 By Eve Hartridge, Follow Eve on Twitter here
Until recently, I had never had the inclination to visit Glasgow. My imagination had been tarnished with images of Irvine Welsh's characters in "Trainspotting" and a wave of nausea and the thought of a deep fried Mars Bar. Glasgow had always seemed to be the grubby little sister of the far more sophisticated Edinburgh. It's safe to say, I was wrong.
In recent times Glasgow has been awarded European City of Culture and when you realise that institutions such as The Scottish Opera and ballet are based here rather than Edinburgh, it's a natural choice. Walking around the city there's a huge variety of architecture on display from the traditional "tenements" which were the Victorian terraced housing found throughout the city to Art Nouveau buildings designed by Macintosh who was a key figure in the "Arts and Crafts" movement. The Clyde Auditorium is one of the more modern buildings, a little like the Sydney opera house and designed by Sir Norman Foster. Locally it referred to, with affection, as "The Armadillo" in the same way that Londoners often refer to his notable work on the London city-line as "The Gherkin". In 2014 Glasgow will host The Commonwealth Games, complete with the "Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome" paying homage to our and more notably Scotland's greatest Olympian. Music is part of the culture of Glasgow and it's unusual for a pub not to have a live band playing most nights of the week. Bands such as Travis and Primal Scream have paved the way for young musicians to have confidence and believe that when you come from Glasgow, anything is possible.
Located in the West End of Glasgow is The Hotel Du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens. The hotel is set over several floors taking over a number of former residences in this pretty Victorian terrace. The Du Vin formula is a winning one that is replicated throughout this small group of boutique hotels, the standards are incredibly high and the attention to detail, impeccable. The Glasgow hotel has 49 rooms and suites all beautifully appointed where deep baths, drench showers and Egyptian cotton come as standard. The Bistro Du Vin offers an "A La Carte" menu and for those who can't make up their minds, an exquisite tasting menu. Where possible, the produce is local to Glasgow and all free-range. The meat for the hotel is provided by the same farmer who also counts The Queen as a regular customer. The hotel has a superb bar complete with a whiskey room offering an extensive selection of whiskey to suit every pallet and a fantastic wine cellar. The Hotel Du Vin Glasgow is a perfect base for visiting Glasgow be it for business of pleasure.
Glasgow is a truly vibrant city and in less than thirty minutes you can find yourself in some of the most breath-taking countryside such as Loch Lomond complete with its own freshwater Islands. Glasgow is also the gateway to The Western Isles, so plan a longer stay and visit Oban or explore the Islands of Mull and Iona. 24 hours is just the beginning.
www.hotelduvin.com/hotels/glasgow
www.visitscotland.com
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