meal, more detail of it can be found here.

However if you plan on heading in to the City there are a couple of events worth noting to look out for.

Merchant Square – The old Candleriggs market has been wonderfully transformed into a stunning courtyard now home to various bars, cafes and restaurants. There is a Hogmanay party which tickets are on sale for now. The best thing about the Merchant Square for Hogmanay will undoubtedly be the roof! However you will have to take into account that each bar and the square will have limited space and numbers of tickets available.

George Square - George Square usually has a stage, bands, access to the surrounding bars and restaurants on the 31st. As well as the chance to experience traditional music, children’s activities and well loved Scottish food and drink, the ice rink will be converted into a spectacular curling rink where you can try curling for yourself then watch the experts battle it out at the inaugural Hogmanay Bonspiel Cup. More details have to be released regarding the event and something to consider is that in the last few years, there has been a lot of talk of high winds and bad weather spoiling the event. Just keeping it balanced!

That’s all for now. If you’d like to know more about our Hogmanay Party and accommodation please contact us on 01698 813774 or frontdesk@redstoneshotel.com. Be warned though, space is filling up and we have few left!

Of course we sign off again with a wee reminder that you can also like our page on Facebook at Redstones Hotel and follow us on Twitter @RedstonesHotel to be kept up to date on all the events and goings on at the hotel! We’ll be back with another blog post soon so be sure to check again soon!

Bye for now!

Our head chef Stuart has been changing things in the kitchen quite a bit recently. We got his input and thought we’d take this opportunity before the festive period to tell you all about it.

Stuart doing his thing.

His vision for the food at Redstones Hotel is to bring back the family orientated side of things. The décor and atmosphere of the hotel has been welcoming, but for a while our food was missing that continuity and consistency which people knew the hotel for. Solution: Stuart steps in!

King Prawn Martini

Now we are proud to say that our focus is on excellent and furthermore say Scottish produce in all of our menus. Whatever Scottish produce we order is within 40 minute drive of the hotel. This pretty much covers Glasgow and the surrounding areas, to ensure that what we use is as fresh as possible, which translates to tasty dishes!

All of our fish comes from The Fish People (Scotland Street, Glasgow) who have won many an award for the quality of their stock. Our meat comes from James Whannel Meats (based in Shots) and their ethos for their stock is “nothing goes inside our abattoir in boxes” i.e. it’s not meat from another farm, recycled and popped in a James Whannel branded box – they place great importance on their meat, which has been rewarded with several rosettes in the last few years. And to name another one… our ice-cream comes from Equi’s of Hamilton – which has also won several awards for the quality of their ice-cream! Two scoops or three?

Stuart has cafefully crafted a set of menus to suit any occasion and budget. The menu ranges from smoked pheasant and grilled lobster to pan seared sea bass and char-grilled steaks, to simpler baked potatoes, club sandwiches and afternoon tea in at the Bar Roma.

Haggis Spring Rolls

Would you allow Stuart two recommendations? Try the Haggis Spring Rolls: Proper Chinese spring rolls with our unique wasabi and sweet chilli dip.

Or try the King Prawn Martini Cocktail: Shetland Island King Prawns, Loch Duart Smoked Salon and Atlantic Prawns, layered and served with a classic prawn cocktail sauce. Delicious!

Don’t forget you can also like our page on Facebook at Redstones Hotel and follow us on Twitter @RedstonesHotel to be kept up to date on all the events and goings on at the hotel!

Bye for now!

So, one of the main things Glasgow is known for is its shops! Outside of London Glasgow is known as the best place for shopping. When you have the likes of Buchanan Galleries, St. Enoch Centre, Princes Square, and not to mention all the shops on Buchanan Street and Argyle Street forming Glasgow’s Style Mile you can see why it’s a shoppers Mecca – North of the Border anyway

It’s not all about the clothes shops in Glasgow either, you’ll also find a whole load of independent stores like wedding dress designers, book shops, quirky boutiques that sell a myriad of things and pop-up shops: most notably there are a few right now for Halloween! You’ll also find niche music stores, bespoke cupcake makers: in short I am trying to say that shopping in Glasgow means there is something for everyone!

If shopping doesn’t do it for you there’s the sightseeing aspect of visiting the city. Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and has many prominent Victorian buildings and architecture. None more so than the amazing looking City Chambers in the heart of the city centre on George Square. You’ll find the Glasgow Tour bus pick up point not far from here too – that tip is for free by the way! You should also go and visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – it is completely free and is the most visited tourist attraction outside of London. Glasgow seems to do quite well for itself doesn’t it! There are loads more things like the SECC, Science Centre, Botanic Gardens but you’ll have to use your own initiative and look for them yourself

Moving on if you fancy soaking up some of the culture – in true Glasgow style that is – there’s a vast amount of pubs, clubs and restaurants around the city. In recent years the Merchant City area of Glasgow has undergone a lot of change and development. It is now home to some trendy restaurants and traditional pubs – an eclectic mix to say the least, in a nice environment that if you get the chance to, should definitely visit. In particular the Merchant Square is a nice place to relax in, converted from the old Candleriggs market into a bustling haven for the cultured tourist or any food snob around Glasgow

Well I hope that this was informative and somewhat interesting! Our next post will be around more things to do but in Edinburgh! Wooo!

Don’t forget you can also like our page on Facebook at Redstones Hotel and follow us on Twitter @RedstonesHotel to be kept up to date on all the events and goings on at the hotel so check again soon.

Bye for now!

Lynne

The Rihas Restaurant at Redstones is a marvel of the finest local Scottish produce. We pride our restaurant on the choice and quality of the food available on each menu, whether it be for the bar, the evening set menu, our a la carte, sweets and also with our Festive menu (tis soon to be the season!) we only want to offer you the best choice we can. Rihas at Redstones prides itself on the choice and quality available on our menus.

Our aim is always to make sure that dining at Rihas is a wonderful experience and great value for money, whatever the occasion. To ensure that this happens our Head Chef has prepared a diverse menu with something to cater to every taste, and if there isn’t something you like on our menu we’ll happily make something special just for you. Of course you understand we’ll need some notice for this It has to be said though that we are all particularly proud of our Scottish signature dishes: Balmoral Chicken, Haggis Spring Rolls, Mince n Tatties (a classic) and a favourite has to be the Medallions of Prime Scottish Beef Fillet with Spring Onion Mash & Mushroom Madeira – let us assure you it is delicious (and let me assure you personally).

Rihas restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Glasgow for providing an outstanding family dining experience in a warm, stylish and relaxed setting. We deliver friendly service and mouthwatering Scottish cuisine and only uses the best locally sourced seasonal ingredients from James Whannel Meats (who won a Rosette for the quality of their cattle last year) and The Fish People (a very good Glasgow fishmonger) who some of you will know are based on Scotland Street, Glasgow City Centre.

The restaurant is open to anyone staying at the hotel and of course to those of you that just want to pop in for a nice meal. We will happily accommodate any dietary requirements but all we ask is that you let us know in advance. We are also a deft hand at catering for large parties for say, weddings, corporate events… and the ever impending Christmas Dinner that you will all be rushing to book soon! We’ve seen it all before

Thanks for reading! And just to sign off again we’d like to remind you:

That the Redstones Hotel is now in the top 8 hotels out of 112 in Glasgow on TripAdvisor!

And you can also like our page on Facebook at Redstones Hotel and follow us on Twitter @RedstonesHotel to be kept up to date on all the events and goings on at the hotel! We’ll be back with another blog post soon on our fruit wines – very nice, so be sure to stop by and try them before we post the blog! hehe!

Bye for now and thanks for reading and we hope to see you very soon!

Lynne and the team at Redstones, Uddingston.

Well I’m back again with some more interesting news for you from Redstones hotel…this time I am sure you will be pleased that it is about our Bar Bar Roma is a lively wine bar situated within the hotel. It is open to the public and is popular with both hotel residents and people from the local area around Uddingston, Bothwell, Blantyre and indeed Glasgow. I’ll be serving up some tasty titbits (forgive the pun) of information to entice you here next time you are planning a trip to Glasgow or just a good night out with friends & family.

The drinks or as I like to see it; cocktail ingredients

Without further ado Bar Roma is an ideal stop when you are on the go or dining with friends. People often come to the bar for either a quick espresso, light meal and a chat with friends, and the superb selection of drinks on offer will keep you savouring the atmosphere throughout the day and into the night when it becomes a sophisticated setting for sipping champagne or cocktails with friends. For the easily pleased guys out there, lager, beer and cider are also available

Be sure to chat to Jamie when you stop by. He’s our head barman and has 15 years experience working in bars in the busy West End of Glasgow before working in Dalucianos in Bothwell for 6 years. He keeps (or at least likes to think he does) all of the customers coming back with his dry wit and entertaining manner, not to mention the fact that he’s brilliant at making cocktails.  Jamie has even created a few cocktails in his time; for example a Chocolate Orange Martini and the Rattlesnake (Sambuca, Blue Bols and Midori) to name a couple. The Chocolate Orange Martini was amazing, but I haven’t had the guts to try the Rattlesnake yet…

Some of these creations have even made it onto the menu! Our Manager Andrew along with Jamie have created a few cocktails which are on our menu at the moment. These are the Cinderella Story (frozen blend of Midori, Cointreau and fresh lemon Juice) and the Frothy Jock (Whisky, Amaretto, Baileys and Fresh Cream) Look out for them when you next stop by. If you don’t like the sound of these then just order the usual suspects from our menu. French Martini’s, Cosmopolitan’s, Mojito’s: You can have them all! If you have a favourite cocktail but it isn’t on the menu and would like that served instead please just ask. Jamie and Andrew have seen/made them all before so chances are there’s nothing you can’t surprise them with.

As well being an ideal venue for either a quiet drink, business lunch or a night out with friends, Bar Roma offers an excellent and comprehensive food menu and a wonderful collection of wines that you can find here. Depending on what you feel like you can choose from a wide selection of snacks and sandwiches to a burger or nice Sirloin from the Grill, the menu has something for everyone.

The Conservatory of Bar Roma that looks onto the outdoor seating area

Our Head Chef has devised a menu of tasty favourites made from the finest local fresh produce. We get most of it from less than 10 miles away from the hotel because we know fresh is best and quite simply because it is really good quality. Our meat comes from James Whannel Meats; who won several rosettes last year for the quality of cattle and meat that they produce everyday.

There’s a wide selection of dishes from light bites and tasty salads, finest Scotch Beef steaks and burgers and traditional Scottish and Italian style classics, all affordably priced and cooked to taste.

What do you think? We’d love to have some comments on our second post, better yet we’d love to see you at Roma very soon!

I’d also just like to take the chance to say that Redstones Hotel are now in the top 12 hotels out of 112 in Glasgow on TripAdvisor! We’ll keep you updated on our position as we post.

You can also like our page on Facebook at Redstones Hotel and follow us on Twitter @RedstonesHotel to be kept up to date on all the events and goings on at the hotel! We’ll be back with another blog post soon so be sure to check back again soon!

Bye for now and thanks for reading and we hope to see you very soon!

Lynne

]]> http://redstoneshotel.com/blog/2011/09/bar-roma-at-redstones-4-star-hotel-glasgow/feed/ 0 http://redstoneshotel.com/blog/2011/08/welcome-to-redstones-hotel/ http://redstoneshotel.com/blog/2011/08/welcome-to-redstones-hotel/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:25:35 +0000 Lynne http://redstoneshotel.com/blog/?p=35

WELCOME TO THE REDSTONES HOTEL; fine dining, 4 star luxury accommodation and a great wine bar and grill.

Hello and welcome to the Redstones Hotel blog. The first post of many! We thought for the first post we’d tell you some information about the hotel and the Uddingston area.

Redstones on a lovely sunny day in Uddingsto

The Redstones Hotel is located only 15 minutes from Glasgow in the village of Uddingston and closeby to Hamilton, Bothwell, Motherwell and Eurocentral Business Park. Uddingston is a leafy suburb of Glasgow, about seven miles to the south-east of the city centre and approximately two miles east of the Glasgow City Council district of Broomhouse.

The hotel is in a lovely conservation area, surrounded by beautiful trees and flanked by historic red sandstone houses dating from the 19th century to complete the picturesque area. Redstones hotel offers an outdoor terrace and gardens adding to the relaxed feel and ambience of the local area, providing a sophisticated setting in the evening, which is ideal for sipping cocktails or champagne with friends.

We offer 12 charming and well equipped en-suite double rooms which are a luxurious home from home and are perfect for both short breaks and the busy business traveller. All of our rooms have their own unique décor and feel, encompassing modern, classic and traditional themes. You may also be interested to know that of the 12 rooms we have 6 deluxe and 6 standard rooms, but we do not charge more for the deluxe rooms: we simply run a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. So if you are planning on joining us during busy times like Christmas and New Year, you will have to book very soon!

Room 11 btw

The Hotel’s central location makes it an ideal base to explore the many delights central Scotland has to offer. You can reach Glasgow city centre in 15 minutes from Uddinston train station alighting at Glasgow Central Station. Alternatively you can also reach the city centre by bus or taxi giving our excellent position just next to Glasgow Road, and the newly improved M74. You can even reach Edinburgh, which is only a mere 40 minutes away.

Redstones Hotel is also a great base to explore many of Lanarkshire’s great attractions. Nearby you can enjoy the horse racing at Hamilton Park Racecourse or take part in many leisure activities at Strathclyde Country Park.

Redstones Hotel is also an ideal venue for Boardroom Meetings, presentations and seminars.  The hotel can accommodate up to 24 people comfortably and the experienced staff will ensure your day runs professionally and smoothly.

We’d also like to add in that caring for our guests is at the top of our priorities, which has seen us enter the top 20 Glasgow Hotels on Tripadvisor (at the time of writing this blog post). But we won’t say much more, you can see for yourself

Well that’s it for our first blog post for Redstones! What did you think? Informative? Interesting? Please leave us some comments

You can also like our page on Facebook at Redstones Hotel and follow us on Twitter @RedstonesHotel to be kept up to date on all the events and goings on at the hotel! We’ll be back with another blog post soon so be sure to check again soon!

Bye for now!